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Classic Charles Conlon photo of Ty Cobb sliding into Jimmy Austin
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1927 Yankees Photo Gallery
Who Is the “Mystery Player” in this Famous 1927 Yankees Team Photo?
“It’s always the same. Combs walks. Koenig singles. Ruth hits one out of the park. Gehrig doubles. Lazzeri triples. Then Dugan goes in the dirt on his can. -“Jumpin’ Joe” Dugan, speaking of his 1927 Yankee teammates
As we all know, the 1927 Yankees are often cited as the greatest team of all-time. Who can argue with that assertion, considering that it included the famous “Muderous’ Row”? The first six batters in their formidable lineup were: Earle Combs (.356, 231 hits), Mark Koenig (.285, 62 RBIs), Babe Ruth (.356, 60 home runs, 164 RBIs)), Lou Gehrig (.373, 47 home runs, 175 RBIs), Bob Meusel (.337, 103 RBIs), and Tony Lazzeri (.309. 18 home runs, 102 RBIs). All but Koenig and Meusel are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The mound crew consisted of Hall of Famers Waite Hoyte (22-7) and Herb Pennock (19-8), plus standout hurlers Urban Shocker (18-6), and Wilcy Moore (19-7).
As a team, the 1927 Yankees batted .307 with a .489 slugging average, scored 975 runs, and outscored their opponents by a record 376 runs. They posted a 110-44 record (.714), a combined staff 3.20 ERA, and finished 19 games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Athletics. In the 1927 World Series, they swept the National League pennant-winning Pirates, 4-0.
Who is the Mysterious Player?
Recently, one of our readers, Tom Ford, asked me about the player identifications for this famous photo [see featured photo above. Complete player IDs below], and was wondering about the player second from the right, next to trainer, Doc Woods, and wondering if I had ever identified him.
My Visit to Yankee Stadium Reveals the Answer!
Who was Joe Styborski?
Of course, that led to the obvious question: just who is Joe Styborski? I had never heard of him. A search through the Baseball Encyclopedia and Baseball Reference lists no such player. Eventually, we uncovered information – I don’t remember how or where – that this guy was the batting practice pitcher who had somehow made his way into the photo of one of the greatest teams ever, the 1927 Yankees!
Recently, I discovered that there is a lot more to Joe Styborski’s story than I realized. He was a college phenom at Penn State in the 1920s with a blazing fastball but also with control issues. Upon graduation in July, 1927, Miller Huggins invited him to join the Yankees for a “look-see.” Although he didn’t stick with the team, he pitched in a couple exhibition games for the Yankees before being assigned to the Easton Farmers of the Class D Eastern Shore League. He bounced around the minors for a while with some success, but ended his career in professional baseball a couple years later after becoming a dentist. If you’d like to read more about his career, here’s a link to an interesting article about him by Gary Cieradkoski that appeared on the SABR Bioproject website.
Check out the featured photo above again. See how many names you can pick out on the team many historians regard as the greatest in baseball history before reading the identifications below!
1927 Yankees Player Identifications
Top Row, L-R: Lou FGehrig, Herb Pennock, Tony Lazzeri, Wilcy Moore, Babe Ruth, Don Miller, Bob Meusel, Bob Shawkey, Waite Hoyt, Joe Giard, Ben Paschal, Joe Styborski, Doc Woods. Middle Row, L-R; Urban Shocker, Joe Dugan, Earle Combs, Charlie O’Leary,(coach), Miller Huggins (Mgr.), Art Fletcher (coach), Mark Koenig, Dutch Ruether, Johnny Grabowski, George Pipgras,. Bottom Row, L-R: Julie Wera, Mike Gazella, Pat Collins, Eddie Bennett (mascot), Benny Bengough, Ray Morehart, Myles Thomas, Cedric Durst.
Gary Livacari
We’d love to hear what you think about this or any other related baseball history topic…please leave comments below.
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Information: Stats from Baseball Reference.com; SABR article on Joe Styborski by Gary Cieradkoski
Great article and find. I googled “Don Miller-N.Y. Yankee” who was in the picture and also was a bullpen pitcher and a phenom who never made .it. Up pops a complete autographed 1927 team picture likely taken the same day. The same players and coaches are present although they have moved around a bit. Can’t really make out which one is Joe S.- Picture was actioned off in 2021 by Don Miller’s grandaughter for $441,000+. Take a look. Few more fans in the stands. Be nice if you could put them sise-by-side.
I am a grandson of Don Miller, who was signed by Miller Huggins in June of 1927. Don was a standout pitcher at Michigan (1927 graduate). Even though Don Miller never made it onto the starting rotation, he was Babe Ruth’s friend (bridge games, women) on the train rides. Don Miller appears in two separate team photos and also appears in a team photo of the pitchers. There is proof of Don Miller’s exuberance as a 23 year old in 1927. I believe he was the only Yankee to obtain autographs on his original team photos. One of Don Miller’s original photos from 1927 sold for about $440,000.00. My cousins were smart enough to preserve these photos and get them out to the public. Amazing story of survival, these photos with autographs. Don Miller had his $1,000.00 sign on payment from the Yankees also preserved and sold. Don Miller signed the World Championship plaques (3 plaques, 23 player signatures). Don Miller received a World Series ring and 1/2 of the series championship money, about $2,300.00. We are told that the Babe put it up for a vote and that’s how Don Miller got some of the series money.
I believe my grandfather, Don Miller, didn’t mind not being a starter and that is why he is in at least 2 team photos and 1 team pitcher photo. In June of 1927, Don Miller became a uniformed paid Yankee. Don Miller did not start, or relieve, in any game played by the 1927 Yankees. However; Don Miller did get a 1927 World Series ring and 1/2 of the series money paid to each player.
Don Miller was in the same position as Joe Styborski and Roy Chesterfield as signed and uniformed Yankees in 1927 that never got a chance to start a game. They were all pitchers and Styborski could hit as well.
On another note, I show three fielding/batting players that saw play time, but I don’t think they are in any of the photos from Don Miller’s family. Scratch Buin, Dykes (2b,3b), Pickens (catcher).
I understand a uniformed player who sees little to no hope of play time to not be interested in team photos.
In addition to these six reserve players, starter of one game, Walter Beall also didn’t appear in any team photos from Don Miller’s inventory. Don was signed in June. Walter Beall is also absent from the team pitcher photo given to Don Miller.
I just want to thank every person on this sight for their relentless work to nail down the 1927 Yankee players and give credit where credit is due.
When it comes to team photos, I give my non starter grandfather credit for his enthusiasm and participation. A Yankee is a Yankee. If Don wore pin stripes, oh you better bet he will be in the photo. lol.
Thanks Joe…more great info! You can be proud of your granddad, Don Miller!
By the way, in the picture of the 1927 Yakees pitching staff the pitcher third from the right is Don Miller and not Walter Beall.
Thanks…you know, I originally had that player identified as Don Miller but I wasn’t sure, as he does look like Beall. That’s why I left it as “maybe Walter Beall.” I shoule have trusted my original instincts! I remember going back and forth about that player identification ten years ago when I first worked on it. Thanks for clearing this up!
I am a grandson of Don Miller. What is so funny is that Walter Beall is proven to have started at least one regular season game, but he is missing from all of the team photos that Don Miller was provided with, including a photo of just the pitchers. On the other hand; Don Miller is in at least three team photos. Don Miller was not as lucky as was Mr. Beall. I would do anything to have Beall in these photos. It’s just not fair. Actually; I’m sure Mr. Beall would re-think being in these iconic photos. Even though he isn’t in the team photos, I give him credit for not only being a 1927 Yankee, but also a starter. He made the roster and that is more important than these photos. By the way, the stories of Joe Styborski (in at least one team photo) and Roy Chesterfield are just as amazing as Don Miller and Walter Beall. I also believe the following players were omitted from the team photos. Dykes (2b, 3b), Pickens (catcher), Scratch Buin. Scratch signed one of the Championship plaques. Don Miller and Roy Chesterfield also signed one of the three plaques. I also believe that Joe Styborski was sent to another team before the series. Little did Miller and Chesterfield know, they were right behind Styborski with being sent to the minors. I believe these three players had excellent talent at the wrong time. I call them the best minor leaguers – one, two, three punch – to ever exist. It would be an honor if I could hear also from the families of these other great players. I’m honored to be Don Miller’s grandson, 24/7/365, day after day, all day long.
Thanks for checking in Joe! That’s some great info you gave us in your two posts! I always love the personal stuff like this! Please stay in contact…and if you have anything else to share, please do so. -Gary
I sure will. Don Miller had two brilliant children. My mother, Barbara, and my uncle Don (not a Jr.). My uncle Don inherited all of the original photos from his dad of the 1927 Yankees. Thank goodness. My cousins get credit for preserving these original autographed photos. They also get credit for realizing the value of what they possessed. My mother, Barbara, never bragged about her father being a 1927 Yankee. The more I learn about my grandfather in 1927, the more impressed I am with the Yankees he had the honor to be with and play for. Pitching to warm up the batters, along with Styborski and Chesterfield, was a true honor for my grandfather. He made the best and left a happy man. I’m being told that Don Miller was very popular in the minors. Don Miller – an iconic presence on or off the field. No shame in being a reserve in 1927.
Thanks again Joe…more great info! Looking through my files, I believe I have copies of those photos of the 1927 Yankees you were talking about. Two of them have player autographs and Don Miller and Roy Chesterfield are in at least two of them. In one of them, at Spring Training at St. Petersburg, Florida (with Jacob Ruppert standing in the middle), the players are unidentified, but I did the complete identifications of the players a while back. In this one, Don Miller is standing at the far left in the top row. I wonder if your cousins have the identifications for this one. If not, I could provide them.
Great article, Thanks
Thanks Ron!
I would love to see the photo taken in Florida. I think Don Miller has the same face as Walter Beall and has caused confusion over the years. Walter Beal is a proven starter of one game and should be in all of the team pictures. Even the pitchers photo. Because Don Miller (a proven non roster starter, but still a paid Yankee) was in these photos, shows me that it was a player decision to dress up early for photos and take part. I fully understand the non-starters, and even Walter Beal, for skipping the photo shoots. Walter even skipped the plaque signing (after the World Series). Walter Beal is the only one of twenty five Yankees to not have his salary posted. The reason I think the photo in FL is not Don Miller is because he wasn’t signed until June. He was a Michigan graduate in1927. The family of Don Miller is extremely grateful for all of your hard work. Amazing stuff.
I hope you don’t mind. This is Joe Fields again, one of Don Miller’s grandsons. I figured I might as well try to complete the story on reserve player Don Miller.
Don Miller was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. He pitched at Central High. He received a scholarship to play at Michigan as a Wolverine. During Don’s senior year, he married a Syracuse girl who was working in Michigan at his college. She was a genius microbiologist. Her name was Elizabeth Burns. Her family goes back to the 1830s in Syracuse. Lo and behold, they had their first child, my Uncle Don from California, I believe during the 1927 season. There are several articles (Syracuse and Michigan papers) with Don Miller’s pitching being the highlight. Even though Don Miller liked being in photos, he never, ever smiled. I don’t think Don Miller learned to laugh and smile and possibly drink until he met the Babe. I have a copy of the funniest and unrecognizable photos of Don Miller. It is from a Syracuse newspaper after the ’27 series. The article talks about how proud Don Miller’s family is for Don receiving World Series money. Then you see this photo of Don Miller with a slothy grin. Totally not recognizable. I think the Babe taught Don Miller how to celebrate. lol. I also have an article that Babe wrote that describes the train rides. I think it was bridge, booze and broads and Don Miller was all ears as a 23 year old. I also have like a baseball instruction short (about 10 pages) with Don Miller.
I have an idea. In 2027, wouldn’t it be cool for the Yankee organization to hold a 100 year anniversary party and invite the families of these players to attend.
I figured out why it would appear from the pitcher photo of ten pitchers, one would think Don Miller is Walter Beall. If Don Miller was Walter Beall, that would comprise of all ten pitchers who started the ’27 season as a Yankee. It appears that Beall, as a uniformed Yankee player, wanted no parts of being in the photos. Don Miller, on the other hand, was a reserve player, signed in June, who never saw action, but would die to be in these pictures. The brilliance came after the photos. Obtaining all of those autographs. Preserving the photos. It is my opinion that Don Miller was an extremely clear thinker who never minded one bit that he never started a game as a Yankee.
I figured out why it would appear from the pitcher photo of ten pitchers, one would think Don Miller is Walter Beall. If Don Miller was Walter Beall, that would comprise of all ten pitchers who started the ’27 season as a Yankee. It appears that Beall, as a uniformed Yankee player, wanted no parts of being in the photos. Don Miller, on the other hand, was a reserve player, signed in June, who never saw action, but would die to be in these pictures. The brilliance came after the photos. Obtaining all of those autographs. Preserving the photos. It is my opinion that Don Miller was an extremely clear thinker who never minded one bit that he never started a game as a Yankee.
I just wanted to add one thing. I have read that Miller Huggins was unpopular as a manager. Well; in a post series newspaper article, Don Miller describes Miller Huggins as a good man to play for. Don said this and never played for the guy. lol.
I have a theory on future Doctor Joe Styborski. Maybe when he told Miller Huggins that he wanted to be a dentist, Huggins yelled, A dentist!, well then no more reindeer games for you. It’s just a theory. lol.