On MLB Monday, this marks the first time the New York Yankees won the World Series, and they’ve gone on to win 26 more titles—the most in baseball history, by far. So, that makes this week’s column kind of a big deal, no? Babe Ruth had arrived in full force, and we know the sport itself would never be the same. Let’s not bother with any more fanfare … On with the Show!

1923 World Series MVP: Babe Ruth, RF, New York (AL)

The New York Giants were the two-time defending champions, and they took a 2-1 lead in this Fall Classic before the Yankees came storming back with three straight wins to claim the title. In those three wins, the Bronx Bombers outscored their crosstown rivals by a 20-9 margin, leaving no doubt as to which team was better at this point in time. Ruth ended up hitting .368 in the matchup, which included a 1.556 OPS, 3 home runs, and 8 walks.

Yankees starter Bullet Joe Bush, a previous Series winner with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, was the team’s best pitcher, but he also managed to lose a game against the Giants in the process of posting a 1.08 ERA and a 0.660 WHIP. Ruth didn’t dominate to the level perhaps expected, but when you’re walking so much—and 5 of your 7 hits go for extra bases—you’re dominating in a way that carries a team to a lot of runs. That’s what happened in the final three games.

To wit: He walked four times and scored 5 runs in the final three games, so Ruth didn’t even need hits to get the Yankees lineup rolling. Pitching around him only elevated his teammates, in truth. The Giants learned this the hard way … that at age 28, the Babe was entering his prime, and the entirety of MLB was going to be in trouble for awhile.

1923 AL MOTY: Miller Huggins, New York

Yankees Manager Miller Huggins posted a plus-3 PPP mark as his team won the pennant by 16 games. That was the best managerial edge of any team that finished over .500 in the league, and only last-place Boston managed a better PPP outcome (plus-7, somehow). The second- and third-place teams combined for a minus-9 PPP finish, which just another reason why New York looked so good on paper. This is Huggins’ fourth MOTY nod from us, the most so far in this space.

1923 NL MOTY: Pat Moran, Cincinnati

The Giants won the pennant by 4.5 games, and for the first time in awhile, N.Y. Manager John McGraw actually posted a positive PPP mark (plus-3). However, he was doubled up by Cincinnati Reds Manager Pat Moran (plus-6), even with the Reds finishing second. So, while McGraw did a good job fending off the Reds, the fact is Moran had Cincy charging in a pennant race it had no business even being part of in the first place. That’s our kind of manager of the year, for sure. This is his second nod from us, too.