In his first meeting with the Yankees, Lisenbee was called to the pitcher's mound to face Babe Ruth. The Senators' starting pitcher had fallen behind 3–0 in the count and the manager told Lisenbee to walk Ruth. Lisenbee disagreed and threw three strikes in a row to retire Ruth. Hod pitched the remaining seven and two-thirds innings for the win over the Yankees and he struck Ruth out three times in a row. According to Hod's recollection, Ruth later quipped that it looked as though he was throwing balls at the plate from out of a hole. This was an apparent response to Lisenbee's scrawny appearance, or possibly his underhand or sidearm pitching delivery.