Tony Lazzeri

No one in Philadelphia that day could have foreseen its significance. For one thing, there was no baseball Hall of Fame yet. But if you had attended the first game of a New York Yankees-Philadelphia A's doubleheader 71 years ago today you would have seen what is believed to be the only time in baseball history that 11 future Hall of Famers played in the same game. Leading off for the Yankees that day was Earle Combs, who went three for four. Babe Ruth batted third and had a single.

Their name evokes an image that has become shorthand for head-shaking, awe-inspiring dominance, dropped into press box and sports bar conversations 80 years after they pummeled their last opponent: "And then, out of nowhere last September, the Rockies morphed into the '27 Yankees." Their nickname carries the same kind of currency: "Sure, Grady Little had his faults, but that lineup he had wasn't exactly Murderers' Row."

The New York Yankees have retired every uniform number from 1-10 except 2 and 6. A look at who has worn those numbers for the Yankees. NO.

The New York Yankees have retired every uniform number from 1-10 except 2 and 6. A look at who has worn those numbers for the Yankees. NO.

Fun-loving Bill Veeck, the maverick owner who infuriated the bosses of baseball but delighted the fans, was elected to the Hall of Fame Tuesday by the veterans committee. Also named was power-hitting second baseman Tony Lazzeri, an integral member of Murderers' Row, the New York Yankee team that dominated baseball in the 1920s and '30s. Veeck and Lazzeri were selected from among 30 nominees who had survived a screening process.

Their name evokes an image that has become shorthand for head-shaking, awe-inspiring dominance, dropped into press box and sports bar conversations 80 years after they pummeled their last opponent: "And then, out of nowhere last September, the Rockies morphed into the '27 Yankees." Their nickname carries the same kind of currency: "Sure, Grady Little had his faults, but that lineup he had wasn't exactly Murderers' Row."

Sixty years ago today, in the eighth inning of a New York Yankees-Washington Senators game at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth, on a 1-and-1 count, drove a low, inside fastball toward the right-field foul pole. Washington pitcher Tom Zachary, catcher Muddy Ruel and plate umpire Bill Dinneen watched the ball, which was hooking rapidly toward foul territory. Ruth began his home run trot to first. Zachary shouted: "Foul ball! Foul ball!" The ball landed halfway up the lower bleachers, fair by a foot.

Ryne Sandberg recently passed Joe Morgan as the second baseman with the most homers. The top 10: *--* Ryne Sandberg 267 Joe Morgan 266 Rogers Hornsby 264 Joe Gordon 246 Lou Whitaker 239 Bobby Doerr 223 Bobby Grich 196 Charlie Gehringer 181 Frank White 156 Tony Lazzeri 149 *--* Researched by HOUSTON MiTCHELL / Los Angeles Times

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, commenting on criticism of his club, which last appeared in the World Series in 1981 and last won a world championship in 1978: "The Indians haven't been to the World Series since 1954 and haven't won one since 1948. Nobody says anything about them." The 1936 New York Yankees had five players with 100 or more runs-batted-in. They were Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Tony Lazzeri, Bill Dickey and George Selkirk.

Mark Koenig, the last surviving member of the 1927 New York Yankee team featuring the "Murderers' Row" that included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, died Thursday in Willows, Calif. He was 88. The 1927 team was in first place from start to finish in the American League and ended up 19 games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Athletics. New York then swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

No one in Philadelphia that day could have foreseen its significance. For one thing, there was no baseball Hall of Fame yet. But if you had attended the first game of a New York Yankees-Philadelphia A's doubleheader 71 years ago today you would have seen what is believed to be the only time in baseball history that 11 future Hall of Famers played in the same game. Leading off for the Yankees that day was Earle Combs, who went three for four. Babe Ruth batted third and had a single.

Fun-loving Bill Veeck, the maverick owner who infuriated the bosses of baseball but delighted the fans, was elected to the Hall of Fame Tuesday by the veterans committee. Also named was power-hitting second baseman Tony Lazzeri, an integral member of Murderers' Row, the New York Yankee team that dominated baseball in the 1920s and '30s. Veeck and Lazzeri were selected from among 30 nominees who had survived a screening process.

Sixty years ago today, in the eighth inning of a New York Yankees-Washington Senators game at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth, on a 1-and-1 count, drove a low, inside fastball toward the right-field foul pole. Washington pitcher Tom Zachary, catcher Muddy Ruel and plate umpire Bill Dinneen watched the ball, which was hooking rapidly toward foul territory. Ruth began his home run trot to first. Zachary shouted: "Foul ball! Foul ball!" The ball landed halfway up the lower bleachers, fair by a foot.