Murderers' Row
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Murderers' Row is also the title of a 1960s motion picture starring Dean Martin as secret agent Matt Helm.
Murderer's Row was the nickname given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular the 1927 team. The team is recognized as one of the best teams in modern baseball history, alongside the Big Red Machine of the Cincinnati Reds, the late 1980s teams of the Oakland Athletics and others.
Owner Jacob Ruppert is the man most often credited for building the line-up of the team, although general manager Ed Barrow may have had as much to do with it. In a July series against the Washington Senators, the Yankees blasted their opponents 21-1 in one game and prompted Senators' first baseman Joe Judge to say, "Those fellows not only beat you but they tear your heart out. I wish the season was over."
The 1927 season was particularly spectacular by baseball standards for the Yankees. After losing in the 1926 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, the 1927 Yankee Stadium residents posted a record of 110 wins and 44 losses, one of the best records in baseball history. The team was nicknamed Murderer's Row because of their offense, including Babe Ruth's 60 home runs, 158 runs batted in (RBI), and .356 batting average; Lou Gehrig's 47 home runs, 175 RBI, and .373 batting average; and Earle Combs's 231 base hits.
Their pitching, however, was also one of the best ever, ranking first in the major leagues in lowest earned run average (ERA) that season. Waite Hoyt tied for the league lead in wins with 22, and Wilcy Moore somehow won 19 as a reliever. Three other Yankees pitchers had ERAs under 3.0 that season.
The 1927 Yankees won the American League pennant by one of the largest margins ever, 19 games. Then, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the World Series, and they repeated as World Series champion in 1928.