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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 6 · APRIL 6, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #006 · GOLDEN AGE
Babe Ruth — 60 Home Runs
When #2 Hit 18
On September 30, 1927, Babe Ruth hit home run #60 off Tom Zachary of Washington — a record that
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL stood 34 years.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
THE GAP BETWEEN RUTH AND EVERYONE ELSE IN 1927 WAS NOT A GAP. IT WAS A CANYON.
Ruth Hit 60 HR In 1927. The #2 Yankee Hit 18. The
Record Stood 34 Years.
BABE RUTH — 1927 LOU GEHRIG — 1927 TONY LAZZERI — 1927
ROGER MARIS — 1961 BARRY BONDS — 2001 AL LEADER (NOT RUTH) 1927
Ruth hit 60 home runs in 1927. Lou Gehrig was second in the AL with 47. Tony Lazzeri — the third Yankee
— hit 18. Ruth's 60 was 13.6% of all AL home runs that season. His OPS+ of 225 is the second-highest
single-season mark in history.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Washington Senators SEPTEMBER 30, 1927
.356 164 225 Season final
SEASON HR SEASON BA SEASON RBI OPS+ RESULT
Number 60
THE NUMBER THAT DEFINED BASEBALL FOR 34 YEARS
Ruth hit his 60th home run off Tom Zachary of Washington on the second-to-last day of the 1927 season.
The Yankee Stadium crowd erupted. Nobody in the stadium believed they'd see it broken in their lifetime.
They were mostly right — it took 34 years. Ruth finished the season .356/.486/.772 with an OPS+ of 225 at
age 32.
ERA VS ERA 03
Greatest Single Season Ever — Ruth 1927 vs Bonds 2001?
BABE RUTH · 1927 BARRY BONDS · 2001
HOME RUNS HOME RUNS
OPS+ VS OPS+
WAR WAR
Bonds' 2001 OPS+ of 235 is the highest single-season mark in history. Ruth's 225 is second. Both exist in a
class of two. The difference: Bonds' season lives in the steroid era. Ruth's 60 stood for 34 years against clean
competition. The debate is genuinely unresolved.
Greatest single season in baseball history?
RUTH 1927 — 60 HR BONDS 2001 — 73 HR PEDRO 2000 — 1.74 ERA GIBSON 1968 — 1.12 ERA
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
1932 WORLD SERIES GAME 3 · WRIGLEY FIELD
He Called His Shot. Or Didn't. Either Way He Hit The
Home Run.
With the Cubs bench riding him relentlessly, Ruth appeared to point toward center field before
hitting the next pitch there. Did he call it? Footage is grainy. Accounts differ. What's certain: he
pointed and homered. The Called Shot is the most debated moment in baseball history.
I pointed to center and I hit it there. I'd do it again.
— BABE RUTH
THE STAT VAULT 05
CAREER HOME RUNS CAREER BATTING AVERAGE
Stood as the all-time record until Hank Remembered for power. He was also one
Aaron in 1974. of the five best contact hitters ever.
CAREER ERA AS A PITCHER
CAREER WINS AS A PITCHER
94 2.28 Went 3-0, 0.87 ERA in the 1916 World
Before becoming a full-time outfielder —
Series before becoming history's greatest
went 94-46, 2.28 ERA.
hitter.
225 1927 SINGLE-SEASON OPS+
Second-highest in history. Only Barry Bonds' 2001 season (235) is higher.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Earle Combs
NEW YORK YANKEES · 1924–1935
HOF · .325 CAREER BA · MURDERERS ROW LEADOFF MAN
He Led Off For Ruth And Gehrig For A Decade. Hall of Famer. Who?
Earle Combs scored 137 runs in 1927 because Ruth and Gehrig drove him in constantly. He hit .325 for his
career and led off for the greatest lineup ever assembled. He's in the Hall of Fame and mentioned
approximately never.
THE CONNECTION:
Without Combs reaching base, the Murderers Row lineup was less dangerous. He was the invisible
engine of the greatest offense in baseball history — everyone was looking past him at 3 and 4.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Lou Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games. Then ALS took him at 37.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.