Before Babe, There Was George (Halas)

(Or: Big Train meets Papa Bear)

It’s not often that iconic sports figures in two different sports – Hall of Famers both – compete against one another. But stick with us here and we’ll tell you about it, and in a timely fashion. It happened 107 years ago today . . . May 11, 1919.

But first, let’s set the scene. The big-league baseball season started late in 1919 because The Great War had just ended. The New York Yankees were home in the Polo Grounds against the Washington Nationals, in the first American League game ever contested in New York on a Sunday. The previous game had been washed out and this was no beach day, either. It wasn’t raining, but it was sufficiently cold and damp that one newspaper account said the 3,000 fans who braved the elements had “dragged their furs out of mothballs.”

Still, it was an exciting time in the young life of the Yankees’ new right fielder. The son of a tailor from Decatur, Ill, the kid was a 24-year-old switch-hitter who impressed the club with his speed and arm and made the team out of spring training. Manager Miller Huggins had him batting leadoff on this day. The rookie’s name was George Stanley Halas. The hurler he was leading off against was the Nationals’ legendary righthander, Walter (Big Train) Johnson. Johnson had long since established himself as the premier pitcher in the game. In 1913 and 1914, he was a combined 69-19, with 63 complete games. In 1914 alone, Johnson went 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA and 243 strikeouts. By the time his 21-year career was complete, Johnson had 417 victories and a record 110 shutouts. He may have never been more dominant than he was that gloomy Sunday along the Harlem River.