Every baseball fan knows the name Babe Ruth, but how many remember the man who served up his legendary 60th home run in 1927? That pitcher was Tom Zachary—a steady left-hander who carved out a remarkable 19-year career and spent parts of three seasons in pinstripes.
Born on May 7, 1896, in Graham, North Carolina, Zachary came from a family of Scotch-Irish Quakers deeply rooted in the area. After high school, he attended Guilford College, where he played baseball from 1916 to 1918. A lanky lefty, Zachary never overpowered hitters. Instead, he relied on pinpoint control and a deliberately slow delivery that kept batters off balance.
His path to the majors took an interesting detour. In 1918, hoping to preserve his college eligibility, Zachary used the alias "Zach Walton" to try out for the Philadelphia Athletics. Under that fake name, he impressed legendary manager Connie Mack, making two starts and going 2-0—though with a hefty 5.63 ERA. After the season, he served with the Red Cross during World War I, spending time in France before his release in June 1919.
Since Philadelphia never officially signed him or placed him on their reserve list, Zachary was free to sign with any team. Clark Griffith and the Washington Senators snatched him up. On July 18, 1919, pitching under his full name—Jonathan Thompson Walton Zachary—he debuted with a scoreless inning of relief in Chicago.
That began a seven-year run with the Senators that included back-to-back World Series appearances in 1924 and 1925. The 1924 series was a classic seven-game thriller against the New York Giants, with Washington emerging victorious. Zachary played a key role, winning Game 2 to help secure the franchise's first championship.
Zachary joined the Yankees for the 1928 season and spent parts of three years in pinstripes. But his place in baseball history was already sealed the year before, when as a member of the Senators, he gave up Babe Ruth's record-setting 60th home run. That moment alone keeps his name alive generations later.
Over his long career, Zachary pitched for seven organizations, amassing 3,126.1 innings, 185 complete games, and a solid 3.73 ERA. He passed away on January 24, 1969, in Burlington, North Carolina, leaving behind a legacy as the man who watched the Babe make history—and a two-time World Series champion in his own right.