1938 Chicago Cubs season explained

Chicago Cubs
Season:1938
Misc:National League Champions
League:National League
Ballpark:Wrigley Field
City:Chicago
Owners:Philip K. Wrigley
General Managers:Charles Weber
Managers:Charlie Grimm, Gabby Hartnett
Radio:WGN
(Bob Elson)
WBBM
(Charlie Grimm, Pat Flanagan, Val Sherman)
WCFL
(Hal Totten)
WIND
(Russ Hodges, Jimmy Dudley)
WJJD
(John Harrington, Jack Drees)

The 1938 Chicago Cubs season was the 67th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 63rd in the National League and the 23rd at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished first in the National League with a record of 89–63. The team was swept four games to none by the New York Yankees in the World Series.

The team is known for the season of pitcher Dizzy Dean. While pitching for the NL in the 1937 All-Star Game, Dean suffered a big toe fracture. Coming back too soon from the injury, Dean changed his pitching motion to avoid landing too hard on his sore toe enough to affect his mechanics. As a result, he hurt his arm, losing his great fastball.[1] By, Dean's arm was largely gone. Cubs scout Clarence "Pants" Rowland was tasked with the unenviable job of obeying owner Philip K. Wrigley's direct order to buy a washed-up Dean's contract at any cost. Rowland signed the ragged righty for $185,000, one of the most expensive loss-leader contracts in baseball history. Dean still helped the Cubs win the 1938 pennant.

On July 20, Wrigley named 37-year-old Gabby Hartnett as the team's player-manager, replacing Charlie Grimm.[2] When Hartnett took over, the Cubs were in third place, six games behind the first place Pittsburgh Pirates who were led by Pie Traynor.[3] By September 27, with one week left in the season, the Cubs had battled back to within a game and a half game of the Pirates in the National League standings as the two teams met for a crucial three-game series.[3] Dean pitched the opening game of the series and with his ailing arm, relied more on his experience and grit to defeat the Pirates by a score of 2 to 1. Dean would later call it the greatest outing of his career.[1] The Cubs cut the Pirates' lead to a half game and set the stage for one of baseball's most memorable moments.[4]

On September 28, the two teams met for the second game of the series, where Hartnett experienced the highlight of his career. With darkness descending on the lightless Wrigley Field and the score tied at 5 runs apiece, the umpires ruled that the ninth inning would be the last to be played. The entire game would have to be replayed the following day if the score remained tied. Hartnett came to bat with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. With a count of 0 balls and 2 strikes, Hartnett connected on a Mace Brown pitch, launching the ball into the darkness, before it eventually landed in the left-center field bleachers. The stadium erupted into pandemonium as players and fans stormed the field to escort Hartnett around the bases.[5] Hartnett's walk-off home run became immortalized as the Homer in the Gloamin'.[4] The Cubs were now in first place, culminating an impressive 19–3–1 record in September, and the pennant would be clinched three days later.[3]

It would be 50 years before lights were installed at Wrigley Field.[6]

Regular season

Roster

1938 Chicago Cubs
Roster
PitchersCatchersInfieldersOutfieldersManagerCoaches

Schedule

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C 88 299 82 .274 10 59
1B 143 490 131 .267 13 61
2B 152 624 173 .277 1 56
SS 137 465 114 .245 1 47
3B 152 609 195 .320 4 67
OF 125 497 150 .302 3 67
OF 110 395 113 .286 6 69
OF 129 476 130 .273 8 62

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
92 268 64 .239 1 28
86 247 65 .263 3 33
76 235 57 .243 7 35
54 120 32 .267 5 23
23 54 14 .259 0 5
12 36 9 .250 0 2
17 33 6 .182 0 3
2 4 1 .250 0 0
1 1 1 1.000 0 1

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
44 291.0 22 9 2.66 121
44 270.1 19 11 3.10 135
43 201.1 10 19 3.80 83
33 167.2 10 9 5.42 80
13 74.2 7 1 1.81 22
2 10.0 0 0 5.40 4

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
44 160.2 8 7 2.86 70
13 68.0 5 4 3.84 18
9 27.0 2 0 3.67 10

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
42 6 1 3 3.34 29
14 0 2 2 2.78 10
1 0 0 0 9.00 1

1938 World Series

See main article: article and 1938 World Series.

Game 1

October 5, 1938, at Wrigley Field in Chicago

align=left width=125Teamwidth=251width=252width=253width=254width=255width=256width=257width=258width=259width=25Rwidth=25Hwidth=25E
New York (A)0200010003121
Chicago (N)001000000191
W: Red Ruffing (1–0)   L: Bill Lee (0–1)

Game 2

October 6, 1938, at Wrigley Field in Chicago

align=left width=125Teamwidth=251width=252width=253width=254width=255width=256width=257width=258width=259width=25Rwidth=25Hwidth=25E
New York (A)020000022672
Chicago (N)1020000003110
W: Lefty Gomez (1–0)   L: Dizzy Dean (0–1)   S: Johnny Murphy (1)
HR: NYY – Frankie Crosetti (1), Joe DiMaggio (1)

Game 3

October 8, 1938, at Yankee Stadium in New York City

align=left width=125Teamwidth=251width=252width=253width=254width=255width=256width=257width=258width=259width=25Rwidth=25Hwidth=25E
Chicago (N)000010010251
New York (A)00002201x572
W: Monte Pearson (1–0)  L: Clay Bryant (0–1)
HR: : CHI – Joe Marty (1)    NYY – Joe Gordon (1), Bill Dickey (1)

Game 4

October 9, 1938, at Yankee Stadium in New York City

align=left width=125Teamwidth=251width=252width=253width=254width=255width=256width=257width=258width=259width=25Rwidth=25Hwidth=25E
Chicago (N)000100020381
New York (A)03000104x8111
W: Red Ruffing (2–0)  L: Bill Lee (0–2)
HR: : CHI – Ken O'Dea (1)    NYY – Tommy Henrich (1)

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Ponca City, Greeneville

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1938: A Rockier Road . thisgreatgame.com . 4 January 2012 .
  2. News: Gabby Hartnett Succeeds Grimm As Cub Manager . The Daily Times . 9 . July 21, 1938 . February 12, 2011 .
  3. Web site: 1938 Chicago Cubs Schedule . Baseball Reference . February 12, 2011 .
  4. Web site: Homer In The Gloamin' . mlb.com . February 12, 2011 . November 4, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131104211523/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070720&content_id=2099223&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=ch . dead .
  5. Book: When Gabby Hartnett Hit His Homer In The Gloamin' . Carmichael, John . October 1978 . Baseball Digest . February 16, 2011 .
  6. News: The Cubs Get Lights at Wrigley Field. Phil. Vettel. Chicago Tribune. August 8, 1988. September 19, 2011.

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