Editing Wally Pipp (section)

==Baseball career==

===Early career===
In 1912, Pipp made his debut in [[professional baseball]] with the [[Kalamazoo Celery Pickers]] of the [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] level [[Southern Michigan League]]. In 68 games played, he had a .270 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]]. The [[Detroit Tigers]] of the [[American League]] purchased his contract late in the 1912 season. Pipp attempted to hold out from the Tigers, demanding a portion of the purchase price, and threatened to return to college.<ref name=sabr/>

After graduating from college, Pipp ended his holdout without receiving a share of the purchase price.<ref name=si/> Pipp made his major league debut with the Tigers on June 29, 1913.<ref name=sabr/> After playing 12 games for Detroit, batting .161, the Tigers reassigned Pipp to the [[Providence Grays (minor league)|Providence Grays]] of the Class AA [[International League]]. He committed seven [[error (baseball)|errors]] in 14 games for Providence, and was demoted to the [[Scranton Miners (baseball)|Scranton Miners]] of the [[Class B (baseball)|Class B]] [[New York State League (1885–1917)|New York State League]], where he only batted .220.<ref name=si/>

In 1914, Pipp played for the [[Rochester Hustlers]] of the International League. Pipp had a .314 batting average and 27 [[triple (baseball)|triples]]. He led all batters in the league with 15 [[home run]]s, a .526 [[slugging percentage]], and 290 [[total bases]].<ref name=sabr/><ref name=si/>

===New York Yankees===
In January 1915, [[Jacob Ruppert]] and [[Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston]] agreed to purchase the [[New York Yankees]] of the American League. As part of the agreement, the other team owners in the American League agreed to help the Yankees restock their system with [[prospect (sports)|prospects]]. One of the deals Ruppert and Huston negotiated was their purchase of Pipp. After Ruppert and Huston completed the purchase of the team, the other American League owners, with the exception of [[Frank Navin]], the owner of the Tigers, broke their word.<ref name=si/> On February 4, 1915, the Tigers sold Pipp and [[outfielder]] [[Hugh High]] to the Yankees, receiving $5,000 for each player (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000|1915|r=-3}}}} in current dollar terms).<ref name=sabr/>

[[File:(Wally Pipp, New York AL (baseball)) (LOC) (12367428665).jpg|left|upright|thumb|Pipp with the Yankees in 1916]]
The Yankees had struggled prior to Ruppert and Huston's purchase, having only one [[winning record]] in their previous eight seasons. They made Pipp their starting first baseman in time for [[Opening Day]] of the [[1915 New York Yankees season|1915 season]]. The Yankees added [[Home Run Baker]] in 1916, and they formed the center of the Yankees' [[batting order (baseball)|batting order]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1982&dat=19170626&id=wbMxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GeQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2700,7018708|title=Wally Pipp of Yanks Has Pippin of Wallop|first=H. C.|last=Hamilton|agency=[[United Press International]]|newspaper=The Evening News|page=5|date=June 26, 1917|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> Pipp led the American League in home runs with 12 in 1916; Baker finished second with 10. Pipp hit nine home runs in 1917, again leading the league.<ref name=si/>

In [[1918 New York Yankees season|1918]], Pipp hit only two home runs, but batted .304. He missed playing time under the nation's "work or fight" rule during World War I; he worked as a [[naval aviation]] [[cadet]] at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. He batted .275 with seven home runs in 1919, as [[Babe Ruth]] surpassed him as the best power hitter in the American League.<ref name=sabr/> The Yankees moved to strengthen their team after the 1919 season, adding Ruth and fellow [[outfielder]] [[Bob Meusel]] and [[third baseman]] [[Joe Dugan]]. Between 1920 and 1924, Pipp had a .301 average, with season averages of 29 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 94 [[runs scored]], and 97 [[runs batted in]] (RBI) per season. Led by their strong lineup and additions to the pitching staff, such as [[Waite Hoyt]], the Yankees finished in second place in 1920. Pipp became the [[cleanup hitter]], behind Ruth in the batting order. Pipp hit .296 in 1921, and the Yankees won the American League pennant.<ref name=si/> However, they lost the [[1921 World Series]] to the [[Subway Series|crosstown rival]] [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1921_WS.shtml |title=1921 World Series – New York Giants over New York Yankees (5–3) |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref>

On July 26, 1922, Pipp bobbled a ball during the fifth inning of a game against the [[St. Louis Browns]]. When the Yankees returned to the [[dugout (baseball)|dugout]], Ruth criticized Pipp's fielding. Pipp attacked Ruth, and the two were separated by teammates. Though Ruth insisted they'd "settle this after the game", Ruth and Pipp led the Yankees to a victory with their hitting, and when Pipp approached Ruth after the game, ready to fight, Ruth opted against it. Pipp said this resulted in reduced tension among the Yankees, to which he attributed their improved play from that point forward.<ref name=si/> Pipp batted .329 in 1922 and the Yankees again won the American League pennant.<ref name=si/> In a rematch, the Giants again defeated the Yankees in the [[1922 World Series]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1922_WS.shtml |title=1922 World Series – New York Giants over New York Yankees (4–0) |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref> Meanwhile, Pipp [[scout (sport)|scouted]] [[Lou Gehrig]], who was playing [[college baseball]] for [[Columbia University]], and suggested to [[Miller Huggins]], the Yankees' [[manager (baseball)|manager]], that he should sign Gehrig. Pipp personally helped develop Gehrig after he signed.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Newman |work=[[MLB.com]] |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20030619&content_id=382597&vkey=lou_gehrig&fext=.jsp&c_id=null |title=Before Gehrig, there was Pipp |publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]] |date=June 19, 2003 |access-date=April 18, 2014 |archive-date=August 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831033510/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20030619&content_id=382597&vkey=lou_gehrig&fext=.jsp&c_id=null }}</ref> Pipp had a strong 1923 season, but injured his right ankle while stepping down from a train in Boston late in the year. The Yankees used Gehrig, whom they promoted from the minor leagues, to play in four games at first base replacing Pipp,<ref name=si/> before calling upon Babe Ruth to substitute at first base for the four games at the very end of the season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1923-lineups.shtml |title=1923 New York Yankees Lineups and Defense |publisher=[[Baseball Reference]] |access-date=April 4, 2020}}</ref> Though Huggins initially thought Pipp would not be able to play in the [[1923 World Series]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1126&dat=19231005&id=3awoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YmgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2879,527095|title=Wally Pipp Not Likely To Play in World's Series: Yankee First Baseman Has Small Chance of Being Used, Says Huggins, Because of Injury—Others Still on Disabled List, But Recovering|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|The Gazette Times]], [[Pennsylvania]]|page=11|date=October 5, 1923|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> Pipp recovered sufficiently in time to play.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19231010&id=FrggAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eGkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3437,660004|title=Wally Pipp Will Probably Play Today|newspaper=[[The Lewiston Daily Sun]]|page=6|date=October 10, 1923|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> The Yankees won the series in six games over the Giants.<ref name=si/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1923_WS.shtml |title=1923 World Series – New York Yankees over New York Giants (4–2) |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref> The Yankees finished in second place in the American League in 1924,<ref name=si/> and Pipp led the league with 114 RBIs and 19 triples.<ref name=nj>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/times-sports/index.ssf/2012/03/setting_the_record_straight_on.html |title=Setting the record straight on Pipp, Gehrig |first=Rick |last=Freeman|work=[[The Times (Trenton)|The Times of Trenton]]|date=March 25, 2012|publisher=NJ.com |access-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref>

====1925: Removal from the Yankees' starting lineup====
[[File:Gehrig cropped.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Lou Gehrig]] replaced Pipp in the Yankees' lineup on June 2, 1925.]]
The Yankees began the 1925 season struggling, and Huggins began to replace players in his lineup in response. Huggins benched starting [[shortstop]] [[Everett Scott]] on May 6, replacing him with [[Pee Wee Wanninger]]. At the time, Scott had the longest streak of consecutive games played, with 1,307. The Yankees continued to struggle. The Yankees entered play on June 2 on a five-game [[losing streak]]. Their 15–26 [[win–loss record]] had them in seventh place out of the eight teams in the American League, half a game better than the last place team, and {{frac|13|1|2}} games out of first place in the standings. Before their game against the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]], Huggins replaced Pipp in the Yankees' lineup with Gehrig, and benched [[second baseman]] [[Aaron Ward (baseball)|Aaron Ward]] and [[catcher]] [[Wally Schang]] as well. Pipp was batting .244 with only three home runs and 23 RBIs, and had a .181 batting average over the previous three weeks. This was the second—not the first—game of Gehrig's then-record 2,130 consecutive games played, which lasted for 14 seasons.  The streak started the previous day, as on June 1 Gehrig entered the game as a pinch hitter, substituting for shortstop Wanninger.<ref>{{cite web |title=Washington Senators vs New York Yankees Box Score: June 1, 1925 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA192506010.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=December 28, 2022}}</ref>

Although Pipp's replacement on June 2, 1925, was historic, and Gehrig had a great game by getting three hits, Gehrig would in fact go 0 for 3 in each of his next two games, before being lifted for a pinch-hitter each day. Pipp would finish both of those games defensively at first base.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Retrosheet Boxscore: Washington Senators 8, New York Yankees 3 |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1925/B06040NYA1925.htm |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=www.retrosheet.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Retrosheet Boxscore: New York Yankees 6, Washington Senators 4 |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1925/B06030NYA1925.htm |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=www.retrosheet.org}}</ref>

According to the most popular version of the story, Pipp showed up at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] that day with a severe headache, and asked the team's [[sports trainer|trainer]] for two [[aspirin]]. [[Miller Huggins]], the Yankees' [[manager (baseball)|manager]], noticed this, and said "Wally, take the day off. We'll try that kid Gehrig at first today and get you back in there tomorrow." Gehrig played well and became the Yankees' new starting first baseman. This story first appeared in a 1939 ''[[New York World-Telegram]]'' on Gehrig's career, in which Pipp was interviewed. Pipp was later quoted to have said, "I took the two most expensive aspirin in history."<ref name=si>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1987/06/29/115643/just-a-pipp-of-a-legend |title=A Pipp of a Legend: The Man Who Was Benched in Favor of Iron-Horse Lou|first=Bruce|last=Anderson|date=June 29, 1987|work=Sports Illustrated|access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref><ref name=heraldtribune/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19570321&id=xgQkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tyUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3922,252176|title=One Minute Interviews: Mantle's big Asset ... Pipp's Costly Headache|first=Cleon|last=Walfoort|pages=2–17|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|date=March 21, 1957|access-date=April 19, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

According to ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'', the [[1942 in film|1942 film]] about Gehrig's life, Pipp asked out of the game because he was experiencing [[Diplopia|double vision]] from being hit in the head two days prior.<ref name=si/> By 1953, Pipp reported to ''[[The New York Times]]'' that he was taken out of the lineup due to being hit in the head by a pitch thrown by [[Charlie Caldwell]] during [[batting practice]]. However, while Pipp was hit in the head by a pitch from Caldwell and was hospitalized, this event occurred on July 2, a month after Pipp's benching.<ref name=si/>

The ''[[New York Sun]]'' reported the benching was due to Pipp's struggles against [[handedness|left-handed]] pitchers, as southpaw [[George Mogridge]] was the scheduled starting pitcher for the Senators on June 2. Other sources suggest Yankee manager [[Miller Huggins]] may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup.<ref name=si/> According to another story, supported by Gehrig's wife, Pipp was not at the game on June 2 because he was [[gambling]] on [[horse racing]] at a [[race track]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19900707&id=jc4zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6OsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6020,1344580|title=Just a Pipp off the old block|first=Jim|last=Murray|newspaper=[[Eugene Register-Guard]]|page=1C|date=July 7, 1990|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> His son Thomas denied this rumor, stating that his father never bet on horses.<ref name="the real story"/>  When interviewed by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', Pipp's own children disagreed on the reason for their father's benching, believing it was either due to Pipp being beaned or struggling.<ref name=si/> Thomas believed Pipp told Huggins to play Gehrig in his place, as he knew Gehrig had a future with the Yankees, while he likely did not.<ref name="the real story"/> According to a popular legend, Pipp asked to sit due to a headache. The story was confirmed by Thomas and by [[Billy Werber|Bill Werber]].<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/TlmhiroSgXY Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20181123044510/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlmhiroSgXY Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|last=Max Carey|title=SportsCentury Greatest Athletes #34: Lou Gehrig|date=April 5, 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlmhiroSgXY&t=7m1s|access-date=June 22, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Later career===
Ruth had returned to the Yankees' lineup on June 1, the day before Pipp, Ward, and Schang were benched. Despite Ruth's return and the strong play of Gehrig, who batted .295 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs,<ref name=si/><ref name=nj/> the Yankees finished in seventh place. Pipp was hospitalized for a week after being hit in the head by Caldwell on July 2, and he played sparingly during the remainder of the season.<ref name=si/> He ended the year with a .230 average, three home runs, and 24 RBIs.<ref name=nj/>

[[File:Wally Pipp and Charlie Mullen.jpg|thumb|300px|Pipp ''(left)'' and [[Charlie Mullen]] ''(right)'']]
Due to the team's struggles, Huggins made personnel changes during the offseason. The Yankees attempted to trade Pipp to another American League team, but could not agree on the terms with any team.<ref name=si/> They put Pipp on [[waivers (baseball)|waivers]], and he was acquired by the [[Cincinnati Reds]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1961&dat=19260117&id=RYEhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d4sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1664,1613602|title=Wally Pipp Leaves Ruppert Service: Yanks First Sack Player and Star of New York Goes to Cincinnati|first=Henry L.|last=Farrell|agency=United Press International|newspaper=[[Palm Beach Daily News]]|page=2-1|date=January 17, 1926|access-date=April 19, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> who reportedly paid the Yankees a greater sum than the $7,500 waiver price.<ref name=sabr/> The Reds, who had not had a strong starting first baseman since [[Jake Daubert]] died in 1924, had attempted to acquire [[Bill Terry]] from the Giants, but refused to part with [[Edd Roush]] in the transaction, and so acquired Pipp instead.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1961&dat=19260201&id=S4EhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d4sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1559,3419531|title=Reds Look Like Promising Lot With Recent Acquisition of Wally Pipp|date=February 1, 1926|page=2-1|newspaper=Palm Beach Daily News|first=Henry L.|last=Farrell|agency=United Press International|access-date=April 19, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Pipp again attempted to acquire a portion of the purchase price, but was rebuffed.<ref name=si/>

Pipp played 372 games for the Reds over the next three seasons. In 1926, he had a .291 batting average, and his 99 RBIs and 15 triples were both fourth-best in the National League. He batted .260 with 41 RBIs in 1927, and .283 in 1928.<ref name=sabr/>

With first baseman [[George Kelly (baseball)|George Kelly]] also on their roster, the Reds released Pipp before the 1929 season. Pipp signed with the [[Newark Bears (IL)|Newark Bears]] of the International League for the season.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1929-03-04 |title=Wally Pipp to Play at Newark |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/qgxlbcaltbpohrppmfvhbgujghrwidsm_ip-10-166-46-137_1739908456429 |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |page=15 |via=[[GenealogyBank.com]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> He earned $40,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|40000|1929|r=-4}}}} in current dollar terms) that year, more than he made during his major league career. He batted .312 for Newark, and retired after the season.<ref name=si/>

Pipp played 1,872 games.<ref name=heraldtribune/> He had three seasons with a .300+ batting average, and two seasons with 100 or more RBI. Pipp had a .281 career batting average. He led both the American and National leagues in [[fielding percentage]]. His 226 [[Sacrifice bunt|sacrifices]] as a Yankee remain a team record. Pipp was the first Yankee to lead the American League in home runs.<ref name=si/> Due to his famous replacement by Gehrig, players began to say they were "Wally Pipped" when replaced in a lineup, especially if it is due to a minor injury.<ref name=si/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19680528&id=ytMiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gekDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3954,5316684|title=Who in Heck Was Wally Pipp?|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|location=Spokane, Washington|first=Harry|last=Missildine|page=16|date=May 29, 1968|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19960707&id=xqIpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n_EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6073,2478140|title=The Wally Pipp All-Stars|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|page=C2|date=July 7, 1996|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19860801&id=jJFTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7IYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4822,1996409|title=Major League baseball notes: Murray latest Wally Pipp?|agency=United Press International|newspaper=[[The Bulletin (Bend)|The Bulletin]]|location=Bend, Oregon|page=D-3|date=August 1, 1986|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=20011118&id=2LdjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_CgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=381,33536712|title=Calling Wally Pipp|newspaper=[[Observer–Reporter]]|location=Washington, Pennsylvania|first=F. Dale|last=Lolley|page=C4|date=November 18, 2001|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19960630&id=naQpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iPEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3095,5837630|title=Wally Pipp of the week|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|date=June 30, 1996|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19750624&id=UgNKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TR4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1422,2261190|title=Tigers hold on win, 10–9|newspaper=[[The Michigan Daily]]|page=12|first=Clarke|last=Cogsdill|date=June 24, 1975|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref>