Pivotal World Series Moments
McGraw's Strategy Stifles Ruth
1922 World Series: New York Giants vs New York Yankees
With Babe Ruth out of the lineup much of the time for one reason or another–he played only 110 games–the Yankees squeaked past the St. Louis Browns by one game to de­fend their American League championship. For the second year in a row, Miller Huggins' club faced the New York Giants, the team with whom they shared the Polo Grounds while waiting for Yankee Stadium to open in 1923. John McGraw's club won the National League pennant by seven games over the Cincinnati Reds.
The 1922 World Series was the first to be broadcast over the new medium of radio. Stations WJZ in Newark and WYG in Schenectady transmitted the games from the Polo Grounds. Grantland Rice, on his way to becoming a legendary sportswriter, provided the play-by-play narrative.

L-R: Babe Ruth, John McGraw, Art, Nehf, Jesse Barnes
As the Series started, the New York Times reporter wrote: "Some observers predict that McGraw will be a real "miracle man" if he pulls the Giants through this year. For one thing, the Giants enter the series with as weak a pitching staff–on paper–as one could imagine."
But Mugsy concocted a strategy to frustrate Ruth and reduce his offensive output. He ordered his hurlers to throw Ruth nothing but curves, most of them out of the strike zone. The plan included relentless bench-jockeying when Ruth came to bat.
The plan worked better than even McGraw could have imagined. Increasingly frustrated game by game, Babe started swinging wildly at pitches out of the strike zone. The result was just two hits in 17 at-bats for a measly .118 average as the Yankees managed only a tie in five games.

Babe Ruth strikes out in his first at-bat of the 1922 World Series.
Game-by-Game Log
Game One: Giants 3 Yankees 2
Batting third and playing right field, Babe went 1-for-4 with what would turn out to be his only RBI in the Series.
1st: Struck out on four pitches against southpaw Art Nehf.
4th: Hit into a forceout with a man on first and no outs.
6th: Singled to right field driving home Joe Dugan from second base with the first run of the Series.
8th: Called out on strikes against Rosy Ryan.
Game Two: 3-3 tie called after 10 innings because of darkness
Ruth again got one hit in four at-bats, scoring his only run of the Series.
1st: Facing Jesse Barnes with Dugan on second base, grounded to first.
3rd: Walked.
5th: Again with Dugan on, grounded out to end the inning.
7th: Doubled to the wall in left field and scored on Bob Meusel's double.
Game Three: Giants 3 Yankees 0
Babe went hitless and was hit by a pitch in four plate appearances against Jack Scott.
1st: Bounced to second.
4th: Hit by a pitch.
6th: Grounded to first to strand a runner.
9th: Grounded to second to start the inning.
Game Four: Giants 4 Yankees 3
0-for-3 with a walk off Hugh McQuillan.
1st: With the first two batters on at first and second, flied to Bill Cunningham, who made a sensational catch in deep centerfield.
3rd: Base on balls.
6th: Popped out.
8th: Popped high to 2B Frankie Frisch in short right field.
Game Five: Giants 5 Yankees 3
Another 0-for-3 with a sacrifice facing Nehf.
1st: Bunted Dugan to second.
4th: Fanned.
6th: Grounded back to the pitcher.
8th: With Dugan on first, grounded to first.
The Giants jockeyed Babe unmercifully through the Series. The leader was reserve Johnny Rawlings, whose penetrating voice spewed fouler and fouler epithets, including the "N word." After the third game, Babe could take it no more. After getting dressed, he and Meusel stormed the Giants clubhouse.
Ruth would play in five more World Series. He compiled a .326 post-season batting ave­rage (42-for-129) with 15 home runs, 33 RBIs, and 37 runs. But in 1922 the Giants had his number.