This Week in Baseball History: January 24th to January 30th
This week in baseball history features the election of the first Hall of Fame class in baseball history.
January 29, 1936
On this date in baseball history, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson became the first five men elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. When the elections were being made, there were no specifications or requirements for induction, so the process was very difficult.
In the end, it is clear that the committee chose correctly and the best players in the game had the honor of being a part of the first class to be inducted. To understand these men and their roles in the game, here is a profile of each man.
Ty Cobb – Made his debut on August 30, 1905 at the age of 18. By his third year in the league, he was leading baseball in hits, RBI, batting average and slugging percentage. From 1907 until 1919, Cobb led the league in batting average with the exception of 1916.
In 1911 he earned his first and only career MVP award with the Detroit Tigers. Of his 24 seasons in baseball, 22 of them were spent in a Tigers uniform. His only professional experience without the old English D on his breast were his final two seasons in which he spent his age-40 and 41 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics.
He finished his Hall of Fame career with a then-record 4,189 hits, a record that would not be eclipsed for over half a century. On top of his record number of hits, he also had a career batting average of .366, an all-time league record to this day.
Babe Ruth – Burst onto the baseball scene on July 11, 1914 as a rookie pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. After a successful, yet turbulent time with the Red Sox, Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees in the off season following the 1919 season. His time with the Yankees, is what everyone remembers when they think of his Hall of Fame career.
His first season with the Yankees proved that he was a valuable asset in the lineup. In the 1920 season, he led the league in runs scored, home runs and RBI. In 1923, Ruth secured his one-and-only MVP award.
In his MVP season, Babe Ruth batted .393 with 130 RBI and 41 home runs. He finished his career with an all-time record OPS of 1.164, slugging percentage of .690 and OPS+ of 206. On top of his all-time records, he was also the home run king for decades. His 714 home runs in 21 years seemed impossible at the time.
[https://calltothepen.com/2015/12/23/this-week-in-baseball-history-1220-1226/”#” teaser=”Read more about the trade that sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees”]
Honus Wagner – Started his career before the turn of the 20th century. He debuted on July 19, 1897 with the Louisville Colonels, then a team in the National League. Wagner was the original utility player. In his first five years, he played every position except catcher. After three years with the now-defunct Colonels, Wagner went to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In his first season in Pittsburgh, Wagner has a league leading 45 doubles, 22 triples and .381 batting average with 302 total bases on the season. Wagner finished his career in 1917 with 643 doubles, 252 triples and 1732 RBI’s.
Christy Mathewson – Began his career on July 17, 1900 at the age of 19 with the New York Giants. He was not very successful in his first season in the league, as he only appeared in 6 games and went 0-3.
His second season was more successful; he went 20-17 with a 2.41 ERA with 36 complete games. He also had the distinguished honor of having a league-high 48 wild pitches in 1901, 1902, and 1903 together. In his 9th season, Mathewson went 37-11 with a 1.43 ERA and he pitched 34 complete games.
He finished his Hall of Fame career following the 1916 season, after he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He finished his time in the league with 373 wins, a career ERA of 2.13, and posted 79 shut outs.
Walter Johnson – Started his career on August 2, 1907 with the Washington Senators at the age of 19. His first three seasons were rough. He did not have a record over .500, yet his ERA was below 2.30 all three years. His fourth year was the first year he was able to break out, as he compiled a 25-17 record with a 1.36 ERA.
He also recorded a league-leading 38 complete games, and started 42 times. Johnson finished his career with an all-time record of 110 shut outs. Along with this record, he also had 531 complete games, and a 2.17 ERA.
These men have gone down in baseball history as the best of the best. Their legacies will go on and on for as long as the game of baseball is alive and strong. In a comedic twist, this first class would not be able to be honored formally until the summer of 1939, as the building in which their careers would be celebrated would not be completed until said year.
Nonetheless, when these men were elected, it signaled the beginning of one of the most prestigious institutions in all of sports. Since their election, 347 players have shared the honor of being enshrined in the most selective of all sports Halls of Fame.