New Release! 1927 Deluxe Past Season with Transactions and Lineups

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1927: The Year America Roared and Soared

by Steve Ehresman

Characterizing the 1920s, author F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The parties were bigger. The pace was faster. The shows were broader. The buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper.” Indeed, as Americans were keeping cool with Cooledge, enjoying heretofore unrivaled prosperity, few imagined that by the end of the decade, this iteration of The American Dream would crash.

Just as the New York Giants had their gonfalon bubble pricked by the Chicago Cubs two decades earlier, those riding the fragile bubble of unlimited prosperity plummeted to earth in October 1929. Americans were forced to add words weighty with nothing but trouble to their lexicon: the Great Crash and the Great Depression.

Nineteen twenty-seven, a rollicking year that challenged social norms, may well have been the apex of The Roaring Twenties. Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong transformed jazz into a national sensation. Couples kicked and flapped their arms to a new dance craze, the high-energy Charleston. Radio became a powerful medium, as the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) went on the air with 47 stations. Al Jolson spoke the first words in a sound motion picture (“The Jazz Singer”): “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nonthin' yet.” Mae West ("Is that a pickle in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?") was declared guilty of “obscenity and corrupting the morals of youth.”

Model A Fords began rolling off the assembly line. The Cyclone rollercoaster opened on Coney Island. Wristwatches replaced pocket watches. Electrical products and home appliances made life easier, giving consumers more leisure time. For those who could afford these marvels, everyday life was an adventure in innovation.

In the sporting world, Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller set records in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle. Guided by Abe Saperstein, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in Hinckley, Illinois. American golfer Walter Hagen led the United States to victory over Britain in the first Ryder Cup. Bobby Jones dominated the world of golf by winning the British Open and the U.S. Amateur. Gene Tunney defeated Jack Dempsey in the infamous “long count” match at Soldiers Field, Chicago. Notre Dame’s collegiate football team changed their uniforms from blue to green.

The most important event of 1927 was aviator Charles Lindbergh’s non-stop, solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, taking off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island and---3,610 miles and over 33 ½ hours later—touching down at Le Bourgel Aerodrome just outside of Paris. President Calvin Cooledge awarded Lindbergh the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Medal of Honor for his accomplishment. In addition, Time magazine named him “Man of the Year. The Roaring Twenties had become The Soaring Twenties. His reputation still untarnished, the reserved Lindbergh was America’s greatest hero.

America’s greatest celebrity was anything but reserved. Like a force of nature, George Herman “Babe” Ruth rose from the meat packing plants of Pigtown to the manicured diamonds of Major League Baseball. Sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, Ruth became a home run hitter unlike any the nation had seen. The Roaring Twenties and the Babe were made for each other.

In 1927, Ruth and the “Murderers’ Row” New York Yankees demolished baseball history. Winning 110 games, the Yanks breezed to the American League pennant by 19 games. With a team batting average of .307, the “Bronx Bombers” tallied nearly 1,000 runs, outscoring their opponents by a record 376. Of course, the Babe led the way with 60 circuit blows, out-homering the 7 other teams in the American League. In addition, Ruth connected for 192 hits, scored a league-leading 158 runs, collected a league-leading 137 bases on balls, and finished with a stratospheric 12.6 WAR.

Nevertheless, Ruth was not a one-man show. American League MVP Lou Gehrig, only 24 years old, batted .373. slugged 47 home runs, and drove in 175 runs. Adding to his Hall of Fame statistics, Gehrig had a remarkable .474 OBP (second to Ruth’s .486), a robust .765 SLG (second to Ruth’s ,772), and an eye-popping 11.9 WAR (AGAIN, second to Ruth’s 12.6). Never had moundsmen faced a duo more deadly.

Rounding out “Murderers Row” were a trio of sluggers, two of whom joined Ruth and Gehrig in the Hall of Fame: Earle Combs (a league-leading 231 hits, with 36 doubles, 23 triples, and a .356 BA), Tony Lazzeri (18 home runs, 102 RBI, and a .309 BA), and Bob Meusel (103 RBI and a .337 BA). Although he enjoyed a fine 11-year career, Meusel (.309 BA, .356 OBP, and .497 SLG) is not in the Hall of Fame.

Not only did Yankee hitters chew up the opposition, but Yankee pitchers dominated American League hitters: Hall of Famer Waite Hoyt (22-7, 23 CG with a 2.63 ERA), Hall of Famer Herb Pennock (19-8, 18 CG, with a 3.00 ERA), Urban Shocker (18-6 with a 2.84 ERA), and Dutch Ruether (13-6 with a 3.38 ERA). When the Yankees went to the bullpen, Wilcy Moore, the American League leader in earned run average (2.28), pitched 213 innings and recorded 13 saves. The Yankee staff finished the season with a 3.20 ERA. No doubt about it, the 1927 Yankees made history every time they took the field.

According to baseball mythology, New York’s World Series opponents, the Pittsburgh Pirates (94-60), were intimidated by the Yankees during batting practice and lost hope before the games began. In truth, the Pirates, having several fine hitters of their own and having won the World Series in 1925, liked their chances. Any other season, Pittsburgh might have won another Series, but not in 1927 against the Yankees, arguably the greatest team in baseball history, who swept the Pirates 4-0.

Boasting three Hall of Fame outfielders, Paul Waner (a league-leading 237 hits; a league-leading 18 triples; a league-leading 131 RBI; and a league leading .380 BA, third in all of baseball), Lloyd Waner (.355 BA), and Hazen Shirley “Kiki” Cuyler (.309, but limited to 285 AB), the Pirates compiled a .305 team BA and finished 94-60, edging out the St. Louis Cardinals (92-61) and the New York Giants (92-62). The Pirates had two more Hall of Famers on their roster: hot corner wizard Harold Joseph “Pie” Traynor (106 RBI and a .342 BA) and rookie Joe Cronin, who enjoyed a distinguished career as shortstop for the Boston Red Sox.

The Pirate hurlers matched-up well against National League hitters. Leading the way was workhorse Lee Meadows (19-10, 38 GS, 25 CG, and a 3.40 ERA). Providing more than ample support were Carmen Hill (22-11 with a 3.24 ERA) and Ray Kremer (19-8 with a league-leading 2.47 ERA). Overall, the Pirate staff checked in with 90 complete games and a 3.66 ERA.

The 1927 season featured a wealth of noteworthy hitting performances. Detroit’s Harry Heilman led all of baseball with a blistering .398 BA, along with 201 hits (50 of which were doubles), and 120 RBI. Al Simmons of the Philadelphia Athletics blasted away at .392, cracking 36 doubles and driving in 108 runners. Rogers Hornsby, in his only season with the New York Giants, produced with his usual excellence (a league-leading 133 runs, a league-leading 86 walks, 26 home runs and 125 RBI to go with his .361 BA). Major League Baseball had sixty-seven .300 hitters with at least 200 AB. The Junior Circuit hit .277, and the Senior Circuit hit .280. Like the “Roaring Twenties,” offense in 1927 was big and bold.

Despite the success of batsmen, pitching was robust, with seven 20-game winners. The Chicago Cubs’ Charlie Root was leader of the pack, hurling 309 innings and finishing 26-15 with 21 CG and a 3.76 ERA. Close behind was Jesse Haines of the St. Louis Cardinals (24-10 with a league-leading 25 CG and a 2.72 ERA). Ted Lyons produced a worthy season for the Chicago White Sox (22-14, a major league-leading 30 CG, a league-leading 307.2 innings, and a 2.84 ERA). Hero of the 1926 World Series, veteran Grover Cleveland Alexander of the St. Louis Cardinals still had great stuff (21-10 with 22 CG and a 2.52 ERA). This was Alexander’s 9th and final season with at least 20 victories. In his third MLB season, the Philadelphia Athletics’ Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove recorded his first of 8 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins (20-13 with 14 CG and a 3.19 ERA). In addition, Grove finished 18 games and picked up 9 saves. Dazzy Vance of Brooklyn completed a league-leading 25 games with 184 strikeouts—the 6th of what would be seven consecutive years in which he led the Senior Circuit in whiffs.

In 1927, whether you waited anxiously for the Spirit of St. Louis to soar across the Atlantic and land in France or whether you cheered as home runs flew out of Yankee Stadium at a record rate, the world was full of possibilities that seemed to stretch beyond the horizon.

Diamond Mind baseball cannot put you in the cockpit with “Lindy.” Nor can it put you in a seat behind home plate in “The House That Ruth Built.” Nevertheless, Diamond Mind’s reissued 1927 season can put the best of Roaring Twenties baseball at your fingertips. Order your copy today and begin a replay as dynamic as the “Jazz Age.” You might even feel like dancing the Charleston.

Presenting the 1927 Deluxe Past Season Database

This fully-featured database provides everything you need to recreate and manage games using teams and players from the 1927 season.

More than just an update to the original Classic Past Season database, this "deluxe" edition has been meticulously reconstructed from scratch as an entirely new database. Using advanced tools and incorporating the most recent statistical data gathered from the most up-to-date online sources.

Database contents:

basic player facts: names, batting and throwing hands, birthdates
official batting and pitching statistics, including left/right splits
fielding statistics by position
games started at each position against left- and right-handed pitchers
thousands of player ratings that you can see: injury, bunting, range, running, throwing, and so on
thousands more player ratings that you can't see: the event tables and pitch-by-pitch ratings that make the game produce accurate results
opening day rosters for every team, plus more than 700 real-life transactions
manager profiles for every team, including starting rotations, bullpen roles, saved lineups, depth charts, manager and player tendencies
ballpark data, including dimensions, park factors, and weather ratings
the original (as-scheduled) and as-played schedules for the season
real-life starting lineups for every game played this season

Compatibility and Pricing:

The 1927 Deluxe Past Season database is available exclusively in version 12 format, priced at $24.95. This means it can only be installed with Diamond Mind Baseball: Version 12 and is not compatible with earlier versions of the game.

Upgrade Discount for the Classic Past Season:

If you've previously purchased the 1927 Classic Past Season database from Diamond Mind, you may be eligible for an upgrade discount! To request your discount promotion code, send an email to dmb_info@imaginesports.com.