Bob Meusel

Meusel, noted for his strong outfield throwing arm, batted fifth behind Baseball Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Nicknamed "Long Bob" because of his 6-foot, 3 inch (1.91 m) stature, Meusel batted .313 or better in seven of his first eight seasons, finishing with a .309 career average; his 1,009 RBI during the 1920s were the fourth most by any major leaguer, and trailed only Harry Heilmann's total of 1,131 among AL right-handed hitters.

His older brother, Emil "Irish" Meusel, was a star outfielder in the National League (NL) during the same period, primarily for the New York Giants.

[6] After a productive spring training, Meusel replaced future Hall of Famer Frank Baker at third base.

It was a violation of baseball rules at the time, and Meusel and Ruth had previously been warned about playing with the tour.

As punishment, Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis suspended them for the first five weeks of the 1922 season and fined them their World Series cash share of $3,362 ($61,198 today) each.

The Yankees won the American League pennant for the second year in a row, but they were again beaten by the Giants, this time in five games.

Meusel helped lead the team to their first World Series title, in their third consecutive matchup with the Giants.

[15] Before the 1924 season started, Meusel's close friend Tony Boeckel, shortstop for the Boston Braves, was killed when the car in which he was riding flipped over in San Diego.

With the Yankees leading 10–6 in the top of the ninth inning, Ty Cobb, the star and manager of the Tigers, gave pitcher Bert Cole the signal to hit Meusel with a pitch.

The umpire of the game, Billy Evans, pushed Meusel and Ruth out of Navin Field to safety.

[18] American League President Ban Johnson punished Meusel and Cole by fining them and issuing a ten-day suspension.

Despite this, he finished merely tied for 18th position overall for the AL's Most Valuable Player award, far behind winner (and former Yankee) Roger Peckinpaugh of the Washington Senators.

[20] Meusel had two opportunities to redeem himself later in the game, but he made infield outs in both the fifth and seventh innings, each time with two men on base.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with New York trailing 3–2, Cardinals starting pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander retired the first two batters and then walked Ruth.

[25] He went back to the Pacific Coast League in 1932, where he played 64 games with the Hollywood Stars, batting .329 with four home runs before retiring.

[2] He was in attendance at Yankee Stadium when his former teammate Lou Gehrig made his famous "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech on July 4, 1939.

[5] Meusel received the most recognition for being a member of the "Murderers' Row" teams of the mid-1920s, which included Ruth, Gehrig, second baseman Tony Lazzeri and center fielder Earle Combs.

Bob Meusel (right) with his brother, outfielder Emil "Irish" Meusel