Books and articles about George Pipgras

After serving overseas with 25 x x the army engineers during WWI, Pipgras became one of the Yankees' most successful pitchers. The fastballer led the AL in wins (24), starts (38), innings (301), and hits allowed (314) in 1928, and in shutouts in 1930. The Yankees' pitcher when Ruth supposedly called his home run shot in 1932, Pipgras won all of his WS starts (one each in 1927, 1928, and 1932), but when he was robbed in a railroad station, it was his 1923 World Series watch that was taken. Brother Ed had a brief stint with the Dodgers in 1932.

Image provided by Matthew Fulling

SHOPPING » Look for George Pipgras books at BN.com » Look for George Pipgras books at Amazon.com Your purchases keep BaseballLibrary.com online. Thank you!

RELATED LINKS Greatest Teams » 1927 Yankees Around the Web » George Pipgras from baseball-reference.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

In 1938 Pipgras became an AL umpire. Once during a Browns-White Sox game, he ejected 17 players. (NLM/RTM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » January 3, 1923: The Yankees pluck two rookies from the Red Sox, P George Pipgras and OF Harvey Hendrick, in exchange for 2nd-string C Al DeVormer. » June 12, 1927: Despite Ruth's 21st homer, the Yankees are nosed out by the Indians, 8–7. Cleveland scores seven in the first two innings to rout Waite Hoyt. His replacement George Pipgras homers and pitches well. It is Joe Hornung Day at the Stadium, as the veteran from the 1880s celebrates his 72nd birthday. He receives a testimonial and money from his friends. » October 6, 1927: Two 3-run outbursts by the Yankees off Vic Aldridge (15-10) and a steady 7-hitter by surprise New York starter George Pipgras (10-3) give the Yankees a 6-2 win. Mark Koenig has 3 hits. » May 29, 1928: At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees sweep a pair from Washington, 3–2 and 12–3. Leo Durocher's bases-loaded triple in the opener gives George Pipgras (8-1) the win. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth both slug a pair of homers in the nitecap: Lou hits his 9th in the 3rd, off Washington starter Milt Gaston, then Ruth and Gehrig hit back-to-back dingers in the 4th off Lloyd Brown. Ruth adds his 18th off Brown in the 7th. Earle Combs also homers. » September 9, 1928: A total of 85,265 jam Yankee Stadium to watch the Yankees sweep two from the A's, 3–0 and 7–3, to move back into first place to stay. George Pipgras is the winner in the first game while the Yankee star of the nitecap is Bob Meusel, who takes an Ed Rommel knuckler out of the park for a grand slam in the 8th. Waite Hoyt is the winner. » September 28, 1928: Ruth records his 53rd homer of the year and George Pipgras survives an 11-6 win over the Tigers to clinch the American League pennant for the Yankees. The A's will finish two 1/2 games out. » October 5, 1928: Grover Alexander (16-9) faces George Pipgras (24-13) in game 2. Gehrig unloads a 3-run HR in the first. The Cards tie in the 2nd, but Pipgras shuts them out on 2 hits the rest of the way. Alexander is nicked for one in the 2nd and is driven to cover by a 4-run outburst in the 3rd and it's 9-3 New York. Ruth is 2-for-3, and Gehrig has 3 more RBI. » April 18, 1929: After two cancellations of their season start—their first ever—the Yankees open against the Red Sox before 40,000 at the Stadium, winning 7–3. Judge Landis presents diamond-studded watches to the New York players in honor of their championship season in 1928. New York Starter George Pipgras allows just three hits in five 1/3 innings, but walks 9. Reliever Fred Heimach then pitches hitless ball to preserve the win. In his first at bat against Boston's Red Ruffing, the newly wed Babe hits a home run and as he rounds 2nd base, he doffs his cap to his bride Claire in the stands. Gehrig adds a home run in the 6th, off Milt Gaston. For the first time, the Yanks have numbers on their uniforms, assigned according to the player's spot in the lineup: Combs, 1, Koenig, two Ruth, 3, Gehrig, 4, Meusel, 5, Lazzeri 6, Durocher, 7, Grabowski, 8. The win goes to Pipgras # 14, with Heimach #17 picking up the save. » August 7, 1929: For the 2nd game in a row, Babe Ruth hits a grand slam home run as the Yanks roll to a 13–1 win over the A's in the lidlifter. Cochrane homers in his one at bat for the A's only run as the Yankees score 10 runs in the first two innings. George Pipgras is the winner. The A's take the nitecap, 4–2, as George Earnshaw goes eight innings for the win. » May 9, 1930: The Yankees and the Tigers outfielders make only two putouts for an American League record which has never been equaled. The National League record for OF idleness is one chance (Pittsburgh versus Brooklyn, August 26, 1910). Detroit's George Uhle strikes out eight in winning, 5–4, and dropping the Yanks to 7th place. Henry Johnson (7 innings) and George Pipgras are the New York hurlers. » May 18, 1930: George Pipgras tosses his 3rd shutout of the season as the Yankees again support his pitching by bombing the Red Sox, 11–0, in Boston. Babe Ruth clocks an Ed Morris pitch over the RF bleachers, one of the longest homers ever at Fenway. » May 22, 1930: In Philadelphia, the Yankees and the Athletics continue the home run barrage as the Yankees take both games of a 2nd straight doubleheader, 10–1 and 20–13. Babe Ruth hits a pair of home runs in the opener, as does Ben Chapman and winning pitcher George Pipgras. The Yanks score nine runs in the 1st two innings of the 2nd second game, but the A's come back to tie it at 12 apiece. The Yanks win the assault 20–13 as Tony Lazzeri is 4-for-4 scores five runs, and knocks in 4. Ruth hits another in the 2nd game, while Lou Gehrig powers three round trippers to drive in eight runs. On the A's side, Jimmie Foxx has two homers to drive in six runs. For the afternoon, the teams combine to hit 14 round trippers, a then-record 10 in game 2. » August 2, 1931: The Red Sox and the third-place Yankees split a Sunday doubleheader before a record 40,000, played at Braves Field because of religious restrictions involving Fenway. Former Boston P Red Ruffing wins the first game 4–1, and ex-New Yorker Wilcy Moore blanks his former mates 1–0 in the nightcap. Moore allows just three singles in topping George Pipgras. The Yanks will go 308 games before being shut out again. » May 16, 1932: The Yankees record their 4th straight shutout to equal the record set by Cleveland and Boston in 1903 and 1906. Johnny Allen, George Pipgras, Red Ruffing, and Lefty Gomez are the hurlers. Lefty stops Cleveland on five hits to win, 8–0, New York's 5th shutout in seven games. » September 11, 1932: The New York Yankees clinch the AL pennant with their 100th victory, as George Pipgras defeats the Indians 9–3 at Cleveland. » May 12, 1933: The Red Sox pay the Yankees $100,000 for P George Pipgras and rookie SS Bill Werber. » June 2, 1935: P George Pipgras is released by the Red Sox and will later become an AL umpire. » August 6, 1938: Former AL P George Pipgras joins the league's umpiring staff. » April 20, 1939: The Red Sox show off their prize rookie Ted Williams before 30,278 in the opener in New York, delayed two days because of rain. After striking out twice, Williams collects a double off Red Ruffing, who wins 2–0. Gehrig makes an error, goes hitless, and lines into two double plays in the only game featuring the two great sluggers. Other notables in what will become a historic box score include Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Red Rolfe, and losing pitcher Lefty Grove. The Yanks score their first run on a homer by Dickey and their 2nd tally on an error by Jimmy Foxx. Boston has baserunners in each inning, but Ruffing tosses just the 2nd opening day shut out in Yankee history. Four umpires work the game including 3B ump George Pipgras, the starting pitcher for the Yankees in the 1929 Opener; his opponent for the Red Sox that day was Red Ruffing.