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Pete and Tony

© Harold Friend

It was one of the most dramatic moments in World Series history. Grover Cleveland Alexander struck out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning of the seventh game of the 1926 World Series.

Alexander was 39 years old. He had been sent from the Chicago Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals that season and had won only twelve games. He struck out an amazingly low 47 batters the entire 1926 season, but the World Series was different. In 21.3 innings of work, Alexander struck out 17 Yankees.

Alexander won Game 6 easily by a 10-2 score to force a seventh game. Cardinals manager Rogers Hornsby, who was a playing manager who could play better than he could manage, told Alexander to be ready to pitch in relief in Game 7. In those days, the manager told the players what to do, unlike today. Alexander limited celebrating his Game 6 victory because the winning World Series share was better than the losing share. Even in those days, money was part of the game.

Jesse Haines started for the Cardinals against Yankees ace Waite Hoyt. The Yankees scored a run in the third inning, but the Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the fourth, helped by a Mark Koenig error, to go ahead, 3-1. A Yankees run in the bottom of the sixth brought them to within a run, but they would never get any closer.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning. Earle Combs, who has become vastly underrated with the passage of time despite the fact that his .325 lifetime batting average has not changed since his retirement, was on third base, Bob Meusel was on second, and the runner on first was Lou Gehrig. The batter was Tony Lazzeri, who had batted .275 with 18 home runs during the regular season.

Haines had pitched fairly well, but a blister on the knuckle of the first finger on his right hand broke, ending his work for the year. Hornsby brought in Alexander to pitch to the Yankees rookie. It was a good move for the Cardinals. Lazzeri and Alexander had faced each other seven times in the series, with the Yankee getting one hit. Alexander later said that he wasn’t too worried, but that he knew a mistake could mean four runs.

Alexander’s first delivery to Lazzeri was out of the strike zone according to reports from the Sporting News, but Alexander claims that his first delivery was a curve that Lazzeri swung at and missed. In any event, with one strike on the batter, Alexander threw a fast ball. Lazzeri connected and the ball headed into the left field stands, but it was foul by eight to ten feet. Lazzeri had one strike left.

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