Interesting note on Valdez' pitching victory last night.

According to MLB.com, citing the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player before Valdez to start a game in the field and earn a win was Babe Ruth [left field] on Oct. 1, 1921.

In that game, the second in a double-header, according to the box score, the Yankees who had clinched their 1st pennant, had Ruth relieve in the 8th up 6-0.

Ruth had earlier relieved Wally Pipp from his first base duties [sounds familiar...] and was replaced in left by the humorously named Chicken Hawks. [also interesting to me is that the Yankee RF was named B. Roth!]

Ruth promptly gave up the entire lead. Oddly, to me at least, the Yankees who used two pitchers to hurl 8 shutout innings left him out there. But, then again the A's pitcher who gave up the 6 pitched the entire game for them.

The Yankees won the game in the bottom of the 11th. I can't tell who drove in the winning run. But, it was scored by Tom Rogers who doubled in his only AB. Could have been Ruth. Also could have been Johnny Mitchell or, less likely, Chick Fewster.

The win brought Ruth to 2-0 for the year. Ruth's 1-for-4 would plummet his average to .376. He steals his 16 base of the year in the game.

For some reason they play one more game and it's against the Red Sox. Ruth rebounds with a 2-4 and his 59th HR. He ends the year with 171 RBI, .377 AVG, and an astounding 1.356 OPS. Interestingly he has 17 SB and 13 errors.


SOURCE

Box Score for Charin