The Lazzeri Game: Yankees 25, A's 2

By Mike Whiteman May 24, 2026 With yesterday's Yankees/Rays game mercifully rained out - I think we can all use a break - I thought I'd dig in on an interesting game played ninety years ago, using today's "SSTN style". So, away we go back to 1936, a game between the Yankees and Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Quick Stats: Here's a look at the standings after play of May 24, 1936. Remember, these were the days of eight team leagues where the winners went straight to the World Series: 25-11 Yankees 23-14 Red Sox 20-16 Tigers 19-16 Indians 17-15 White Sox 19-18 Nationals 10-23 Athletics 8-28 Browns Big Story: The A's jumped on the board with two runs in the bottom of the first after Yankee starter Monte Pearson wild pitched Lou Finney home from third, and an RBI single by Pinky Higgins. Then it was all Yankees. In the top of the second the Yanks put five runs on the board, the big blow was Tony Lazzeri's grand slam after A's starter George Turbeville walked three batters in a row. In the fourth they added five more, highlighted by pitcher Pearson's two run single. The game became a true laugher the next inning when Lazzeri smacked another grand slam, making the score 16-2 after five innings. The Yanks kept pouring it on, scoring in the sixth and seven innings and adding an exclamation mark on the day with six runs in the eighth. Lazzeri tacked on another home run (a solo shot) and a two-run triple, finishing his day with three home runs and 11 RBI. Not too shabby. Yankees win, 25-2.

Here's the boxscore: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA193605240.shtml Player of the Game: Lazzeri's performance was one of the great games of all time. His 11 RBI set an American League record that still stands today. He did this while hitting eighth in the batting order!

Tony's game of a lifetime came after three really good games against the A's and Detroit Tigers. For the four game stretch between 5/21 and 5/24, Lazzeri had 11 hits in 18 at bats with seven home runs and 18 RBI! Has anyone in baseball history had a better stretch? It raised his batting over 30 points and his slugging percentage over 160! It was a day of redemption for Lazzeri, as there were recent whispers that he was finished as a productive player after a slow start to the 1936 season. Notable Performances: Center fielder Ben Chapman reached base in all seven appearances, including five walks...Rookie left fielder Joe DiMaggio had three hits, a home run and three RBI. He ended the game slashing .396/.421/.648...Shortstop Frankie Crosetti had two home runs...Pearson shut the A's down after they scored two in the first inning and was 6-1, 2.61. He also had three hits....Crosetti, DiMaggio and Lazzeri were dubbed the "Italian Bombers" the next day in a Bergen Record article.

Better to Forget: The only Yankee starter without a hit was third baseman Red Rolfe, though he did walk three times and scored two runs...A's pitchers collectively walked sixteen batters. My Take: Some perspective - in 1936 the Yankees were coming off three straight second place finishes in the American League, and only one pennant in the previous seven years. Legendary Sporting News writer Dan Daniel had picked the Yanks for third place coming into the season, behind 1935 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, who benefited from picking up future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx from the A's. The A's of the period are an interesting story. The team put together by Connie Mack from 1929-1931 is considered one of the greatest of all time. My personal connection is that it was the favorite team of my grandfather, who told me may stories of the exploits of Foxx, Lefty Grove, and Mickey Cochrane. The economics of the 1930s led Mack to break up his juggernaut, the main beneficiary being Boston, who added Foxx, Grove, All-Star outfielder Doc Cramer, and infielder Eric McNair in exchange for mostly cash. So the A's basically were running a minor-league caliber team out of the field that day in 1936. The closest comparable of our time would be the purge of the Florida Marlins after their 1997 World Series win and subsequent 108-loss 1998 season. In the end, the Yanks took the 1936 AL flag by 19.5 games over Detroit, as they took over first place in May and never looked back, finishing August and September playing almost .700 baseball to take any suspense out of the race. They beat the Giants four games to two in another "All-Gotham" World Series, the first since 1923.

The 1936 title was the Yanks first without Babe Ruth in Pinstripes. Lou Gehrig had one of his greatest seasons, leading the AL with 49 home runs and 9.7 WAR. Rookie Joe DiMaggio slashed .323/.352/.576 with 29 home runs and 125 RBI. He began the season floating between left and right field, but on July 31, 1936 was penciled into center field, where he became a Yankee fixture and legend. Next Up: Back to the present! Will Warren (6-1, 3.61) takes the hill today against Drew Rasmussen (4-1, 3.19). Start time 1:35.