Books and articles about Whitey Witt

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Witt was a punch hitter and good bunter who reputedly got about 40 infield hits a year and often walked. Tired of playing for last-place A's teams, he badgered Connie Mack into trading him to New York. There he became a favorite party-mate of Babe Ruth. On the day that the Yankees beat the Browns to win the 1922 pennant, Witt was hit on the head with a bottle and knocked unconscious. To avoid further inciting the St. Louis fans, American League president Ban Johnson announced that Witt had stepped on the bottle, causing it to leap up and strike him in the head. (NLM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 10, 1922: In St. Louis, Babe Ruth's 2-run homer in the third, off Urban Shocker, ties the game. Shocker then plunks Frank Baker, and a double, single, two errors on the same play, and sac fly score four more. Shocker then sends Carl Mays sprawling on three straight pitches before walking him, and fires his first pitch right at Whitey Witt. The Yanks score six off Shocker, and another six off relievers to win, 14–5. A foul fly in the seventh beans St. Louis owner Phil Ball, sitting behind the dugout. He has a slight concussion and requires four stitches. » July 28, 1922: The Yanks move back into first when Sad Sam Jones beats Ray Kolp, 7–3. Kolp lasts just two innings before Bill Bayne takes over for the final seven and allows two runs. Ken Williams hits his 23rd but Whitey Witt counters with a 3-run home run. » September 16, 1922: Pennant fever rages in St. Louis, as the Yankees come to town with a half-game lead. Bob Shawkey outpitches Urban Shocker 2–1, as Sisler ties Ty Cobb's 1911 record by hitting in his 40th straight game. While chasing a fly ball in the 9th, New York OF Whitey Witt is hit in the head and knocked cold by a soda bottle thrown from the bleachers. Ban Johnson will initially offer a $1,000 reward for the name of the bottle-thrower. Then, to calm the crowds, the American League offers the theory that Witt stepped on the bottle and it flew up and hit him. The incident leads to a ban on the sale of bottled drinks in ballparks. » September 17, 1922: Browns southpaw Hub Pruett, who has fanned Ruth nine of 10 times over the season, is reached for a home run by the Bambino, but he still beats the Yankees, 5–1. Whitey Witt receives an ovation but the partisan crowd is CF is quick to wave white hankies in the 8th inning for Yanks pinch-hitter McMillan. Police make them stop. George Sisler has a single to extend his streak to 41 games. » September 18, 1922: Whitey Witt, his head bandaged from being hit by a bottle, drives in two in the 9th for a 3–2 New York win, and they leave St. Louis 1 1/2 in front. They will finish one game on top, clinching the pennant on the 30th with a 3–1 win in Boston. Sisler's 41-game hit streak is stopped by New York's Joe Bush, the same pitcher he had started the streak against on July 27th. » September 11, 1923: After Yankee leadoff hitter Whitey Witt reaches first base on a controversial infield hit that is ruled a single, Boston P Howard Ehmke retires the next 27 batters for a 3–0 win, his 20th of the year. The Yankee crowd exhorts the scorer Fred Lieb to reverse his call on the hard grounder that 3B Howard Shanks booted, but the one hit stood. Ehmke has now given up just one hit in his last two games. » October 13, 1923: The Yankees score six runs in the 2nd off three Giants hurlers to help a shaky Bob Shawkey (16-11) to an 8–4 win. Whitey Witt has three hits and two RBI; for the losers Frank Frisch has two hits for the 3rd time, and Ross Youngs has 4.