1908 Chicago Cubs season
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Cubs
season was a season in American baseball
. It involved the Cubs winning their third consecutive National League
pennant
, as well as the World Series
. As of 2011, it is the most recent season in which the Cubs have won the World Series.
This team included four future Hall of Famers
: manager / first baseman
Frank Chance
, second baseman
Johnny Evers
, shortstop
Joe Tinker
, and pitcher
Mordecai Brown
. In 1908, Brown finished second in the NL in wins and ERA
.
was the Cubs' Opening Day
starting pitcher. Overall gave up five hits and committed an error in the first inning as the Reds take a 5-0 lead. The Cubs tied the game in the sixth and won the game in the ninth. Cubs pinch hitter
Heinie Zimmerman
drove in Johnny Evers. Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown pitched in the ninth and gets a save for the Cubs.
The home opener was on April 22. Owner Charles Murphy
had added several new seats to the stadium. Long-time Cub player-manager Cap Anson
threw out the first pitch. Tinker, Evers and Chance turn their second double play of the season as the Cubs beat the Reds by a score of 7-3.
On June 30, the Pirates
took first place, as the Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds
. Starting on July 2, the Pirates started a critical five game series against the Cubs. In the first game, Three Finger Brown threw a six hit, no walk shutout, winning the game 3-0. Brown was 10-1 on the season.
On September 26, starting pitcher Ed Reulbach
became the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to pitch two shutouts on the same day. That day, the Cubs played a doubleheader
against the Brooklyn Dodgers
. Reulbach pitched both games to completion, which the Cubs won by scores of 5-0 and 3-0.
in a game against the Cubs, 19-year old Fred Merkle
committed a base-running error that later became known as "Merkle's Boner" and earned him the nickname of "Bonehead."
In the bottom of the 9th inning
, Merkle came to bat with two outs
, and the score tied 1-1. At the time, Moose McCormick
was on first base. Merkle singled
, and McCormick advanced to third
. Al Bridwell
followed with another single, and McCormick trotted home to score the apparent winning run. The New York fans in attendance, under the impression that the game was over, ran onto the field to celebrate.
Meanwhile, Merkle, thinking the game was over, ran to the Giants' clubhouse without touching second base (a gesture that was common at the time). Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers noticed this, and after retrieving a ball and touching second base, he appealed to umpire Hank O'Day
to call Merkle out. Since Merkle had not touched the base, the umpire called him out on a force play
, and McCormick's run did not count. The run was therefore nullified, the Giants' victory erased, and the score of the game remained tied.
Unfortunately, the thousands of fans on the field (as well as the growing darkness in the days before large electric light rigs made night games possible) prevented resumption of the game, and the game was declared a tie
. The Giants and the Cubs would end the season tied for first place and would have a rematch at the Polo Grounds
on October 8. The Cubs won this makeup game, 4-2, and thus the National League pennant
.
(4) vs AL Detroit Tigers
(1)
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
season was a season in American baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It involved the Cubs winning their third consecutive National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
, as well as the World Series
1908 World Series
The 1908 World Series matched the defending champion Chicago Cubs against the Detroit Tigers in a rematch of the 1907 Series. In this first-ever rematch of this young event, the Cubs won in five games for their second consecutive title....
. As of 2011, it is the most recent season in which the Cubs have won the World Series.
This team included four future Hall of Famers
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
: manager / first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Frank Chance
Frank Chance
Frank Leroy Chance was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. Performing the roles of first baseman and manager, Chance led the Chicago Cubs to four National League championships in the span of five years and earned the nickname "The Peerless Leader".Chance was elected to...
, second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Johnny Evers
Johnny Evers
John Joseph Evers was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946...
, shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Joe Tinker
Joe Tinker
Joseph Bert Tinker was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He is best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs dynasty which won four pennants between 1906 and 1910; and for his feud with double play partner Johnny Evers. Tinker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in...
, and pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Mordecai Brown
Mordecai Brown
Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown , nicknamed "Three Finger" or "Miner", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand and eventually acquired his nickname as a result...
. In 1908, Brown finished second in the NL in wins and ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
.
Season summary
The Cubs started the season in Cincinnati. Orval OverallOrval Overall
Orval Overall was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was a member of the Chicago Cubs dynasty of the early 1900s.-Biography:...
was the Cubs' Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
starting pitcher. Overall gave up five hits and committed an error in the first inning as the Reds take a 5-0 lead. The Cubs tied the game in the sixth and won the game in the ninth. Cubs pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
Heinie Zimmerman
Heinie Zimmerman
Henry Zimmerman , known as "Heinie" or "The Great Zim," was a Major League Baseball player in the early 20th century. Zimmerman played for the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants...
drove in Johnny Evers. Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown pitched in the ninth and gets a save for the Cubs.
The home opener was on April 22. Owner Charles Murphy
Charles Murphy (baseball)
Charles Webb Murphy was the owner of the Chicago Cubs of the National League from through . Originally a sportswriter for the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Times-Star, Murphy joined the New York Giants front office in 1905...
had added several new seats to the stadium. Long-time Cub player-manager Cap Anson
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson , nicknamed "Cap" and "Pop", was a National Association and Major League Baseball first baseman...
threw out the first pitch. Tinker, Evers and Chance turn their second double play of the season as the Cubs beat the Reds by a score of 7-3.
On June 30, the Pirates
1908 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The Pittsburgh Pirates season was a season American baseball. The team finished tied for second place in the National League with the New York Giants, one game behind the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates spent 46 days in first place, and were on top on October 3...
took first place, as the Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds
1908 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1908 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fifth in the National League with a record of 73-81, 26 games behind the Chicago Cubs.- Offseason :...
. Starting on July 2, the Pirates started a critical five game series against the Cubs. In the first game, Three Finger Brown threw a six hit, no walk shutout, winning the game 3-0. Brown was 10-1 on the season.
On September 26, starting pitcher Ed Reulbach
Ed Reulbach
Edward Marvin "Big Ed" Reulbach was a major league baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs during their glory years of the early 1900s....
became the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to pitch two shutouts on the same day. That day, the Cubs played a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
against the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Reulbach pitched both games to completion, which the Cubs won by scores of 5-0 and 3-0.
The Merkle Game
On Wednesday, September 23, 1908, while playing for the New York Giants1908 New York Giants season
The New York Giants season was a season in Major League Baseball. The Giants finished second in the National League.Paced by Turkey Mike Donlin, the offense scored the most runs in the league...
in a game against the Cubs, 19-year old Fred Merkle
Fred Merkle
Frederick Charles Merkle , also known as "Bonehead" Merkle, was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball...
committed a base-running error that later became known as "Merkle's Boner" and earned him the nickname of "Bonehead."
In the bottom of the 9th inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
, Merkle came to bat with two outs
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
, and the score tied 1-1. At the time, Moose McCormick
Moose McCormick
Harry Elwood "Moose" McCormick , was a professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball between 1904 and 1913 for the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies...
was on first base. Merkle singled
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
, and McCormick advanced to third
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
. Al Bridwell
Al Bridwell
Albert Henry Bridwell was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the a number of teams in the early 20th century, most notably the New York Giants, when the team was managed by John McGraw. Bridwell hit the single which caused the crucial "Merkle boner" running error of the...
followed with another single, and McCormick trotted home to score the apparent winning run. The New York fans in attendance, under the impression that the game was over, ran onto the field to celebrate.
Meanwhile, Merkle, thinking the game was over, ran to the Giants' clubhouse without touching second base (a gesture that was common at the time). Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers noticed this, and after retrieving a ball and touching second base, he appealed to umpire Hank O'Day
Hank O'Day
Henry Francis O'Day was an American right-handed pitcher, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball who worked as a National League umpire for 30 years between 1895 and 1927, and was the only person in major league history to appear as a player, manager and umpire. His 3,986 total games as an...
to call Merkle out. Since Merkle had not touched the base, the umpire called him out on a force play
Force play
In baseball, a force is a situation when a baserunner is compelled to vacate his time-of-pitch base—and thus try to advance to the next base—because the batter became a runner. A runner at first base is always forced to attempt to advance to second base when the batter becomes a runner...
, and McCormick's run did not count. The run was therefore nullified, the Giants' victory erased, and the score of the game remained tied.
Unfortunately, the thousands of fans on the field (as well as the growing darkness in the days before large electric light rigs made night games possible) prevented resumption of the game, and the game was declared a tie
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
. The Giants and the Cubs would end the season tied for first place and would have a rematch at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
on October 8. The Cubs won this makeup game, 4-2, and thus the National League pennant
National League pennant winners 1901-68
Each season in Major League Baseball, the National League team with the best performance wins the league's pennant, signifying that they are its champion and winning the right to play in the World Series. In addition to the pennant, the team that wins the National League playoffs receives the...
.
Notable transactions
- May 29, 1908: Doc MarshallDoc Marshall (catcher)William Riddle Marshall , is a former professional baseball player who played catcher from 1904-1909....
was purchased by the Cubs from the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
Roster
| 1908 Chicago Cubs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager | ||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 126 | 424 | 117 | .276 | 4 | 59 | |
| 1B | 129 | 452 | 123 | .272 | 2 | 55 | |
| 2B | 126 | 416 | 125 | .300 | 0 | 37 | |
| 3B | 150 | 539 | 130 | .241 | 1 | 62 | |
| SS | 157 | 548 | 146 | .266 | 6 | 68 | |
| OF | 115 | 403 | 93 | .231 | 2 | 22 | |
| OF | 102 | 386 | 91 | .236 | 1 | 43 | |
| OF | 104 | 352 | 78 | .222 | 0 | 26 | |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 411 | 100 | .243 | 2 | 42 | |
| 12 | 20 | 6 | .300 | 0 | 3 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 312.1 | 29 | 9 | 1.47 | 123 | |
| 46 | 297.2 | 24 | 7 | 2.03 | 133 | |
| 33 | 252 | 12 | 10 | 2.00 | 117 | |
| 37 | 225 | 15 | 11 | 1.92 | 167 | |
| 26 | 162.2 | 11 | 9 | 2.27 | 66 | |
| 23 | 138.2 | 6 | 9 | 4.22 | 38 | |
| 4 | 20.1 | 2 | 0 | 0.89 | 7 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 11 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1908 World Series
NL Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(4) vs AL Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cubs - 10, Tigers - 6 | October 10 | Bennett Park | 10,812 |
| 2 | Tigers - 1, Cubs - 6 | October 11 | West Side Park West Side Park West Side Park was the name used for two different baseball parks that formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. They were both home fields of the team now known as the Chicago Cubs of the National League. Both parks witnessed championship baseball... |
17,760 |
| 3 | Tigers - 8, Cubs - 3 | October 12 | West Side Park West Side Park West Side Park was the name used for two different baseball parks that formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. They were both home fields of the team now known as the Chicago Cubs of the National League. Both parks witnessed championship baseball... |
14,543 |
| 4 | Cubs - 3, Tigers - 0 | October 13 | Bennett Park | 12,907 |
| 5 | Cubs - 2, Tigers - 0 | October 14 | Bennett Park | 6,210 |