American baseball player
Baseball player
Wally Pipp
|
---|
Pipp with the New York Yankees in 1922
|
First baseman
|
Born:
(
1893-02-17
)
February 17, 1893
Chicago
,
Illinois
, U.S.
|
Died:
January 11, 1965
(1965-01-11)
(aged 71)
Grand Rapids, Michigan
, U.S.
|
|
|
June 29, 1913, for the Detroit Tigers
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|
September 30, 1928, for the Cincinnati Reds
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|
Batting average
| .281
|
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Home runs
| 90
|
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Runs batted in
| 1,004
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
Walter Clement "Wally" Pipp Sr.
(February 17, 1893 ? January 11, 1965) was an American professional
baseball
player. A
first baseman
, Pipp played in
Major League Baseball
(MLB) for the
Detroit Tigers
,
New York Yankees
, and
Cincinnati Reds
between 1913 and 1928.
After appearing in 12 games for the Tigers in 1913 and playing in the minor leagues in 1914, he was purchased by the Yankees before the 1915 season. They made him their starting first baseman. He and
Home Run Baker
led an improved Yankee lineup that led the league in
home runs
. He led the American League in home runs in 1916 and 1917. With
Babe Ruth
,
Bob Meusel
,
Joe Dugan
, and
Waite Hoyt
, the Yankees won three consecutive American League pennants from 1921 through 1923, and won the
1923 World Series
. In 1925, he lost his starting role to
Lou Gehrig
, after which he finished his major league career with Cincinnati.
Although he is considered to be one of the best
power hitters
of the
dead ball era
,
[1]
Pipp is now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role as the Yankees' first baseman to Gehrig on June 2, 1925, after experiencing a headache. This began Gehrig's
streak of 2,130 consecutive games played
, which stood as an MLB record for 56 years.
Early life
[
edit
]
Walter Pipp was born on February 17, 1893, in
Chicago
,
Illinois
. His mother Pauline (
nee
Stroeber) came to the US from Germany at a young age with her parents.
[2]
His father, William H. Pipp, was the son of immigrants from Germany that married in Michigan.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
He was raised as a
Roman Catholic
in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
.
[1]
[7]
As a child, Pipp said that he was hit in the head with a
hockey puck
, which resulted in headaches throughout his life.
[8]
Pipp enrolled at the
Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C., where he studied architecture and played baseball for the
Catholic University Cardinals
.
[9]
Pipp graduated in 1913.
[1]
Baseball career
[
edit
]
Early career
[
edit
]
In 1912, Pipp made his debut in
professional baseball
with the
Kalamazoo Celery Eaters
of the
Class D
level
Southern Michigan League
. In 68 games played, he had a .270
batting average
. The
Detroit Tigers
of the
American League
purchased his contract late in the 1912 season. Pipp attempted to hold out from the Tigers, demanding a portion of the purchase price, and threatened to return to college.
[1]
After graduating from college, Pipp ended his holdout without receiving a share of the purchase price.
[7]
Pipp made his major league debut with the Tigers on June 29, 1913.
[1]
After playing 12 games for Detroit, batting .161, the Tigers reassigned Pipp to the
Providence Grays
of the Class AA
International League
. He committed seven
errors
in 14 games for Providence, and was demoted to the
Scranton Miners
of the
Class B
New York State League
, where he only batted .220.
[7]
In 1914, Pipp played for the
Rochester Hustlers
of the International League. Pipp had a .314 batting average and 27
triples
. He led all batters in the league with 15
home runs
, a .526
slugging percentage
, and 290
total bases
.
[1]
[7]
New York Yankees
[
edit
]
In January 1915,
Jacob Ruppert
and
Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston
agreed to purchase the
New York Yankees
of the American League. As part of the agreement, the other team owners in the American League agreed to help the Yankees restock their system with
prospects
. One of the deals Ruppert and Huston negotiated was their purchase of Pipp. After Ruppert and Huston completed the purchase of the team, the other American League owners, with the exception of
Frank Navin
, the owner of the Tigers, broke their word.
[7]
On February 4, 1915, the Tigers sold Pipp and
outfielder
Hugh High
to the Yankees, receiving $5,000 for each player ($151,000 in current dollar terms).
[1]
The Yankees had struggled prior to Ruppert and Huston's purchase, having only one
winning record
in their previous eight seasons. They made Pipp their starting first baseman in time for
Opening Day
of the
1915 season
. The Yankees added
Home Run Baker
in 1916, and they formed the center of the Yankees'
batting order
.
[10]
Pipp led the American League in home runs with 12 in 1916; Baker finished second with 10. Pipp hit nine home runs in 1917, again leading the league.
[7]
In
1918
, Pipp hit only two home runs, but batted .304. He missed playing time under the nation's "work or fight" rule during World War I; he worked as a
naval aviation
cadet
at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He batted .275 with seven home runs in 1919, as
Babe Ruth
surpassed him as the best power hitter in the American League.
[1]
The Yankees moved to strengthen their team after the 1919 season, adding Ruth and fellow
outfielder
Bob Meusel
and
third baseman
Joe Dugan
. Between 1920 and 1924, Pipp had a .301 average, with season averages of 29
doubles
, 94
runs scored
, and 97
runs batted in
(RBI) per season. Led by their strong lineup and additions to the pitching staff, such as
Waite Hoyt
, the Yankees finished in second place in 1920. Pipp became the
cleanup hitter
, behind Ruth in the batting order. Pipp hit .296 in 1921, and the Yankees won the American League pennant.
[7]
However, they lost the
1921 World Series
to the
crosstown rival
New York Giants
of the
National League
.
[11]
On July 26, 1922, Pipp bobbled a ball during the fifth inning of a game against the
St. Louis Browns
. When the Yankees returned to the
dugout
, Ruth criticized Pipp's fielding. Pipp attacked Ruth, and the two were separated by teammates. Though Ruth insisted they'd "settle this after the game", Ruth and Pipp led the Yankees to a victory with their hitting, and when Pipp approached Ruth after the game, ready to fight, Ruth opted against it. Pipp said this resulted in reduced tension among the Yankees, to which he attributed their improved play from that point forward.
[7]
Pipp batted .329 in 1922 and the Yankees again won the American League pennant.
[7]
In a rematch, the Giants again defeated the Yankees in the
1922 World Series
.
[12]
Meanwhile, Pipp
scouted
Lou Gehrig
, who was playing
college baseball
for
Columbia University
, and suggested to
Miller Huggins
, the Yankees'
manager
, that he should sign Gehrig. Pipp personally helped develop Gehrig after he signed.
[13]
Pipp had a strong 1923 season, but injured his right ankle while stepping down from a train in Boston late in the year. The Yankees used Gehrig, whom they promoted from the minor leagues, to play in four games at first base replacing Pipp,
[7]
before calling upon Babe Ruth to substitute at first base for the four games at the very end of the season.
[14]
Though Huggins initially thought Pipp would not be able to play in the
1923 World Series
,
[15]
Pipp recovered sufficiently in time to play.
[16]
The Yankees won the series in six games over the Giants.
[7]
[17]
The Yankees finished in second place in the American League in 1924,
[7]
and Pipp led the league with 114 RBIs and 19 triples.
[18]
1925: Removal from the Yankees' starting lineup
[
edit
]
The Yankees began the 1925 season struggling, and Huggins began to replace players in his lineup in response. Huggins benched starting
shortstop
Everett Scott
on May 6, replacing him with
Pee Wee Wanninger
. At the time, Scott had the longest streak of consecutive games played, with 1,307. The Yankees continued to struggle. The Yankees entered play on June 2 on a five-game
losing streak
. Their 15?26
win?loss record
had them in seventh place out of the eight teams in the American League, half a game better than the last place team, and
13
+
1
⁄
2
games out of first place in the standings. Before their game against the
Washington Senators
, Huggins replaced Pipp in the Yankees' lineup with Gehrig, and benched
second baseman
Aaron Ward
and
catcher
Wally Schang
as well. Pipp was batting .244 with only three home runs and 23 RBIs, and had a .181 batting average over the previous three weeks. This was the second?not the first?game of Gehrig's then-record 2,130 consecutive games played, which lasted for 14 seasons. The streak started the previous day, as on June 1 Gehrig entered the game as a pinch hitter, substituting for shortstop Wanninger.
[19]
Although Pipp's replacement on June 2, 1925, was historic, and Gehrig had a great game by getting three hits, Gehrig would in fact go 0 for 3 in each of his next two games, before being lifted for a pinch-hitter each day. Pipp would finish both of those games defensively at first base.
[20]
[21]
According to the most popular version of the story, Pipp showed up at
Yankee Stadium
that day with a severe headache, and asked the team's
trainer
for two
aspirin
.
Miller Huggins
, the Yankees'
manager
, noticed this, and said "Wally, take the day off. We'll try that kid Gehrig at first today and get you back in there tomorrow." Gehrig played well and became the Yankees' new starting first baseman. This story first appeared in a 1939
New York World-Telegram
on Gehrig's career, in which Pipp was interviewed. Pipp was later quoted to have said, "I took the two most expensive aspirin in history."
[7]
[8]
[22]
According to
The Pride of the Yankees
, the
1942 film
about Gehrig's life, Pipp asked out of the game because he was experiencing
double vision
from being hit in the head two days prior.
[7]
By 1953, Pipp reported to
The New York Times
that he was taken out of the lineup due to being hit in the head by a pitch thrown by
Charlie Caldwell
during
batting practice
. However, while Pipp was hit in the head by a pitch from Caldwell and was hospitalized, this event occurred on July 2, a month after Pipp's benching.
[7]
The
New York Sun
reported the benching was due to Pipp's struggles against
left-handed
pitchers, as southpaw
George Mogridge
was the scheduled starting pitcher for the Senators on June 2. Other sources suggest Yankee manager
Miller Huggins
may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup.
[7]
According to another story, supported by Gehrig's wife, Pipp was not at the game on June 2 because he was
gambling
on
horse racing
at a
race track
.
[23]
His son Thomas denied this rumor, stating that his father never bet on horses.
[24]
When interviewed by
Sports Illustrated
, Pipp's own children disagreed on the reason for their father's benching, believing it was either due to Pipp being beaned or struggling.
[7]
Thomas believed Pipp told Huggins to play Gehrig in his place, as he knew Gehrig had a future with the Yankees, while he likely did not.
[24]
According to a popular legend, Pipp asked to sit due to a headache. The story was confirmed by Thomas and by
Bill Werber
.
[25]
Later career
[
edit
]
Ruth had returned to the Yankees' lineup on June 1, the day before Pipp, Ward, and Schang were benched. Despite Ruth's return and the strong play of Gehrig, who batted .295 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs,
[7]
[18]
the Yankees finished in seventh place. Pipp was hospitalized for a week after being hit in the head by Caldwell on July 2, and he played sparingly during the remainder of the season.
[7]
He ended the year with a .230 average, three home runs, and 24 RBIs.
[18]
Due to the team's struggles, Huggins made personnel changes during the offseason. The Yankees attempted to trade Pipp to another American League team, but could not agree on the terms with any team.
[7]
They put Pipp on
waivers
, and he was acquired by the
Cincinnati Reds
of the
National League
,
[26]
who reportedly paid the Yankees a greater sum than the $7,500 waiver price.
[1]
The Reds, who had not had a strong starting first baseman since
Jake Daubert
died in 1924, had attempted to acquire
Bill Terry
from the Giants, but refused to part with
Edd Roush
in the transaction, and so acquired Pipp instead.
[27]
Pipp again attempted to acquire a portion of the purchase price, but was rebuffed.
[7]
Pipp played 372 games for the Reds over the next three seasons. In 1926, he had a .291 batting average, and his 99 RBIs and 15 triples were both fourth-best in the National League. He batted .260 with 41 RBIs in 1927, and .283 in 1928.
[1]
With first baseman
George Kelly
also on their roster, the Reds released Pipp before the 1929 season. Pipp signed with the
Newark Bears
of the International League for the season.
[28]
He earned $40,000 ($710,000 in current dollar terms) that year, more than he made during his major league career. He batted .312 for Newark, and retired after the season.
[7]
Pipp played 1,872 games.
[8]
He had three seasons with a .300+ batting average, and two seasons with 100 or more RBI. Pipp had a .281 career batting average. He led both the American and National leagues in
fielding percentage
. His 226
sacrifices
as a Yankee remain a team record. Pipp was the first Yankee to lead the American League in home runs.
[7]
Due to his famous replacement by Gehrig, players began to say they were "Wally Pipped" when replaced in a lineup, especially if it is due to a minor injury.
[7]
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
[33]
[34]
Later life
[
edit
]
Pipp often attended
Old-Timers' Day
at Yankee Stadium and
Tiger Stadium
, playing in 12 Old-Timers' games.
[24]
He was later hired by
Sports Illustrated
as one of the magazine's first writers.
[7]
After retiring, Pipp invested in the
stock market
, but lost his wealth in the
Wall Street Crash of 1929
.
[8]
He authored a book, titled
Buying Cheap and Selling Dear
. He worked as a
broadcaster
on a pregame baseball show for the Tigers, wrote radio scripts, and worked in publishing. He organized baseball programs around his community for the
National Youth Administration
.
[7]
[24]
He also spent time unemployed during the
Great Depression
.
[7]
In 1940, Pipp was on the verge of
bankruptcy
, but he managed to pay off his debts without going bankrupt.
[24]
During World War II, Pipp worked at the
Willow Run
manufacturing complex in
Ypsilanti
, building
B-24
bombers
. Following the war, Pipp worked for the Rockford Screw Products Corporation as a machine parts salesman, selling bolts and screws to
automotive companies
based in Detroit and Grand Rapids.
[1]
[35]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Pipp and his wife, Nora,
[24]
had four children:
[7]
three sons (Walter, Tom, and Wally Jr.) and a daughter (Dorothy).
[24]
Pipp's brother, the Reverend W.B. Pipp, was a Catholic priest and golfer.
[9]
[36]
The Pipps moved to
Lansing, Michigan
, in 1949. After suffering a number of
strokes
, Pipp moved to a
nursing home
in Grand Rapids in September 1963.
[1]
He died there on January 11, 1965, of a
heart attack
at the age of 71.
[37]
[38]
He is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
[1]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
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h
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l
m
Spatz, Lyle.
"The Baseball Biography Project: Wally Pipp"
.
Society for American Baseball Research
. Retrieved
July 26,
2010
.
- ^
"Mrs. W.H. Pipp Taken by Death"
.
The Grand Rapids Press
. January 27, 1930. p. 12.
- ^
"William H. Pipp, 74, Dies at Kalamazoo"
.
The Grand Rapids Press
. May 21, 1934. p. 15.
- ^
"Mrs. H.W. Pipp (obituary)"
.
Livingston County Daily Press and Argus
. July 25, 1895. p. 8.
- ^
"FamilySearch - Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940"
.
FamilySearch
.
- ^
"FamilySearch - 1880 US census - Henry W. Pipp"
.
FamilySearch
.
- ^
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ab
Anderson, Bruce (June 29, 1987).
"A Pipp of a Legend: The Man Who Was Benched in Favor of Iron-Horse Lou"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
January 7,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Anderson, Chris (April 22, 2009).
"Wally Pipp: A son's tale about the start of Gehrig's consecutive games streak"
. HeraldTribune.com. Archived from
the original
on April 18, 2014
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Burroughs, Chris (October 8, 2015).
"The Archivist's Nook: The Pride of the Cardinals"
. Catholic University of America
. Retrieved
October 15,
2015
.
- ^
Hamilton, H. C. (June 26, 1917).
"Wally Pipp of Yanks Has Pippin of Wallop"
.
The Evening News
.
United Press International
. p. 5
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"1921 World Series ? New York Giants over New York Yankees (5?3)"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
April 18,
2014
.
- ^
"1922 World Series ? New York Giants over New York Yankees (4?0)"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
April 18,
2014
.
- ^
Newman, Mark (June 19, 2003).
"Before Gehrig, there was Pipp"
.
MLB.com
.
MLB Advanced Media
. Archived from
the original
on August 31, 2014
. Retrieved
April 18,
2014
.
- ^
"1923 New York Yankees Lineups and Defense"
.
Baseball Reference
. Retrieved
April 4,
2020
.
- ^
"Wally Pipp Not Likely To Play in World's Series: Yankee First Baseman Has Small Chance of Being Used, Says Huggins, Because of Injury?Others Still on Disabled List, But Recovering"
.
The Gazette Times
,
Pennsylvania
.
Associated Press
. October 5, 1923. p. 11
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Wally Pipp Will Probably Play Today"
.
The Lewiston Daily Sun
. October 10, 1923. p. 6
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"1923 World Series ? New York Yankees over New York Giants (4?2)"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
April 18,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Freeman, Rick (March 25, 2012).
"Setting the record straight on Pipp, Gehrig"
.
The Times of Trenton
. NJ.com
. Retrieved
April 18,
2014
.
- ^
"Washington Senators vs New York Yankees Box Score: June 1, 1925"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Sports Reference LLC
. Retrieved
December 28,
2022
.
- ^
"Retrosheet Boxscore: Washington Senators 8, New York Yankees 3"
.
www.retrosheet.org
. Retrieved
March 7,
2022
.
- ^
"Retrosheet Boxscore: New York Yankees 6, Washington Senators 4"
.
www.retrosheet.org
. Retrieved
March 7,
2022
.
- ^
Walfoort, Cleon (March 21, 1957).
"One Minute Interviews: Mantle's big Asset ... Pipp's Costly Headache"
.
The Milwaukee Journal
. pp. 2?17
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Murray, Jim (July 7, 1990).
"Just a Pipp off the old block"
.
Eugene Register-Guard
. p. 1C
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Kent, Andy (April 5, 2001).
"Wally Pipp: The real story"
.
Naples Daily News
.
Scripps Howard News Service
. p. 5
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
Archived at
Ghostarchive
and the
Wayback Machine
:
Max Carey (April 5, 2018),
SportsCentury Greatest Athletes #34: Lou Gehrig
, retrieved
June 22,
2019
- ^
Farrell, Henry L. (January 17, 1926).
"Wally Pipp Leaves Ruppert Service: Yanks First Sack Player and Star of New York Goes to Cincinnati"
.
Palm Beach Daily News
. United Press International. p. 2-1
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Farrell, Henry L. (February 1, 1926).
"Reds Look Like Promising Lot With Recent Acquisition of Wally Pipp"
.
Palm Beach Daily News
. United Press International. p. 2-1
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Wally Pipp to Play at Newark"
.
The Milwaukee Sentinel
. Associated Press. March 4, 1929. p. 15
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Missildine, Harry (May 29, 1968).
"Who in Heck Was Wally Pipp?"
.
The Spokesman-Review
. Spokane, Washington. p. 16
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"The Wally Pipp All-Stars"
.
The Spokesman-Review
. July 7, 1996. p. C2
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Major League baseball notes: Murray latest Wally Pipp?"
.
The Bulletin
. Bend, Oregon. United Press International. August 1, 1986. p. D-3
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
Lolley, F. Dale (November 18, 2001).
"Calling Wally Pipp"
.
Observer?Reporter
. Washington, Pennsylvania. p. C4
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Wally Pipp of the week"
.
The Spokesman-Review
. June 30, 1996
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
Cogsdill, Clarke (June 24, 1975).
"Tigers hold on win, 10?9"
.
The Michigan Daily
. p. 12
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Girl Major Leaguers Next, Pipp Predicts"
.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
. Associated Press. May 16, 1950. p. 14
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Priest Wins Sulphur Golf: Brother of Wally Pipp Is Awarded Coveted Trophy"
.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
. Associated Press. January 2, 1941. p. 13
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Wally Pipp Dies, Was Yankee Star"
.
Reading Eagle
. Associated Press. January 11, 1965
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Pre-Gehrig Yank Wally Pipp Dies"
.
Lodi News-Sentinel
. United Press International. January 12, 1965. p. 8
. Retrieved
April 19,
2014
.
External links
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International
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National
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Other
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