At Mobile (Southern League) in 1912, the grandstand band played "Oh, You Beautiful
Doll" after Jacobson's Opening Day homer, and the next day's paper captioned his
photo, "Baby Doll." After a decade in the minors, he spent 1917 in the majors, served
a year in the military, and returned as a Browns' regular at 28. The best of Jacobson's
ML career was contained in seven straight years over .300 (1919-25), five of them
with Ken Williams and Jack Tobin flanking him in the Browns' best-remembered outfield.
A burly righthander who swung a light bat, he hit well for average, if not for power.
For all his heft (at 6'3" and 215-lb, he was the league's biggest man), he was also
a capable fielder. At one time he held 13 fielding marks; his 484 putouts in 1924
stood as a record for 24 years. In 1927 he played seven consecutive games for the
Red Sox without a putout or assist.
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»May 20, 1922: Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel (and since-traded pitcher Bill Piercy), suspended on October 16, 1921, by Judge Landis, are reinstated and return to the New York lineup going hitless in New York's 8–2 loss to the rallying Browns at the Polo Grounds. The Browns, down 2–0 after 7, score one in the 8th and seven in the 9th, six of them coming after the game-ending out is called by ump Ollie Chill at first base. Pitcher Sam Jones, taking the throw at 1B from Wally Pipp, apparently makes the 3rd out and fans swarm the field. But Jones does not hold onto the ball cleanly and plate ump Brick Owens instructs Chill to make a safe call. The tying run scores on the play and, when the action resumes 15 minutes later, Wally Gerber singles to make the score 3–2. Walks to Sisler and Williams force home another run, and Baby Doll Jacobson clears the bases with a grand slam into the RF stands to complete the scoring. Winner Urban Shocker allows just three hits, including a two-run homer by second baseman Aaron Ward. The loss to Jones starts him on a 10-game losing streak, while a cold Ban Johnson will let umpire Ollie Chill go after the season.
»September 9, 1922:
Baby Doll Jacobson collects three triples to lead the Browns to a 16–0 whitewash of the Tigers. The victory, the most lopsided in Browns' history, goes to pitcher Elam Vangilder. St. Louis totals 20 hits with Ken Williams hitting a homer in his 5th straight game, his 37th of the year. Sisler has three hits to keep his hit streak alive, as the Browns keep pace with New York, winners in 10 innings against Washington.
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