Cubs Live
By Mike McFarland ----------------- When the Cubs officially clinched the division on Sept. 27 in St. Louis, the team achieved another feat that the franchise had not seen in more than 100 years. The Cubs have now made it to the postseason in three consecutive seasons, the first of any set of Cub squads since the 1906-1908 teams. These early 20th century Cubs played in three consecutive World Series, winning in both 1907 and 1908. The dominance began to take form in 1906, when the Cubs won 116 games and lost just 36, the greatest winning percentage in major league history. They also called the second West Side Park home, a wooden ballpark that originally seated 12,500. The names on these teams alone are woven into the fabric of myth within baseball history. Chicago had a terrific pitching staff led by the legendary Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, whose right index finger was chopped down to a stump in a farming accident when he was five. He broke his other fingers in a later accident, leaving his them stuck in strange angles even after healing. These injuries aided Brown in throwing a devastating curveball, however, and he became a Hall of Fame pitcher. The other immortal names on these Cubs teams were those of shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny Evers, and first baseman/manager Frank Chance. History's most famous double play combination turned the third most double plays in the National League from 1906-1910. The combo was made famous when columnist Franklin Pierce Adams published a poem in 1910 from the perspective of a Giants fan watching the players turn a double play against his team. The 1906 team boasted two 20-game winners; Brown and Jack Pfiester, as well as 19-game winner Ed Reulbach. Each had an ERA well under 2.00. This Cubs team was so dominant that they won the pennant by 20 games over the second-place New York Giants. The team played in the first, and so far only, crosstown World Series against the White Sox. Despite being heavily favored, the Cubs lost in six games. But the Cubs kept rolling in 1907 to take the pennant again. Four Cubs pitchers had an ERA under 2.00, with Pfiester leading the team at a 1.15 clip. Orvall Overall led the team with 23 victories and Chicago finished with 107 wins, 17 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates to go to the World Series. This time the Cubs faced the Detroit Tigers, led by Hall of Fame outfielders Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford. But neither star found much success at the plate and Chicago took the series in five games (the first game was a tie called because it got to dark to play on). 1908 proved to be far more difficult for Chicago. The Cubs were locked in a three-horse race with the Giants and Pirates for the pennant. They would soon find themselves in the midst of one of the most infamous plays in baseball history. On September 23, the Cubs and Giants were tied in the standings when they met for an afternoon game at the Polo Grounds. With the game knotted up at one in the bottom of the ninth. With Moose McCormick on first, Fred Merkle knocked a single to right field to put runners at the corners. Al Bridwell then knocked what looked like a single to center field, presumably winning the ballgame. Fans started to storm the field while Merkle was advancing from first base, so he started to head to the Giants locker room beyond the outfield. Johnny Evers noticed that Merkle hadn't touched second and (apparently) got the ball via center fielder Solly Hofman. Evers touched second and the umpires ruled that Merkle was out, and the run didn't score. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The two teams were still tied at the end of the season and had to play a game to decide the pennant winner. The Cubs won 4-2 to move on to the World Series. 1908's Fall Classic was far less dramatic, as Chicago trounced the Tigers for the second straight year, this time four games to one. The Cubs won the pennant again in 1910, but lost to Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. These teams give us not only a glimpse into the lore of the Cubs rich history, but also should provide us with an appreciation for what the current franchise is doing.
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
April 2020
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