The House That Harding Visits

President Warren G. Harding and Babe Ruth yuck it up about who knows what at the New York Yankees’ home game 101 years ago today – a day that ends with right-hander Sad Sam Jones beating the Washington Senators 4-0 for the first shutout at the original Yankee Stadium.

Harding is among the smallish crowd of 8,000 to watch the Tuesday afternoon game in only the seventh game for the new stadium, which opens a week earlier with a crowd of more than 74,000.

Sad Sam Jones

As for Jones, he works out of trouble during the game after allowing three doubles and a triple with two of those extra-base hits leading off an inning.

Jones eventually retires Muddy Ruel on a grounder back to the mound to end the game that is just three minutes shy of two hours.

Ruth accounts for three runs with a two-run single off Jim Brillheart in the second inning and a solo homer off Allen Russell in the fifth.

Ruth finishes the season with 41 homers, 130 runs batted in, 151 runs scored and 170 walks – all major league highs.

Not surprisingly, Ruth is the unanimous choice as the American League’s most valuable player in 1923.