Baseball Way Back: Papa Bear’s brief Yankees career
When you think of the great New York Yankees of the past, names like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Maris, Jackson and Jeter come to mind.
One name that never enters the conversation is George Halas.
Yet Papa Bear, before founding one of football’s great dynasties, had a brief fling with the team that would become, arguably, baseball’s greatest dynasty.
In 1971, Halas said, “My greatest day in sports? That’s easy. It was when I played for the New York Yankees.”
“Walter Johnson pitched against us that day,” Halas elaborated. “He was in his prime. What a fast ball. Nobody ever threw a ball harder. But that day, I hit two balls over the fence off him.”
When asked if he actually hit two home runs off the Big Train, Halas clarified the matter. “No. I hit two balls over the fence, but they were this much foul,” holding his hands about a foot apart. “But if they had been fair, they would have been home runs.”
Looking at Halas’ actual stats and what they mean in terms of analytics, one isn’t exactly bowled over.
His WAR amounted to an underwhelming -0.4. In 22 at-bats, he had two hits, for a batting average of .091, the same as his on-base percentage and slugging average. No runs. No runs driven in. No stolen bases.
All 13 games came in the year 1919, obviously a significant one in Chicago sports.
But all that was in the future when the Washington Post reported on Dec. 20, 1918 that, “George Halas, a former University of Illinois star, has been signed by the Yankees. He is an outfielder, and bats lefthanded.”
The hype machine was in high gear when American League umpire Billy Evans wrote in the Chicago Tribune on Feb. 23, 1919 that “there is a young man on the New York roster, who is being overlooked, and who, I believe, will make New York sit up and take notice next summer.
“The young man is George Halas, recently signed by Scout Bob Connery. Unless I am mistaken, Connery earned his salary for the season, when he secured the signature of Halas to a New York contract.” He predicted Halas as the opening day center fielder, with only lack of experience keeping him from landing a job, “because he has remarkable ability in all departments.”
The Boston Globe on Feb. 19, 1919 also informed readers of high expectations for the future Papa Bear, reporting, “George Halas is coming into major league baseball as an outfielder for the New York Americans with so much trumpeting that the former Illinois University star will have to start off like a whirlwind to live up to his reputation.”
The New York Tribune reported on Feb. 26, 1919, alluding to Halas’ recent service at the Great Lakes Training Station, he would “receive every attention and courtesy from (Yankees manager) Miller Huggins this spring.”
In March, Ensign Halas was released from active duty at Great Lakes, as was another ensign and future Bears colleague Paddy Driscoll, who was reporting for spring training with the Chicago Cubs. Driscoll had played 13 games with the Cubs in 1917.
In April, Halas was touted as a possible lead-off man and right fielder but was plagued by a “charley horse.” Later in life, Halas would blame a hip injury on a slide in a 1919 spring training game for his career woes.
Although Huggins did not pencil in Halas on opening day, he did write him in as the leadoff man for the 24-year-old’s major league debut against Philadelphia on May 6. Halas played right field and singled in the fourth inning off starter Scott Perry.
His next — and last — hit came in the same series on May 8, notable for a 2-0 complete game shutout by the Yankees’ Bob Shawkey. Leading off and playing right field, Halas singled in the fifth off Bob Geary but was erased in a double play off the bat of Roger Peckinpaugh.
Halas’ next game on May 11 against the Washington Senators at the Polo Grounds brought him face to face with Walter Johnson. He went 0-for-5 in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie and was notable for both Johnson and Yankee starter Jack Quinn pitching 12-inning complete game shutouts.
The young Yankee made one appearance at Comiskey Park on May 23. As a pinch hitter in the ninth, he struck out against eventual Black Sox member Eddie Cicotte in a 5-0 loss.
Halas’ major league season came to an abrupt end on July 11, 1919, when the Yanks sent him to St. Paul.
On Feb. 25, 1920, the Washington Post referred to him in a headline as “Another Busted Phenom,” when the Yankees announced Halas had been released to St. Paul. Writer J. V. Fitz Gerald said, “These college phenoms come through in the big leagues sometimes, but more often they fall by the wayside. A year ago the Yanks thought they had picked up a real big leaguer in George Halas, University of Illinois star, and later a nifty worker with the Great Lakes naval station outfit.”
“Halas has a world of speed on the hoof,” he continued, “yet he didn’t break any records in the few times he appeared on the paths with the Yankees. He didn’t know how to make the most of his speed on the bases. The New York club is in crying need of speed this season, and if Halas had had a chance, in the estimation of Miller Huggins, he would have been taken South for another try-out at least.”
Although he never returned to a major league diamond as a baseball player, Halas’ Chicago Bears made Wrigley Field their home for several decades, and Papa Bear’s teams would face the rival Chicago Cardinals at Comiskey Park.