1908 World Series

1908 World Series
Team (Wins) Manager Season
Chicago Cubs (4) Frank Chance (player/manager) 99–55, .643, GA: 1
Detroit Tigers (1) Hughie Jennings 90–63, .588, GA:  1⁄2
Dates: October 10–14
Umpires: Jack Sheridan (AL), Hank O'Day (NL), odd-numbered games; Bill Klem (NL), Tommy Connolly (AL), even-numbered games
Hall of Famers: Umpires: Tommy Connolly, Bill Klem, Hank O'Day.
Cubs: Mordecai Brown, Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker.
Tigers: Sam Crawford, Ty Cobb.

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 and overall World Series title.

The 1908 World Series is significant for being the most recent World Series championship the Cubs have won. The team would go on to appear in seven World Series in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, losing each time. The Cubs had been one of baseball's most dominant teams in the early 1900s. This was the year of the infamous "Merkle's Boner" play that allowed the Chicago Cubs to reach the World Series after beating the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants) in a one-game "playoff", actually the makeup game for the tie that the Merkle play had caused.

The Series was anti-climactic after tight pennant races in both leagues. Ty Cobb had a much better World Series than in the previous year, as did the rest of his team. The final two games, held in Detroit, were shutouts. This was also the most poorly attended World Series in history, with the final game drawing a record-low 6,210 fans. Attendance in Chicago was harmed by a ticket-scalping scheme that fans accused the club's owner of participating in, and the World Series was boycotted to some degree.

For the first time, four umpires were used in the series, in alternating two-man teams.

Summary

NL Chicago Cubs (4) vs. AL Detroit Tigers (1)

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 10Chicago Cubs – 10, Detroit Tigers – 6Bennett Park2:1010,812[1] 
2October 11Detroit Tigers – 1, Chicago Cubs – 6West Side Grounds1:3017,760[2] 
3October 12Detroit Tigers – 8, Chicago Cubs – 3West Side Grounds2:1014,543[3] 
4October 13Chicago Cubs – 3, Detroit Tigers – 0Bennett Park1:3512,907[4] 
5October 14Chicago Cubs – 2, Detroit Tigers – 0Bennett Park1:256,210[5]

Matchups

Game 1

Saturday, October 10, 1908 at Bennett Park in Detroit, Michigan

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 10 14 2
Detroit 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 6 10 3
WP: Mordecai Brown (1–0)   LP: Ed Summers (0–1)

With Detroit leading 6–5 in the top of the ninth after finally coming from behind with two runs in the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs broke out with six straight one-out singles against Ed Summers, scoring five times and winning the first game just as they had forced a tie in the first game of the 1907 Series by coming from behind with two runs in the ninth.

Game 2

Sunday, October 11, 1908 at West Side Grounds in Chicago

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Detroit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 1
Chicago 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 X 6 7 0
WP: Orval Overall (1–0)   LP: Wild Bill Donovan (0–1)
Home runs:
DET: None
CHC: Joe Tinker (1)

A scoreless tie in the bottom of the eighth came to an end when Joe Tinker's two-run homer launched a six-run Cub outburst. Orval Overall's complete-game win took just 90 minutes.

Game 3

Monday, October 12, 1908 at West Side Grounds in Chicago, Illinois

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Detroit 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 0 8 12 4
Chicago 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 0
WP: George Mullin (1–0)   LP: Jack Pfiester (0–1)

It was in this game that Ty Cobb enjoyed the finest World Series outing he ever had. The 21-year-old Georgian rapped three singles and a double in five at-bats, and stole two bases. In the top of the ninth, he singled and promptly stole second and third, but then the hyped-up boy wonder pressed his luck and was thrown out trying to steal home. This was the only Tiger win in their back-to-back first two World Series losses to the Cubs.

Game 4

Tuesday, October 13, 1908 at Bennett Park in Detroit, Michigan

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 0
Detroit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
WP: Mordecai Brown (2–0)   LP: Ed Summers (0–2)

This one was over in 95 minutes. RBI singles by Harry Steinfeldt and Solly Hofman in the third inning gave Mordecai Brown all the support he'd need.

Game 5

Wednesday, October 14, 1908 at Bennett Park in Detroit, Michigan

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 10 0
Detroit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
WP: Orval Overall (2–0)   LP: Wild Bill Donovan (0–2)

The attendance during this last game of the 1908 World Series (6,210) was the smallest crowd in Series history.

Cub hurler Orval Overall became the first pitcher in Series history to strike out four batters in one inning (the bottom of the first) in a complete game 2–0 shutout. In the 2013 ALCS Aníbal Sánchez of the Detroit Tigers struck out four batters (also in the bottom of the first).

Boss Schmidt, who made the last out of the 1907 Series with a popup to short, also made the last out of this Series with a feeble catcher-to-first groundout.

This was also the first World Series game in which neither team committed an error.

While it was obviously not realized at the time, this would be the Cubs' last World Series title. As of 2015, the Cubs still have not won another World Series after this and they have not appeared in one in 70 years.

Composite line score

1908 World Series (4–1): Chicago Cubs (N.L.) over Detroit Tigers (A.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago Cubs 1 0 6 3 1 0 1 6 6 24 48 2
Detroit Tigers 2 0 0 0 0 5 3 4 1 15 33 9
Total attendance: 62,232   Average attendance: 12,446
Winning player's share: $1,318   Losing player's share: $870[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ "1908 World Series Game 1 – Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ "1908 World Series Game 2 – Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago Cubs". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  3. ↑ "1908 World Series Game 3 – Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago Cubs". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  4. ↑ "1908 World Series Game 4 – Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  5. ↑ "1908 World Series Game 5 – Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  6. ↑ "World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved June 14, 2009.

References

External links

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