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- #1. The First World Series Ever Played At Yankee Stadium
- #2. John McGraw Would Not Allow Lou Gehrig To Play
- #3. The Giants Could Not Contain Babe Ruth
- #4. Casey Stengel Would Provide Some Heroics For The Giants
- #5. The 1923 World Series Set Attendance Records
- #6. Herb Pennock Gets 2 Wins And A Save
- #7. This Would Be The Last Time John McGraw Would Play The Yankees
#1. The First World Series Ever Played At Yankee Stadium
The 1923 World Series would be the first time that New York played in its own stadium.
During the 1921 World Series and the 1922 World Series, the Yankees shared the Polo Grounds with the Giants.
After drawing larger crowds due to the popularity of Babe Ruth, the Giants banned the Yankees from leasing their stadium. The Yankees then finished Yankee Stadium by opening day in 1923 when Babe Ruth crushed the first home run in the stadium's history.
Yankee Stadium would go on to see more World Series games than any other stadium in Baseball History.
#2. John McGraw Would Not Allow Lou Gehrig To Play
Neither Lou Gehrig, Bill Terry, nor Hack Wilson played in the Series. These future Hall of Famers were each in their first season and had played no more than thirteen games in the regular season.
Gehrig had been called up from Hartford to play for the Yankees that year.
At that time, however, a team had to have the permission of both the commissioner and the opposing team's manager to make a roster change so late in the season eligible for postseason play.
The Yankees gained the permission of Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who then told them to get John McGraw's permission.
McGraw and the Yankees had a long history of disdain after both teams had shared a stadium and the Giants had won both the 1921 and 1922 World Series from New York.
In typical John McGraw style, he declined permission, and Gehrig would not be allowed to participate in the series, which otherwise would have been his first World Series.
#3. The Giants Could Not Contain Babe Ruth
For the past two World Series, Babe Ruth had been held in check.
In 1921, he was hurt and could not play three of the games, and in 1922, the Giants pitched around him, and he would have an abysmal batting average.
However, that would change in 1923.
He would bat .368 with three home runs, which would include a two-home run game in Game 2. He would score 8 runs and be on base over 50% of the time.
This would be his first great World Series.
#4. Casey Stengel Would Provide Some Heroics For The Giants
The future coach who would guide the Yankees through some of their best years would be their nemesis in the 1923 World Series.
He would provide some heroics in Games 1 and 3 to put the Giants up 2 to 1 in a best-of-seven matchup.
His heroics were home runs that would win the game.
In Game 1, he gave the Giants the win with an inside-the-park home run in the 9th inning.
He would do it again in Game 3 when he launched a home run in the seventh inning to put them ahead - 0, which would be enough for the win.
However, after Game 3, the Yankees would sweep the series.
#5. The 1923 World Series Set Attendance Records
Babe Ruth was a household name, and for the residents of New York, he was their biggest celebrity.
During the 1923 season, Yankee Stadium had set attendance records, and by the time of the World Series, attendance would again increase.
The Polo Grounds had also been renovated to include more seats.
The 1923 World Series would average over 50,000 fans every game, which blew away the next closest World Series by over 10,000.
#6. Herb Pennock Gets 2 Wins And A Save
Herb Pennock was the versatile pitcher of the World Series.
He started and won two games and would come in and mop up the Giants in Game 2 to earn a save.
At a time when saves were becoming more popular, relieving a pitcher was not used as often as it should have been.
Herb would become the first pitcher to earn two wins and a save and not take a loss.
#7. This Would Be The Last Time John McGraw Would Play The Yankees
There was no inter-league play in 1923, and the opposing leagues only met in the World Series. After being a nemesis to the Yankees for many years, the Yankees would finally beat him.
McGraw would appear in the World Series again the following year, but it would not be against the Yankees, and the next time the two teams would meet would be in 1936, when John McGraw was no longer the manager of the Giants.
He would be one of the only managers to stifle Ruth and probably made Ruth a better player because of it.