Gehrig & Ruth – The Great Hitting Duo Pose At Spring Training With Their New Manager Joe McCarthy, 1931

A Pair Of Heavy Hitters And A Manager
The New York Yankees are preparing for the coming baseball season at St. Petersburg, Florida. Shown above left to right, are, Lou Gehrig, first baseman who swats homers, now and then, manager McCarthy and George Herman “Babe” Ruth, sometimes described as “The King of Swat.” photo: Associated Press March 5, 1931

1931 would not turn out to be a pennant winning season for the Yankees. But you could not blame Lou Gehrig or Babe Ruth. Gehrig led the league with 46 home runs and 185 RBI’s. Gehrig’s batting average of .341 placed him fifth overall.

Meanwhile Ruth was the runner-up to the batting title hitting .373, losing out to the Athletics Al Simmons who hit .390. Ruth also destroyed American League pitchers with 46 home runs and 162 RBI’s. Gehrig and Ruth powered the Yankees to 94 victories.

It all went for naught as the Philadelphia Athletics won 107 games finishing thirteen and a half games ahead of the Yankees to win the pennant.

After managing the Cubs for the previous five seasons, manager McCarthy made his debut with the Yankees in 1931. McCarthy would capture the pennant the following season, the first of eight AL championships he would win managing the Yankees over 16 seasons.