It wasn't exactly a playoff moment, but the Chicago Cubs wouldn't have won the National League pennant in 1908 were it not for a key moment late in the season. With percentage points separating the Cubs and Giants in the standings, the two clubs found themselves locked in a 1-1 tie heading to the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and a runner on first, nineteen-year-old Fred Merkle (playing only because the Giants' regular first baseman Fred Tenney was ill) lined a single to right, putting runners on the corners for New York. Al Bridwell followed with a base hit, apparently scoring the game-winner. But Cubs' second baseman Johnny Evers, who realized that Merkle had left the field without touching second base, picked up the ball and -- dodging a tackle by the Giants' first base coach -- stepped on the bag. Merkle was called out, the run was erased, and because Giant fans had stormed the field the end of the game was postponed. After the season, with the two clubs tied for first, Mordecai 'Three Finger' Brown beat Christy Mathewson in a make-up game, clinching the NL title for the Chicago Cubs.
Most Memorable Postseason Performer
The Pitching Staff - 1907
FUN FACT
» In 1945, Clyde McCullough became the first player ever to make his season debut in the World Series when he received his naval discharge in time to join the Cubs for the Fall Classic against the Detroit Tigers. He struck out in his only at-bat; his first -- and last -- appearance of the year.
Having lost the 1906 World Series to the crosstown White Sox in seven hard-fought games, the Cubs faced another strong challenge in the ‘07 Fall Classic. Their opponents, the Detroit Tigers -- led by 20 year-old Ty Cobb -- had one of the better offenses in baseball, but the Chicago pitching staff rose to the occasion. Cub starters Jack Pfiester, Ed Reulbach, Orval Overall, and Three Finger Brown each pitched complete game victories, holding Cobb to a paltry .200 batting average, as the Cubs swept the Tigers in four games.
Most Memorable Postseason Team
1908: The Last Champions
Thanks to late-inning heroics in the first two games and great pitching performances in the last two, the 1908 Chicago Cubs were able to knock off the Detroit Tigers in the World Series for the second consecutive year. Down 6-5 in the top of the ninth inning of Game One, the Cubs managed to string together six straight hits, scoring five times to cap off a 10-6 victory. Joe Tinker’s eighth-inning homer the next day broke a scoreless tie, leading the Cubs to a 6-1 win. After a Game Three loss, Three Finger Brown and 'Orvie' Overall strung together back to back shutout victories, clinching the series for the Cubbies. They haven’t won a World Sereies since.
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