The 1923 Yankees split another series, this one with the 1953 Yankees. The '53 Yankees stayed 16 games over .500 at 44-28 while the '23 Yankees remained two games under at 65-67.
The two teams split the first two games with the '23 Yankees winning Game One 5-2 and the '53 Yankees winning Game Two 2-0 behind a three-hit shutout by Vic Raschi. They took the lead in the series with a 7-1 win in Game Three; Joe Collins and Phil Rizzuto each drove in three RBI. The ‘23 Yankees evened the series again in Game Four with a 4-2 win; Aaron Ward was 4-5 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. They won 4-2 again in Game Five, this time on the strength of a Babe Ruth three-run homer in the 1st. inning. Both teams’ offenses exploded in the final game with the '53 Yankees winning by a ridiculous score of 24-14. They had 28 hits, including seven home runs. They scored nine runs in the first inning alone. Mickey Mantle went 4-6 with three home runs, including a grand slam, and eight RBI.
Gene Woodling leads the '53 Yankees in hitting at .344 with 54 RBI, 59 runs scored, and a .972 OPS. Mantle is hitting .328 with 24 home runs, 69 RBI, 67 runs scored, and a 1.036 OPS. Hank Bauer is hitting .311 with 62 runs scored. Yogi Berra is hitting .252 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI. Raschi’s shutout improved his record to 8-4 with a 2.73 ERA. Ed Lopat picked up another win to go to 9-1 with a 2.90 ERA.
Ruth continues to hang around .400 at .394 with 42 home runs, 122 RBI, 127 runs scored, 12 triples, 11 steals, and a 1.347 OPS. Bob Meusel cracked the 100 RBI mark with 102 while hitting .316 with 10 triples and 11 steals. Whitey Witt stayed at .290 with 97 runs scored. Ward raised his average to .260 with 86 RBI. Waite Hoyt picked up his 15th win; he is 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA. The '23 Yankees will battle the 39-21 1936 Yankees in the next series.