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Posted By: Pennsylvania Ted

To your....."He was winning, and his ERA was down; but I wonder how long that would have lasted."

By 1918, Ruth was doing double duty, he pitched in 20 games and played the field in 72 games; and,
this had to affect his pitching performance. But, we will never know, had Ruth continued as a pitcher,
if he would have made the enormous impact on BB that he did as a player.

We can thank Miller Huggins (while Manager of St Louis, NL 1913-17) who had a keen eye for talent,
and scouted Ruth from his start. Upon becoming Manager of the Yankees (1918), Huggins convinced
Ruppert and Houston to acquire Ruth. Huggins instantly converted Ruth to an outfielder.

Ruth's first 3 years as a Yankee were played at the Polo Grounds (1920-22), which had a very short
distance to the RF stands. He instantly changed the game forever, by his HR hitting of 54, 59 and
35 (110 games)....respectively.

The WWI shortened 126-game BB season in 1918......followed up by the 1919 World Series scandal,
brought attendance down by the start of the 1920 season. Ruth's dramatic performance in 1920
significantly revived the game. Fans flocked to major league ballparks in enormous numbers again.

T-Rex TED