For the American boxer of the same name, see Babe Herman (boxer)

Babe Herman (boxer)

Babe Herman was an American featherweight boxer.Born as Herman J. Sousa in Sacramento, California, he stood 5' 4". His record was 91 wins + 45 losses + 19 draws....

Floyd Caves "Babe" Herman (June 26, 1903 - November 27, 1987) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 right fielder

Right fielder

A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

 in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 who was best known for his several seasons with the Brooklyn Robins (later the Brooklyn Dodgers, now the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

).

Herman was one of the most noted power hitters of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and hit for the cycle

Hitting for the cycle

In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...

 a record three times; his .532 career slugging average ranked fourth among hitters with at least 5000 at bat

At bat

In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...

s in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 when he retired. His .393 batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

, .678 slugging average, 241 hits

Hit (baseball)

In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 and 416 total bases

Total bases

In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....

 in remain Dodgers franchise records, with his 143 runs

Run (baseball)

In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

 being the post-1900 team record; he also set team records (since broken) that year with 35 home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 130 runs batted in

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

. He was also renowned for his varied misadventures as a defensive player and baserunner

Baserunning

In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat.In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run. In fact, the goal of batting is generally to produce baserunners, or help move...

, which earned him derision – and eventually affection – among fans.

Career

Born in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

 and raised in Glendale, California, Herman signed with a minor league team in Edmonton at age 18, and spent five years playing for six different teams, including tours in the farm systems of the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 and Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

. In a 1922 spring training game, he was used as a pinch hitter for Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb

Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

; but the Tigers, with no outfield vacancies, returned him to the minors, where he hit .416. He was signed for Brooklyn in 1925 by a scout

Scout (sport)

In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...

 who said of him, "He's kind of funny in the field, but when I see a guy go 6-for-6, I've got to go for him." He made his major league debut as a first baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 with the Brooklyn Robins/Brooklyn Dodgers in , hitting .319 as a rookie; he finished fourth in the NL in doubles

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 (35), and seventh in home runs (11) and slugging (.500). In 1928 he placed fifth in the NL with a .340 batting mark.

He enjoyed an outstanding year in , setting team records with a .381 batting average and a .612 slugging average (breaking club marks of .379 by Willie Keeler

Willie Keeler

William Henry Keeler in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.- Biography :Keeler's...

 and .588 by Jack Fournier

Jack Fournier

John Frank "Jack" Fournier was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St...

) while collecting 217 hits, 105 runs and 113 RBI; but the NL was in the middle of an offensive explosion, and he finished behind Lefty O'Doul

Lefty O'Doul

Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul was an American Major League Baseball player who went on to become an extraordinarily successful manager in the minor leagues, and also a vital figure in the establishment of professional baseball in Japan.-Player:Born in San Francisco, California, O'Doul began his...

 (.398) for the batting title and was only seventh in the league in slugging. He had two doubles and two triples

Triple (baseball)

In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 on June 5, and came in eighth in the 1929 MVP

MLB Most Valuable Player Award

The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...

 voting. He followed up with his most spectacular year by improving his own batting and slugging records, with his .393 batting average again placing second in the league behind Bill Terry

Bill Terry

William Harold Terry was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Terry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1999, he ranked number 59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee...

, who hit .401 – as of 2009, the last .400 season in the NL. Herman was also third in the NL in slugging, behind Hack Wilson

Hack Wilson

Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson was an American professional baseball player who played 12 seasons with the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies...

 and Chuck Klein

Chuck Klein

Charles Herbert "Chuck" Klein was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates ....

; the league as a whole batted .303 in 1930, and while Herman's 241 hits were only third in the NL behind Terry and Klein, it was then the fifth highest total ever in the league. Herman broke Fournier's club record of 27 home runs, and tied his total of 130 RBI. Gil Hodges

Gil Hodges

Gilbert Ray Hodges was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. During an 18-year baseball career, he played in 1943 and from 1947–63, spending most of his career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 would set a new team record of 40 HRs in , and Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella , nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily at the position of catcher, in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball...

 posted 142 RBI in ; Duke Snider

Duke Snider

Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...

 was the first left-handed Dodger to break Herman's HR and RBI marks. There was no MVP award given in 1930.

Herman was an outstanding hitter, but a markedly below-average fielder who led the NL in errors

Error (baseball)

In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...

 in 1927 as a first baseman and in each of the next two years playing in right field. Fresco Thompson

Fresco Thompson

Lafayette Fresco Thompson was a Major League Baseball second baseman and executive. He was born in Centreville, Alabama, but attended George Washington High School and Columbia University in New York City...

, a 1931 teammate, observed: "He wore a glove for one reason: because it was a league custom." Herman developed a self-deprecating attitude about his shortcomings; when informed by a local bank that someone had been impersonating him and cashing bad checks, he said, "Hit him a few flyballs. If he catches any, it ain't me." His style of play, along with that of the entire team, led to Brooklyn being dubbed "The Daffiness Boys," with sportswriter Frank Graham noting, "They were not normally of a clownish nature, and some of them were very good ballplayers, indeed, but they were overcome by the atmosphere in which they found themselves as soon as they had put on Brooklyn uniforms."

Herman's name is associated with a baserunning gaffe during his rookie year. During a game on August 15, 1926, at Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...

, he tried to stretch a double off the right field wall into a triple with one out and the bases loaded; Chick Fewster

Chick Fewster

Wilson Lllyd "Chick" Fewster is a former Major League Baseball player. He played for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Brooklyn Robins. In his career, he hit 6 home runs and drove in 167 RBI. He died of coronary occlusion at age 49.Fewster played for the Yankees in the...

, who had been on first, advanced to third base – which was already occupied by Dazzy Vance

Dazzy Vance

Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance was a star Major League Baseball starting pitcher during the 1920s.-Biography:...

, who had started from second base but was now caught in a rundown and was dashing back to third. All three of them ended up at third base, with Herman not having watched the play in front of him, and the third baseman, Eddie Taylor, tagged all three just to be sure of getting as many outs as possible. The slow-footed Vance had been a major contributor to this situation, but according to the rules, Vance (as the lead runner, not forced to advance) was entitled to the base, so umpire Beans Reardon

Beans Reardon

John Edward "Beans" Reardon was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1926 to 1949.- Early life and career:...

 called Herman and Fewster out. Thus, Babe Herman was said to have "doubled into a double play

Double play

In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....

"; he would later complain that no one remembered that he drove in the winning run on the play. (Hank DeBerry was on third when Vance was on second and Fewster was on first; when Babe got his hit, DeBerry scored.) This led to the following popular joke:

• "The Dodgers have 3 men on base!"
• "Oh, yeh? Which base?"

On two occasions in 1930 – May 30 and September 15 – Herman stopped to watch a home run while running the bases and was passed by the hitter, in each case causing the home run to count only as a single. And on September 20 of the following year, he was thrown out trying to steal a base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

 against the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

, even though opposing catcher was 48-year-old Cardinals manager Gabby Street

Gabby Street

Charles Evard “Gabby” Street , also nicknamed "The Old Sarge", was an American catcher, manager, coach and radio broadcaster in Major League Baseball during the first half of the 20th century. As a catcher, he participated in one of the most publicized baseball stunts of the century's first decade....

, appearing in his first game (as an emergency substitute) since 1912. Pitcher Vance dubbed him "the Headless Horseman of Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...

" for his various mistakes.

In Herman "slipped" to a .313 average, and although he led the NL with 77 extra base hit

Extra base hit

In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...

s and was third in total bases, and hit for the cycle on both May 18 and July 24, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 before the 1932 season. He bounced back with a solid year, leading the NL with 19 triples and tying Sam Crawford

Sam Crawford

Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

's team record for left-handed hitters of 16 home runs; Ival Goodman

Ival Goodman

Ival Richard Goodman was an All-Star right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs...

 would hit 17 in . Herman went on to play for the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 in 1933-34, batting .304 in the latter season. On July 20, 1933 he hit three home runs, and on September 30 he hit for the cycle for the third time, a feat only he and Bob Meusel

Bob Meusel

Robert William "Bob" Meusel was an American baseball left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees...

 have accomplished since 1900. After a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 in 1935, he was traded back to the Reds, staying with them through 1936. On July 10, 1935, he hit the first home run ever in a major league night game. He played briefly for the Tigers in 1937, hitting .300 in 17 games, and then returned to the minor leagues. Nine years later in , he was re-signed by Brooklyn at age 42, and played his 37 final big league games with the team. He received a strong ovation from the Ebbets Field crowd in his first turn at bat, and tripped over first base after hitting a single. After retiring, he worked as a scout for several teams until 1964. Herman ended his major league career with a .324 batting average, 1818 hits, 181 home runs, 997 RBI, 882 runs, 399 doubles, 110 triples and 94 stolen bases in 1552 games.

His son was a mathematics teacher at Herbert Hoover High School

Herbert Hoover High School (Glendale)

Herbert Hoover High School is a public high school in Glendale, California. The school's colors are purple and white.Hoover High School, named after Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, is located on in Glendale...

, the cross-town rival of Babe's high school Glendale High School

Glendale High School (Glendale, California)

Glendale High School is a high school located at 1440 Broadway Avenue East in Glendale, California. The school is the Flagship School of the Glendale Unified School District.-History:...

, from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.

Herman was among the subjects interviewed for the 1966 book The Glory of Their Times

The Glory of Their Times

The Glory of Their Times: The Story Of The Early Days Of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It is a book, edited by Lawrence Ritter, telling the stories of early 20th century baseball...

. He died in Glendale, California

Glendale, California

Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...

 at age 84 following a bout with pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

 and a series of stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

s. He is interred there in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball triples champions
• Hitting for the cycle
  Hitting for the cycle
  In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
  
  

External links

• BaseballLibrary - career highlights
• The Baseball Page
• Baseball Evolution Hall of Fame - Player Profile