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Roy Firestone Series (vs. ANGELS, 7/25)

OFFNY

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spiritof66 Hangout Grand Counsel

spiritof66

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1 hour ago, scOtt said:

Just for anyone who doesn't know... The Merkle Boner.

Fred Merkle. Don't even know the teams or year, early 20's. World Series. 9th or extra innings, Merkle gets a hit to the outfield that scores the winning run, that wins the Series.

Merkle doesn't run the whole way to 1B. Crowd RUSHES the field. The opposing outfielder fights thru the crowd, literally FISTfights for the ball. Runs it back into the infield and steps on 1B. Ump, still on the field, calls Merkle out. Chicago Cubs I think lose the game and then the next day they lose the Series.

This happened in a game between the Giants and Cubs on September 23, 1908, about two weeks before the end of the season, with the Giants (managed by former Oriole John McGraw and led by Christy Mathewson), Cubs (with Tinker, Evers, Chance and Three-Finger Brown), and Pirates (with Honus Wagner) in a tight pennant race.

In the bottom of the ninth of a tied game, Merkle singled the lead runner to third with two outs. Al Bridwell followed with what appeared to be a game-winning hit, but Merkle ran off the field without tagging second. The Cubs argued that they forced him out at second' The league president ruled in their favor, and the game was declared a tie.

With the Cubs and Giants tied after 153 games (with the Pirates half a game behind), the tied "Merkle game" had to be replayed. The Cubs won, and then trounced the Tigers in the World Series -- their last World Series title for over a century.

Here's a good account, which includes the key fact that there was a similar play a few weeks earlier:  

http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1908-baseball-history.html 

There are several good books about the 1908 pennant race or races. (There was also a tight AL race among the Tigers, White Sox and Cleveland Naps.). One of them is Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy: 

https://www.scribd.com/book/163631395/Crazy-08-How-a-Cast-of-Cranks-Rogues-Boneheads-and-Magnates-Created-the-Greatest-Year-in-Baseball-History

 

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