Books and articles about Charlie Root

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RELATED LINKS » 1973: Red Smith on Babe Ruth's called shot (1932) Photos » Photo: Babe Ruth's called shot (1932) from Yankees Baseball: The Golden Age Book Excerpts » "The Cubs were a bunch of tough SOBs. Root, French ... started riding me, calling me Jew this and Jew that": Hank Greenberg » Eddie Wells on Babe Ruth's called shot » Robert Creamer on Babe Ruth's called shot Submissions » The Called Shot: October 1, 1932 by Harvey Frommer Around the Web » Charlie Root from baseball-reference.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

A durable, top-flight pitcher for the Cubs for 16 seasons, Root had at least 10 wins in ten different seasons, with a top mark of 26-15 in 1927. In 1969 he was named the all-time Cubs righthander. Yet he was dogged during his later years by the tale that Babe Ruth "called his shot" when he homered off Root in the 1932 WS. The leathery, tobacco-squirting Root denied the claim, stating he'd have decked Ruth with a fastball had the Babe really gestured that he'd hit the next pitch out of the park. "He was just saying he had one strike left," Root insisted. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » September 2, 1926: In the first game of a twinbill between Chicago and St. Louis, Pete Alexander exacts revenge on the Cubs, whipping them 2–0. Charlie Root is the loser. The Cards take the nitecap, 9–1. » September 6, 1926: The Reds split a doubleheader with the Cubs, losing 2–0 to Charlie Root, before winning 7–4. The Reds also lose P Jakie May (13-9), who is spiked in the opener, and is out for the remainder of the season. » May 1, 1927: The Pirates rally in the 9th inning to beat the Cubs, 7–6. Cubs' starter Charlie Root walks the bases loaded before Paul Waner singles in the winning run. Chicago went ahead in the 7th inning when Chuck Tolson hits the first pinch grand slam in Cubs' history. » June 21, 1927: The Cardinals sweep two games from the Cubs, but lose SS Tommy Thevenow when he breaks his leg in the 4th inning of the 2nd game. It will be Rabbit redux, as Rabbit Maranville will be signed to take the shortstop spot. Jess Haines wins the opener, 6–5 in 13 innings over Charlie Root; Flint Rhem coasts to a 12–3 win in the nitecap as the Cards slam Buck Brillheart. » July 7, 1927: Cubs righthander Charlie Root's one-hitter drops the Pirates into second place, with the Cubs on top. In the second of his 16 years with the Cubs, Root will lead the NL with 26 wins and 309 IP. » December 4, 1927: Pirates OF Paul Waner noses out Frank Frisch for National League MVP honors with 72 points to 66. Rogers Hornsby, Cubs P Charlie Root, and Giants SS Travis Jackson also score high. » May 14, 1928: In Chicago, Charlie Root beats the Giants, 8–2. Fred Fitzsimmons takes the loss. Outside the park after the game, John McGraw is knocked down by a taxicab and suffers a broken leg that will keep him out of the dugout six weeks. Roger Bresnahan takes over. » May 19, 1928: The Cubs win their 13th straight, edging the Braves, 3–2. Pitcher Charlie Root breaks a 2–2 tie with a sacrifice fly. Hack Wilson clubs a homer for Chicago. The Cubs are in first place, but will lose tomorrow, and in three days, the Reds will regain the lead with a win over Pittsburgh. » September 15, 1928: At Boston the Cubs manage to split with the Braves, winning the nitecap, 6–1, after dropping the opener. 5–2. Ben Cantwell bests Charlie Root in game one, and Guy Bush does the same to Ed Brandt. » August 8, 1929: Rogers Hornsby cracks a 4th inning homer—one of his four hits—as Chicago edges the Reds 1–0 at Wrigley. Charlie Root allows seven hits in beating rookie Benny Frey. » October 8, 1929: Howard Ehmke (7-2), who has been scouting the Cubs for a week, is the Athletics' surprise starter in Game One of the World Series at Chicago. A crowd of 50,740 Cubs fans watches Ehmke strike out a World Series-record 13 that will stand until Brooklyn's Carl Erskine fans 14 Yankees in 1953. He holds the Cubs scoreless until the 9th for a 3–1 win. Charlie Root (19-6) yields just three hits, but one is a home run by Jimmie Foxx in the 7th. » August 10, 1930: Before 45,000 fans, the Cubs sweep two from the Boston Braves at Wrigley to move a game in back of Brooklyn. Hack Wilson drives home seven runs on three homers, the last his 39th, to back up Charlie Root's 3-hit shut out in the opener. The Cubs win 6–0 beating Bob Smith. Pat Malone completes the sweep. twirling a 5-hitter to beat Bruce Cunningham, 11–1, in the nitecap. » October 1, 1932: The WS moves to Chicago, and the Yankees continue to torment the Cubs. In the fifth inning, Babe Ruth waits until he has 2 strikes and then gestures to P Charlie Root. He belts the next pitch into the CF bleachers. It is Ruth's 2nd HR of the game. Gehrig also hammers out 2 round-trippers. » June 20, 1934: The first-place Giants score seven runs in the 3rd to crush the Cubs, 12–7. Mel Ott leads the way with two homers —his 16th and 17th—and drives in six runs. Joe Moore has four hits including a homer and Fred Fitzsimmons, who weakened in the 8th, is credited with the win. Charlie Root, who got none out in the 3rd before retiring, is the loser. The Giants now lead the Cards by five games. » September 5, 1935: The Cubs keep the pressure on by edging the Phils in 11 innings, 3–2, on Frank Demaree's single. Charlie Root picks up the win. » September 10, 1935: Chicago beat the Braves, 4–0, behind Charlie Root for their 7th straight win. Freddie Lindstrom is the batting star with a double and single to drive home a pair as Chicago stays a game behind the Cardinals and one 1/2 ahead of the Giants. The Giants win a pair today, 4–3 and 4–2 over the Pirates, while the Cards score three in the 8th to edge the Phils, 4–2. » September 14, 1935: The Cubs outlast the Dodgers, 1814, for their 11th straight win and go into first place. In winning, the Cubs use a relief pitcher for the 1st time in 11 games. Chicago scores five in the 2nd and eight in the 6th in outhitting Brooklyn 18 hits to 15. Johnny Babich starts and goes a third of an inning to take the loss; Starter Charlie Root is the Chicago winner. » September 18, 1935: With 30,000 fans watching at Wrigley, first-place Chicago tallies 20 hits in thrashing the Giants 15–3. Charlie Root picks up the win. The win is Chicago's 15th straight and drops the Giants six 1/2 games behind the Bruins. » August 27, 1941: Charlie Root uses his arm and then his bat with a clutch single in the ninth inning to win his 200th game. Trailing the Cincinnati Reds 4-3, the Cubs win 6-4 with the 42-year-old Root going the route.