In 1958, Mad published an article titled “The Night Perry Masonmint Lost a Case.”
Early in the story, Perry sends detective Paul Dreck to Cooperstown–the Baseball Hall of Fame–to find out “how many home runs Rogers Hornsby hit in Yankee Stadium in his major-league career.”
In the last panel, Paul returns and says, "Here it is, Perry! Rogers Hornsby never hit a home run in Yankee Stadium during a regular season! He played his entire career in the NATIONAL LEAGUE!" [bolding and capitalizing in original]
I happen to know that’s wrong–Hornsby played the last few years of his career with the (AL) St. Louis Browns, and he did hit homers then.
But I want to know if Detective Dreck is wrong about the homers–that is, DID Hornsby hit any homers in Yankee Stadium when he played for the Browns? I have a big book by Bill James that could have answered the question, but didn’t.
Well from '33 to '37 for the Browns he only hit 3. His 300th was on 17 May 1934 against the Red Sox, so only his '33 and '37 dingers are left as possibles.
In 1933 while Hornsby was there the Browns were only at Yankee Stadium on 6,7,8 September.
Prior to his last game (at home against the Yankees) in 1937 the Browns had played in New York 21,22 May and 22,23,24 June.
I don’t where the other two Browns home runs were, but I can tell you that Hornsby also played in Yankee Stadium during the 1926 World Series. Alas, he didn’t hit any home runs during the series.
Zev Steinhardt
He played no post season games with the Browns because they were crap, how much that was due to his management I don’t know.
Considering the Browns were terrible from about 1922 on, I doubt it can be blamed on Hornsby.
Well, even if he did, he wouldn’t have played them in Yankee Stadium, as the Browns were in the American League.
Zev Steinhardt
While I cannot answer the OP I recommend he consult the SABR (Society of American Baseball Research) Home Run Encyclopedia .link
That book doesn’t actually have that level of detail, but SABR members (I am one) can access the raw data online.
Hornsby hit three homers in the American League, and all of them were in St Louis’s Sportsmans Park. That was the home ballpark for the St. Louis Browns and also the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom Hornsby played from 1915-1926.
He did play in Yankee Stadium during the 1926 World Series, but he did not hit a homer in four games.
Thanks, Anson. I knew he never hit a homer in the World Series, anyplace.
I guess that’s why the last line in the Mad story was Perry Masonmint telling detective Paul Dreck “Oh, shut up!”