The term home field advantage took on a whole new meaning in 1923 as baseball's grand cathedral, Yankees Stadium, opened much to the dismay of the Giants. Although the two-time defending champions would finally reclaim the Polo Grounds for themselves, The House That Ruth Built towered over their yard and featured an enormous seating capacity with an architectural beauty that was second to none. With the addition of a third ballpark, New York had established itself as THE premier city for professional sports entertainment.
A sports columnist from Philadelphia had written that thousands of years in the future archeologists would uncover ruins in the lower Bronx that would resemble that of ancient Rome's coliseums. The Giants had generously shared their field with the Yankees (and Highlanders) since 1913 but now found themselves standing in the shadow of their cross-town rivals.
Although the Yankees had lost two consecutive World Series to the Giants, they were quickly becoming the more popular of the two. The soon to be penned Bronx Bombers boasted the game's top player, the largest arena, and the best record in baseball after winning their third American League pennant by a sixteen game margin.
Once again, the Subway Series was on as the Yankees and the Giants met for the third consecutive year. In a strange twist, Giants' outfielder, Casey Stengel, who would later become one of the most successful and beloved Yankee managers, beat his future team in Game 1 with an inside-the-park home run off of Joe Bush to break a 4-4 tie in the ninth. The Yankees were now winless (eight losses and one tie) in Series games against the Giants, but New York had Babe Ruth and he would have something to say about that.
After a disappointing season plagued with suspensions and poor play in 1922, the Babe was back in action, hitting .394 and sharing the home run title with the Phillies' Cy Williams (with forty-one). He was in top form for Game 2, hitting home runs in the fourth and fifth innings on the way to a 4-2 victory at the Polo Grounds.
Game 1 hero Casey Stengel once again stole the spotlight in Game 3. Through six innings, the Yankees' Sam Jones and the Giants' Art Nehf were locked in a scoreless battle. Then, with one out in the seventh, Stengel homered into the right field stands at Yankee Stadium for the win.
Not to be outdone, the Yankees dominated the next two outings while totaling sixteen runs with twenty-seven hits resulting in 8-4 and 8-1 victories. New York coasted through Games 4 and 5 on the arm of Joe Bush and the bat of Joe Dugan.
Finally, the Yankees had beaten the Giants for their first world championship in their brand new stadium (which featured crowds in excess of 62,000 and over $1 million dollars in ticket sales). In addition, Babe Ruth had finally beaten his post-season demons, hitting three home runs, a triple, a double and two singles while batting .368.
"It is a thrilling thought that perhaps 2,500 years from now archaeologists, spading up the ruins of Harlem and the lower Bronx, will find arenas that outsize anything that the ancient Romans and Greeks built."- The Philadelphia Enquirer (1923)
1923 World Series1923 World Series Official Program ← 1922 | New York Yankees (4) vs New York Giants (2) | 1924 → |
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1923 World Series Fast Facts | ||
Game 1 | Date / Box Score | 10-10-1923 |
Location | Yankee Stadium | |
1st Pitch | Kenesaw Mountain Landis (MLB Commissioner, 1920-1944) | |
Attendance | 55,307 | |
Game 2 | Date / Box Score | 10-11-1923 |
Location | Polo Grounds | |
Attendance | 40,402 | |
Game 3 | Date / Box Score | 10-12-1923 |
Location | Yankee Stadium | |
Attendance | 62,430 | |
Game 4 | Date / Box Score | 10-13-1923 |
Location | Polo Grounds | |
Attendance | 46,302 | |
Game 5 | Date / Box Score | 10-14-1923 |
Location | Yankee Stadium | |
Attendance | 62,817 | |
Game 6 | Date / Box Score | 10-15-1923 |
Location | Polo Grounds | |
Attendance | 34,172 | |
1923 World Series Fast Facts |
1923 World Series
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1923 World Series Game 1 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York (N.L.) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
New York (A.L.) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 1 |
New York (N.L.) Pitchers | New York (A.L.) Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Mule Watson Rosy Ryan (W, 3rd) |
Waite Hoyt Joe Bush (L, 3rd) |
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New York (N.L.) Home Runs | New York (A.L.) Home Runs | |||||||||||
Casey Stengel (9th) | None |
1923 World Series
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1923 World Series Game 2 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York (A.L.) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
New York (N.L.) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
New York (A.L.) Pitcher(s) | New York (N.L.) Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Herb Pennock (W) | Hugh McQuillan (L) | |||||||||||
New York (A.L.) Home Runs | New York (N.L.) Home Runs | |||||||||||
Aaron Ward (2nd) Babe Ruth (4th) Babe Ruth (5th) |
Irish Meusel (2nd) - - |
1923 World Series
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1923 World Series Game 3 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York (N.L.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
New York (A.L.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
New York (N.L.) Pitcher(s) | New York (A.L.) Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Art Nehf (W) - |
Sam Jones (L) Joe Bush (9th) |
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New York (N.L.) Home Runs | New York (A.L.) Home Runs | |||||||||||
Casey Stengel (7th) | None |
1923 World Series
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1923 World Series Game 4 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York (A.L.) | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 1 |
New York (N.L.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
New York (A.L.) Pitcher(s) | New York (N.L.) Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Bob Shawkey (W) Herb Pennock (S, 8th) - - - |
Jack Scott (L) Rosy Ryan (2nd) Hugh McQuillan (2nd) Claude Jonnard (8th) Virgil Barnes (9th) |
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New York (A.L.) Home Runs | New York (N.L.) Home Runs | |||||||||||
None | Ross Youngs (9th) |
1923 World Series
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1923 World Series Game 5 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York (N.L.) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
New York (A.L.) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 8 | 14 | 0 |
New York (N.L.) Pitcher(s) | New York (A.L.) Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Jack Bentley (L) Jack Scott (2nd) Virgil Barnes (4th) Claude Jonnard (8th) |
Joe Bush (W) - - - |
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New York (N.L.) Home Runs | New York (A.L.) Home Runs | |||||||||||
None | Joe Dugan (2nd) |
1923 World Series
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1923 World Series Game 6 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York (A.L.) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
New York (N.L.) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
New York (A.L.) Pitcher(s) | New York (N.L.) Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Herb Pennock (W) Sam Jones (S, 8th) |
Art Nehf (L) Rosy Ryan (8th) |
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New York (A.L.) Home Runs | New York (N.L.) Home Runs | |||||||||||
Babe Ruth (1st) | Frank Snyder (5th) |
1923 World SeriesNew York Yankees 1923 World Series Composite Hitting Statistics |
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Name | Pos | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | Avg | BB | SO | SB |
Joe Bush Joe Dugan Hinky Haines Havery Hendrick Fred Hofmann Waite Hoyt Ernie Johnson Sam Jones Bob Meusel Herb Pennock Wally Pipp Babe Ruth Wally Schang Everett Scott Bob Shawkey Aaron Ward Whitey Witt |
p-3 3b of ph ph p ss-1 p of p 1b of-6,1b-1 c ss p 2b of |
4 6 2 1 2 1 2 2 6 3 6 6 6 6 1 6 6 |
7 25 1 1 1 1 0 2 26 6 20 19 22 22 3 24 25 |
3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 5 7 7 7 1 10 6 |
1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 |
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 |
2 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 8 3 2 0 4 1 |
1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 2 3 0 3 1 2 4 |
.429 .280 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .269 .000 .250 .368 .318 .318 .333 .417 .240 |
1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 1 0 0 1 1 |
1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 2 1 6 2 1 0 3 1 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 |
Totals | 205 | 60 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 29 | .293 | 20 | 22 | 1 | ||
1923 World SeriesNew York Giants 1923 World Series Composite Hitting Statistics |
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Name | Pos | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | Avg | BB | SO | SB |
Dave Bancroft Virgil Barnes Jack Bentley Bill Cunningham Frankie Frisch Dinty Gearin Hank Gowdy Heinie Groh Travis Jackson Claude Jonnard George Kelly Freddie Maguire Hugh McQuillan Irish Meusel Art Nehf Jimmy O'Connell Rosy Ryan Jack Scott Frank Snyder Casey Stengel Mule Watson Ross Youngs |
ss p p-2 of-3 2b pr c-2 3b ph p 1b pr p of p ph p p c of p of |
6 2 5 4 6 1 3 6 1 2 6 2 2 6 2 2 3 2 5 6 1 6 |
24 1 5 7 25 0 4 22 1 0 22 0 3 25 6 1 2 1 17 12 0 23 |
2 0 3 1 10 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 7 1 0 0 0 2 5 0 8 |
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 |
1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 |
1 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 3 |
.083 .000 .600 .143 .400 .000 .000 .182 .000 .000 .182 .000 .000 .280 .167 .000 .000 .000 .118 .417 .000 .348 |
1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 |
2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 4 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 |
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
Totals | 201 | 47 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 17 | .234 | 12 | 18 | 1 |
1923 World SeriesNew York Yankees 1923 World Series Composite Pitching Statistics |
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Name | W | L | G | GS | CG | S | Sh | IP | ERA | H | SO | ER | BB |
Joe Bush Waite Hoyt Sam Jones Herb Pennock Bob Shawkey |
1 0 0 2 1 |
1 0 1 0 0 |
3 1 2 3 1 |
1 1 1 2 1 |
1 0 0 1 0 |
0 0 1 1 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
16.2 2.1 10.0 17.1 7.2 |
1.08 15.43 0.90 3.63 3.52 |
7 4 5 19 12 |
5 0 3 8 2 |
2 4 1 7 3 |
4 1 2 1 4 |
Totals | 4 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 54.0 | 2.83 | 47 | 18 | 17 | 12 |
1923 World SeriesNew York Giants 1923 World Seris Composite Pitching Statistics |
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Name | W | L | G | GS | CG | S | Sh | IP | ERA | H | SO | ER | BB |
Virgil Barnes Jack Bentley Claude Jonnard Hugh McQuillan Art Nehf Rosy Ryan Jack Scott Mule Watson |
0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 |
0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 |
2 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 |
0 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 |
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 |
4.2 6.2 2.0 9.0 16.1 9.1 3.0 2.0 |
0.00 9.45 0.00 5.00 2.76 0.96 12.00 13.50 |
4 10 1 11 10 11 9 4 |
4 1 1 3 7 3 2 1 |
0 7 0 5 5 1 4 3 |
0 4 1 4 6 3 1 1 |
Totals | 2 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 53.0 | 4.25 | 60 | 22 | 25 | 20 |
The New York Giants hit three (3) triples and two (2) doubles during the 1923 World Series making them the third National League team (sixth overall) with more triples than doubles during a Fall Classic.
Did you know that the 1923 World Series was the first to reach the $1 million plateau ($1,063,815.00) in terms of gate receipts? Review the gate receipts for every World Series on Baseball Almanac today.
Ironically the manager considered by many New York Yankee historians as their best ever, was their most challenging opponent. Casey Stengel led (during this Fall Classic) his New York Giants in home runs, runs batted in, bases on balls; tied his teammates in the runs scored department and hit a very memorable walk-off inside the park home run during Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.