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Chattanoogan Bill Akers Outshined The Babe In September Of 1930 Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - by Joseph Dycus
The Major League Baseball season is the longest of any pro sport in America, and it has been this way for over 100 years. Each season has hot streaks and slumps, masterful pitching performances and demotions to the bullpen. On any given day, the unknown ballplayer can become a hero. On September 13, 1930, Detroit Tigers rookie shortstop and Chattanoogan Bill Akers didn’t just outduel Gehrig and the Babe. He won the game.
Akers was born in Chattanooga in 1904, and played his first bit of professional baseball as a 19 year-old for the Lookouts in 1924. After five years in the minor leagues, he finally got his shot as a 24 year old rookie for the Tigers in 1929. According to today’s standards (less than 130 at bats) and apparently yesteryear’s standards, Akers and his 98 career at bats were still a rookie by the time 1930 rolled around.