No-Hitter Thrown After Babe Ruth Punches Umpire and Ejected

June 23, 1917...

Babe Ruth, perhaps the most well known player in baseball's history, was the starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators. Ruth was facing leadoff batter Ray Morgan in the top of the first inning, and surprisingly walked him on four pitches to start the game. A nearly unpredictable series of events would happen from this moment.

Immediately as Morgan was jogging down to first base for his walk, Babe Ruth rushed to home plate from the pitcher's mound to argue with umpire Brick Owens about the ball four call. Here is the dialogue exchange between the two during the heat of the argument as reported by Society for American Baseball Research:

“Get in there and pitch,” the umpire ordered.

“Open your eyes and keep them open,” Ruth yelled.

“Get in and pitch or I will run you out of there,” Owens warned.

“You run me out and I will come in and bust you on the nose,” the Babe replied.

Ruth threw two punches. His left one missed, but the right hook connected with Owens' ear after grazing off his umpire mask. Surrounding players then came in to break up the commotion before Babe would dig himself in a further hole.

Now, the hero of the story comes in: Ernie Shore. In the early 20th century, it was expected that most starting pitchers pitch the whole game, so with Ruth being ejected one batter in, it was a major shock to the Red Sox on how they would finish the game on the pitching side. The only viable and dependable option in relief was Ernie Shore, who had just pitched five innings two days prior on June 21. Shore threw five pitches to warm up and then was ready to go. At that moment nobody knew what this 26 year old right hander would go on to accomplish...

Morgan was thrown out attempting to steal second base during the next at-bat, and then Shore generated a groundout and pop fly to finish off the first inning. What happens next is history. Shore would go on to get the 24 batters out in the remaining 8 innings of the game, allowing no hits, no walks, no runs, and striking out two batters. The Red Sox would win that game over the Senators 4-0. Shore would recall "I never pitched an easier game," reflecting back on that historic day decades later.

Ernie Shore, left, pictured with Babe Ruth, right (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum).

Normally, this would have been considered a perfect game, which has only been achieved 24 times since 1880. But, since Babe Ruth walked the first batter of the game, it is only classified as a combined no-hitter. Even though Ernie Shore pitched all nine innings in the game and did not allow a single batter to reach base, his name cannot be etched in history next to the greats to have thrown a perfect game.

The American League President Ban Johnson would hand Babe Ruth a 10-game suspension for his actions, less than what some people expected because of the magnitude that punching an umpire in the head with thousands of people watching has.

Shore would go on to have a seven year career in the Big Leagues possessing a 65-43 win-loss record and a 2.47 ERA. After serving in the Naval Reserves in 1918, he would be traded to the New York Yankees in 1919 following his service.

Ruth would make the same, but more historic, move to Yankees 1920 and go on to have a Hall of Fame career and lead the MLB in with 714 career home runs upon retiring in 1935. However, his pitching prowess quickly diminished as he became a media darling for his towering home runs, gravitating personality, and a backbone to the Yankees' successful dynasty throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

Ruth and Shore would play together again in the 1920 season as result of both of their trades to the Yankees, however 1920 would be Shore's last before he retired and returned home to North Carolina to become a sheriff for over three decades.

Babe Ruth is arguably one of the most well known baseball figures in history. But, there was a certain day in 1917 where after the Babe's temper cost him an ejection, a certain Ernie Shore stamped his name in one of the most fascinating stories and series of events in baseball history.

References:

Baseball Hall of Fame: https://baseballhall.org/discover/babe-ruth-made-history-with-help-from-ernie-shore

Baseball Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS191706231.shtml

Society for American Baseball Research: https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-23-1917-bostons-babe-ruth-and-ernie-shore-combine-to-no-hit-senators/