Sisler's 41 Ends With Everything on the Line
A streak that ran out of ninth innings, a favor returned inside a day, a farewell hijacked by a kid nobody knew, and the final out that got taken off the board.
Ed. 09.18.26
Sisler's 41 Ends With Everything on the Line (1922)
The Browns and Yankees met at Sportsman's Park for three September games with the pennant in the balance, and George Sisler brought a 41-game hitting streak into the last one. He had passed Ty Cobb's league record the day before. Then he batted four times and never got a ball out of the infield, the last out coming off Joe Bush in the ninth of a 3-2 loss. Sisler hit .420 that year and was named the league's MVP. St. Louis finished one game back, and the streak stood as the American League record for 19 more years.
Washburn Returns the Favor (1968)
Tuesday night at Candlestick, Gaylord Perry no-hit the Cardinals and beat Bob Gibson 1-0. Wednesday afternoon, Ray Washburn walked to the same mound and no-hit the Giants 2-0, striking out eight and letting only two balls reach the outfield. It was the first time two clubs had traded no-hitters in back-to-back games. St. Louis had already clinched, so nothing was at stake except the answer.
The Rookie Who Crashed the Party (1977)
Baltimore set the night aside for Brooks Robinson, 23 years an Oriole. Ted Cox, 22, up from Pawtucket two days earlier, went 4 for 4 with a walk and three runs scored in a 10-4 Boston win. Next day he singled twice more: six hits in his first six at-bats, still the record for opening a career. He never hit like that again, finishing at .245 over five seasons.
The Out That Wasn't (1993)
Boston led 3-1 at Yankee Stadium, two out in the ninth, when Mike Stanley lifted a lazy fly to left and Mike Greenwell camped under it. The Red Sox started walking off. Then they got called back: a fan had run onto the field as the pitch was delivered, the umpire had called time first, and the out did not count. Stanley got the at-bat back and singled. New York scored three to win 4-3.
