Marty Appel’s Pinstripe Empire and the Legend of Casey Stengel’s Lost Shoe
April 24, 2012 · Harold Friend · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Say “Yankee Stadium,” and fans think “World Series.” The New York Yankees have won 108 World Series games, but, ironically, they lost the first one ever played at the Stadium.
In his new book, Pinstripe Empire, Marty Appel sheds new light on the first World Series home run hit at Yankee Stadium.
The New York Giants had beaten the Yankees in the 1921 and 1922 World Series. The teams were meeting for the third consecutive season in 1923, with the Giants favored to make it three in a row.
The score was 4-4 with the Giants batting in the ninth inning. Right-hander Bullet Joe Bush retired the dangerous Ross Youngs on a line drive to center fielder Whitey Witt and then retired Irish Meusel, Yankees’ left fielder Bob Meusel’s brother, on a ground ball to third baseman Jumpin’ Joe Dugan.
Bush looked into Wally Schang to get the sign, nodded assent, went into the windup and delivered a change-up that Casey Stengel blasted into deep left center field. The drive split the gap, forcing Meusel and Witt to chase after it.
Stengel, probably the slowest runner on the Giants, turned first and headed for second. Neither of the outfielders had reached the ball, and as Stengel turned toward third base, it appeared that he lost his shoe, but Appel reveals that’s not what happened.
When he reached the dugout after hitting the first World Series home run at Yankee Stadium, which would soon become the game-winner, Stengel’s teammates asked him why he was hobbling. Appel wrote that Stengel responded, “I lost a shoe at second base.”
Hank Gowdy, the great catcher, asked Stengel how many shoes he had been wearing. Stengel hadn’t lost a shoe. He had lost a sponge that was inside the shoe to protect a blister.
The second game of the Series was played at the Polo Grounds, where the Yankees beat the Giants to even the Series, which returned to Yankee Stadium for Game 3.
Once again, the Yankees couldn’t win at their new park, as left-handed nemesis Art Nehf shut them out, 1-0. A great pitching effort by Sad Sam Jones was wasted. But the Yankees wouldn’t lose another game.
Finally, on Oct. 14 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees exploded for eight runs, Dugan had four hits, Meusel garnered three and Bush allowed only one run and three hits to gain a complete victory.
The Yankees finished off the Giants the next day, beating Nehf for their first world championship. Twenty-six more have followed, and the end is not in sight.
Reference:
Appel, Marty. Pinstripe Empire. New York: Bloomsbury USA. May, 2012.
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