 He made his major league debut for the Highlanders on September 12, 1907, at the age of 26, in a 2–0 loss against the Washington Senators.During his rookie season, Ball posted a batting average of .247 and led the Majors in strikeouts with 91.Defensively, he committed the most errors among all fielders in the American League with 81 and most errors by a shortstop with 80, both of which are Yankee rookie records that still stand today.