1927 Season Recap
Major League Baseball
It was the Athletics and Giants at the finish line again in 1927 as the two franchises began to set themselves apart from the rest of MLB, becoming baseball royalty. The Athletics earned the AL Pennant after going 95-59. It was a similar story to 1926, as they were led by a potent offense. The A's had seven position players play all 154 games, and five of the seven had batting averages above .315. There was also a new star on the block in Philly, as 19-year-old Jimmie Foxx made his major league debut. He appeared in 92 games, batting .350 with seven homers and 35 RBI's.
Lefty Grove wasn't just the Athletics premiere arm, he was the premiere arm of the American League, going 21-9 and taking home his second consecutive Cy Young Award.
The New York Giants had one of the most dominating season in baseball history, winning 113 games. The 113 wins is the second most all-time in baseball history, behind the 116 games the Chicago Cubs won in 1908.
Like Philly, the Giants were led by lots of familiar faces, like Frankie Frisch, High Pockets Kelly, Freddie Lindstrom, Hack Wilson, and Travis Jackson, but they had a superstar rookie hitter as well. 18-year-old outfielder Mel Ott burst onto the scene with a .348 average, 16 homers, and 81 RBIs in 142 games played.
On the mound, the 1927 Giants were led by Jakie May. May went 27-3 with a 1.74 ERA. Despite the gaudy numbers, May wouldn't bring home the Cy Young Award, as the writers elected to give it to Dazzy Vance instead. Vance went 22-10 with a 1.77 ERA, striking out a league leading 217 batters. The A's ultimately bested the Giants, winning the World Series in seven games.
Lou Gehrig and Rogers Hornsby took home the AL and NL MVP Awards.
Liga Mexicana de Béisbol
It would be Veracruz and Monterrey for the third straight season in Serie del Rey. After Veracruz won in 1925 and Monterrey won in 1926, it would serve as a rubber match of sorts. Veracruz was led by former Negro League superstar Turkey Stearnes, who hit .283 with 23 homers and 13 stolen bases. Shortstop Manny Guzman also had an impressive season at the plate, batting .316.
Veracruz's best player, however, was starting pitcher Jose Villasenor. Villasenor took home the Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year Awards after going 21-5 with a 1.79 ERA. Veracruz would win Serie del Rey in six games.
While it was the same two teams participating in the championship series, there was a new team in LMB in 1927. Following two seasons where they were dead last in attendance, the Mexico City Diabols Rojos folded. They were replaced by the Tampico Alijadores for the 1927 season.