1938 Chicago Cubs
National League Champions
LeagueNational League
BallparkWrigley Field
CityChicago
OwnersPhilip K. Wrigley
General managersCharles Weber
ManagersCharlie Grimm, Gabby Hartnett
RadioWGN
(Bob Elson)
WBBM
(Charlie Grimm, Pat Flanagan, Val Sherman)
WCFL
(Hal Totten)
WIND
(Russ Hodges, Jimmy Dudley)
WJJD
(John Harrington, Jack Drees)
← 1937 Seasons 1939 →

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 1938, 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

Season standings

National League 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Chicago Cubs 89 63 0.586 — 44–33 45–30
Pittsburgh Pirates 86 64 0.573 2 44–33 42–31
New York Giants 83 67 0.553 5 43–30 40–37
Cincinnati Reds 82 68 0.547 6 43–34 39–34
Boston Bees 77 75 0.507 12 45–30 32–45
St. Louis Cardinals 71 80 0.470 17½ 36–41 35–39
Brooklyn Dodgers 69 80 0.463 18½ 31–41 38–39
Philadelphia Phillies 45 105 0.300 43 26–48 19–57

Record vs. opponents

1938 National League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Team BOS BR CHC CIN NYG PHI PIT STL
Boston — 10–12 12–10 11–9 8–14 14–8 9–13 13–9–1
Brooklyn 10–12 — 9–11–1 9–13 8–14 15–7 9–11 9–12–1
Chicago 12–10 11–9–1 — 11–11 12–10 18–4 12–10 13–9–1
Cincinnati 9–11 13–9 11–11 — 12–9 14–7 10–12 13–9–1
New York 14–8 14–8 10–12 9–12 — 16–5 9–13–1 11–9–1
Philadelphia 8–14 7–15 4–18 7–14 5–16 — 8–12–1 6–16
Pittsburgh 13–9 11–9 10–12 12–10 13–9–1 12–8–1 — 15–7
St. Louis 9–13–1 12–9–1 9–13–1 9–13–1 9–11–1 16–6 7–15 —


Roster

1938 Chicago Cubs
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Schedule

1938 Chicago Cubs Game Log
April
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
1 April 19 @Reds8–7 Grimm (1–0)McKechnie (0–1) Logan (1) 34,148 1–0

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

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Gabby Hartnett 88 299 82 .274 10 59
1B Ripper Collins 143 490 131 .267 13 61
2B Billy Herman 152 624 173 .277 1 56
SS Billy Jurges 137 465 114 .245 1 47
3B Stan Hack 152 609 195 .320 4 67
OF Carl Reynolds 125 497 150 .302 3 67
OF Augie Galan 110 395 113 .286 6 69
OF Frank Demaree 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

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Phil Cavarretta 92 268 64 .239 1 28
Ken O'Dea 86 247 65 .263 3 33
Joe Marty 76 235 57 .243 7 35
Tony Lazzeri 54 120 32 .267 5 23
Bob Garbark 23 54 14 .259 0 5
Coaker Triplett 12 36 9 .250 0 2
Jim Asbell 17 33 6 .182 0 3
Steve Mesner 2 4 1 .250 0 0
Bobby Mattick 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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Bill Lee 44 291.0 22 9 2.66 121
Clay Bryant 44 270.1 19 11 3.10 135
Larry French 43 201.1 10 19 3.80 83
Tex Carleton 33 167.2 10 9 5.42 80
Dizzy Dean 13 74.2 7 1 1.81 22
Kirby Higbe 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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Charlie Root 44 160.2 8 7 2.86 70
Vance Page 13 68.0 5 4 3.84 18
Al Epperly 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

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Jack Russell 42 6 1 3 3.34 29
Bob Logan 14 0 2 2 2.78 10
Newt Kimball 1 0 0 0 9.00 1

1938 World Series

Main article: 1938 World Series

Game 1

October 5, 1938, at Wrigley Field in Chicago

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (A) 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 12 1
Chicago (N) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 1
W: Red Ruffing (1–0)   L: Bill Lee (0–1)

Game 2

October 6, 1938, at Wrigley Field in Chicago

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (A) 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 6 7 2
Chicago (N) 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 11 0
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

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago (N) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 5 1
New York (A) 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 x 5 7 2
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

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago (N) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 8 1
New York (A) 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 x 8 11 1
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
Level Team League Manager
AA Los Angeles Angels Pacific Coast League Truck Hannah
A1 Birmingham Barons Southern Association Fresco Thompson
B Moline Plowboys Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League Mike Gazella
B Portsmouth Cubs Piedmont League Dick Luckey
C Helena Seaporters Cotton States League Riggs Stephenson
C Hot Springs Bathers Cotton States League Spike Hunter
C Ponca City Angels Western Association Goldie Holt
D Greeneville Burley Cubs Appalachian League Sam Alexander
D Bisbee Bees Arizona–Texas League Charlie Mogli
D Eau Claire Bears Northern League Ed Garrity

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Ponca City, Greeneville

References

  1. ^ a b "1938: A Rockier Road". thisgreatgame.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  2. ^ "Gabby Hartnett Succeeds Grimm As Cub Manager". The Daily Times. July 21, 1938. p. 9. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "1938 Chicago Cubs Schedule". Baseball Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Homer In The Gloamin'". mlb.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  5. ^ Carmichael, John (October 1978). When Gabby Hartnett Hit His Homer In The Gloamin'. Retrieved February 16, 2011. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Vettel, Phil (August 8, 1988). "The Cubs Get Lights at Wrigley Field". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 19, 2011.

External links

National League champions
1938 MLB season by team
Chicago Cubs
Categories