The 50 Greatest Players in New York Yankees History by Robert W. Cohen

Author:Robert W. Cohen [Cohen, Robert W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2012-07-10T16:00:00+00:00

26

Herb Pennock

A couple of Hall of Fame pitchers take up the next two spots in the rankings, with Herb Pennock and Waite Hoyt compiling numbers so similar during their years in pinstripes that their places here are almost interchangeable. Pennock posted a record of 162–90 and an ERA of 3.54 over the course of 11 seasons with the Yankees, while Hoyt finished 157–98 with an ERA of 3.48 in his 10 seasons in the Bronx. The two men finished extremely close in most other statistical categories as well, making it quite difficult to rank one ahead of the other. In the end, I elected to place Pennock one spot ahead of Hoyt due to the former’s perfect 5–0 record in World Series play (Hoyt compiled a mark of 6–3 for the Yankees in the Fall Classic).

Known for his effortless pitching style and ability to win big games, Herb Pennock was one of many players that Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert literally stole from the Boston Red Sox. After originally signing with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics as an 18-year-old in 1912, Pennock joined the Red Sox midway through the 1915 campaign. The left-hander subsequently spent parts of the next seven seasons in Boston, compiling a rather mediocre 62–59 record while in Beantown. With Boston owner Harry Frazee making it a regular practice to sell many of his best players to the Yankees, Pennock found himself dealt to New York on January 30, 1923, for three nondescript players and $50,000.

Pennock thrived in New York, employing his two principles of pitching—“observing the enemy” and “conserving the energy”—to post a regular-season record of 19–6 in 1923, which enabled him to lead all American League pitchers with a .760 winning percentage. He then began to establish his reputation as an outstanding “big game” pitcher by defeating the Giants twice in the World Series, giving the Yankees their first world championship in the process.

Pennock followed that up with arguably his finest all-around season in 1924. Although the Yankees failed to capture their fourth straight American League pennant, finishing second to the Washington Senators, Pennock compiled a record of 21–9, along with a 2.83 ERA and a career-high 25 complete games. The crafty southpaw had another big year in 1926, posting 23 victories and tossing 19 complete games en route to helping the Yankees edge out Cleveland for the league championship. The Yankees subsequently lost the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games, but Pennock pitched exceptionally well during the Fall Classic, tossing two complete game victories, throwing four scoreless innings in relief, and compiling an ERA of 1.23 over 22 total innings of work.

Pennock continued his outstanding work in each of the next two seasons, posting a combined record of 36–14 while compiling earned run averages of 3.00 and 2.56. He also led all AL hurlers with 5 shutouts in 1928. However, the 1928 campaign turned out to be Pennock’s last season as a top-notch starter. After shutting out Boston on three hits on August 12, the 34-year-old left-hander found himself unable to raise his arm to comb his hair.

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