Beyond the Shadow of War (26 page)

Before it was over, Grimm would call in three more relief pitchers‌—‌Derringer, Vandenberg, and Erickson‌—‌but to no avail. They’d been no match for Dizzy Trout, Detroit’s ace right-hander, who had come to the mound with a long list of accomplishments during the war years. A hearing impairment classified him as 4-F, but it clearly had no effect on his pitching ability. He’d broken a long string of league records in 1944, and never was his talent more evident than today’s five-hitter against the Cubs. Second baseman Don Johnson scored the only Cubs run, but the team lost the game to the Tigers 4-1.

The subdued crowd slowly made their way out of the stadium. Hard to believe this was the same excited folks who had filed in these same gates only a few hours earlier, optimistic that they would leave as World Champions. Instead, the series was tied with two games each.

On the ride home, some rambunctious fans ranted over manager Charley Grimm’s decision to pull pitcher Ray Prim after giving up those four runs in the fourth. But like most of the other passengers on the train, Danny and Joey sat in stunned silence.

On Sunday, Danny and Joey joined the hopeful throngs of fans once again heading back to Wrigley for Game 5. Cubs’ pitcher Hank Borowy would be back on the mound pitted against the Tigers’ Hal Newhouser, just like Game 1. The Cubs needed a win to stay in it.

After five innings, Chicago and Detroit were tied, 1-1. But when Borowy threw four straight hits at the top of the sixth, giving up four runs, Grimm yanked him. This time, he would call upon four relievers‌—‌Vandenberg, Chipman, Derringer, and Erickson‌—‌but the damage was already done. Detroit’s slugger Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg hit his third double of the day off Erickson to give the Tigers the victory, 8-4.

Detroit had taken the lead, winning three games to Chicago’s two.

28

8 October 1945 

By Monday, the brisk breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan did little to calm the nerves or counter the disappointment of Cubs fans as they returned to Wrigley Field for Game 6. The forecast predicting a cloudy, windy, and colder day with a high of only fifty-six degrees, didn’t help much to lift their spirits. Their one ray of hope was the pitching arm of Claude Passeau.

“Good morning, fellas!” Marv slipped their tickets out of his pocket and tore off the stubs. “Today’s gonna be a great day for the Cubs!”

“I sure hope so,” Joey said. “An awful lot of jitters in this crowd if you ask me.”

“Ah, Joey, what’s a few jitters here and there when we’ve got Passeau back on the mound again? How can we lose?”

“Here’s hoping, Marv.” Danny patted his shoulder then moved along with the flow of fans. “Thanks again for the tickets.”

“You’re welcome. Have fun!”

“Sure wish I shared his optimism,” Joey muttered.

As the game got underway, pitchers Virgil Trucks and Claude Passeau were neck and neck for the first four innings, with only one run scored by the Tigers in the second. But the Cubs exploded in the fifth, scoring four runs to the deafening roar of the hometown crowd. Doing his part, champion batter Phil Cavarretta slammed a solid single to center field, allowing Passeau and Hack to score with Lowery advancing to second. The Cubs now led 4-1. Detroit manager Steve O’Neill yanked Trucks and sent in right-hander George Caster, who put a quick stop to the bleeding.

In the top of the sixth, Tigers’ third baseman Jimmy Outlaw smacked the ball right back to the mound where it deflected off Passeau’s bare hand. Passeau picked it up, throwing the runner out at first, then immediately calling a time-out when he realized the nail on his middle finger had been partially torn off by the renegade ball. After an extended time-out to have his hand treated, Passeau insisted he could finish the inning.

Bad mistake. The next Detroit batter, pinch-hitter Bob Maier, smashed another hit right back at the mound. Once again, the ball deflected off Passeau’s hand, but this time his throw to first was too late. Passeau insisted on staying in, though in tremendous pain. To everyone’s amazement, he struck out the last batter.

In their half of the sixth, the Cubs stretched ahead 5-1. Then, to everyone’s shock, Passeau took the mound
again
at the top of the seventh. But when the first three batters got on base, he knew he was done. The crowd cheered with appreciation as Passeau trotted to Chicago’s dugout.

In his place, Grimm sent Hank Wyse to the mound.

“What in the world is Grimm doing?” Joey cried. “If Wyse plays now, who’ll start Game 7 if there is one?”

“But it won’t matter if we don’t win today’s game,” Danny said.

Wyse allowed another run before retiring the Tigers. The game stood at 5-3.

By the end of the seventh inning, Chicago still led at 7-3.

When the Tigers scored two more runs early in the eighth, Grimm took Wyse out and called up southpaw starter Ray Prim. But it didn’t seem to matter which Cubs pitcher was on the mound when Tigers’ powerhouse Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg stepped into the batter’s box. He promptly drove in two more runs, making it a tie ballgame. Detroit’s dugout exploded as the Tigers began to taste blood.

Joey slid his cap down over his face. “I can’t watch.”

Danny elbowed him. “Where’s your faith?”

“In the pit of my stomach.”

Tigers manager Steve “Skip” O’Neill pulled out all the stops and called his fifth pitcher to the mound, starter Dizzy Trout. His gamble paid off as the seasoned veteran again shut down the Cubs. With his back against the proverbial wall, Cubs manager Charlie Grimm called up his ace Hank Borowy to pitch.

“You have GOT to be kidding me!” Joey yelled jumping out of his seat. “Borowy?!”

“He pitched six innings yesterday!” Danny added. “There’s no way he’s got anything left to pull this one out!”

The crowd echoed similar thoughts, much of it using more colorful adjectives. Still, the anxious fans held a collective breath as Borowy threw several warm-up pitches to catcher Mickey Livingston. In short order, Borowy alleviated their fears and closed the inning with no more damage. Chicago’s batters tried hard in the bottom of the ninth but failed to add any runs.

With the score still tied 7-7, Game 6 of the World Series went into extra innings.

For the first time all day, the sun finally broke through the clouds and drew its signature rays on the field; the pitching mound bathed in sunlight with the batter’s box deeply shaded, giving pitchers the worst possible visual. The tenth and eleventh innings crawled by with no runs by either team; the crowd quiet and tense.

But the twelfth and final inning would more than make up for their malaise.

Borowy quickly put away Tigers’ catcher Bob Swift and pitcher Dizzy Trout, but allowed shortstop Jim Hoover to get to first on a single to left field. Anxious to stoke the Tigers’ fire, Hoover tried to steal second. But when he saw Chicago’s shortstop Lennie Merullo catch the ball for the tag, Hoover slid into second, spikes up, intentionally slicing Merullo’s forearm. The crowd booed and hissed as the Cubs on the field protested.

When the Cubs came to bat, they wasted no time. Williams grounded out to second. Grimm sent in Frank Secory to pinch-hit for the injured Merullo. Secory hit a line drive to center field, and was immediately replaced by pinch runner Billy Schuster. Then pitcher Hank Borowy struck out. With two outs and Schuster on first, crowd favorite Stan Hack strode to the plate. He waited for Trout’s fastball and swung, sending the ball sailing over Hoover’s head. Greenberg raced in from left field, but the ball took a wild bounce over his head. Schuster rounded second, streaked past third, and headed home for the winning run.

The final score: Cubs beat the Tigers 8-7.

The wild roar of the crowd filled the chilly night air as the team raced out of the dugout to pile on Hack and Schuster.

“WE WON!” Danny shouted. “WE WON!”

Joey shook his head with a laugh. “I don’t believe it! I saw it, but I don’t believe it!”

“What did I tell you?” Danny yelled. “We’re only one game away from winning the championship! We can do this! Nothing can stop us now!”

At three hours and twenty-eight minutes, the game set a new record for the longest World Series game ever played. They’d gone twelve innings, with twenty-eight hits, and a total of nine different pitchers between the two teams. As the sun began to set, the stands still rocked with jubilant fans, thrilled to have another chance. Joey and Danny eventually joined the others filing out of Wrigley. Already, a long queue of eager fans snaked through the corridor, lined up for tickets to Wednesday’s Game 7.

But the million-dollar question remained. Who would pitch the final game of the series for the Cubs?

With the help of the Andy Frain ushers and police officers from the nearest precinct, Monday’s overnight vigil by those lined up for tickets at Wrigley had remained calm and orderly despite the cold temperature dipping into the low 40s. The
Chicago Tribune’s
Edward Prell described the scene of excited fans wrapped in blankets, some playing rummy, some warming their hands by fires lit in garbage cans. Mr. Frain and his men kept a close watch, and Frain quickly found himself the source of constant attention from folks trying to gain favor. A fan from nearby Waukegan even offered him a six-pound fish in exchange for good seats. Frain was amused but declined the offer.

When the twenty-eight ticket windows opened at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, owner Philip Wrigley was there to help supervise the distribution of tickets for Wednesday’s Game 7. Wrigley was particularly interested in helping the loyal fans who had attended games throughout the war years who’d been unable to attend any of the previous series games because they couldn’t get tickets. By 11:30 that morning, all reserve seats were sold out.

On Wednesday morning, the 5,000 bleacher seats went on sale, and when those were gone, the 2,500 standing room admissions were up for grabs.

If the Cubs fans were a bit tentative when they arrived for Game 6 two days prior, they were almost breathless with anxiety when they gathered at the corner of Clark and Addison. Like most others lined up, Danny and Joey kept their thoughts to themselves, just anxious to get the game started. When they reached Marv at the gate, he gave both of them a hearty handshake.

“Hi, boys! Today’s the day!”

“I sure hope so,” Joey said. “Regardless, there’s no way we’ll ever be able to thank you enough for these tickets. And just so you know, you’ll never pay for another movie ticket at the Windsor. Understood?”

“Really? That’s great. Thanks, Joey!”

Danny gave him a pat on the back. “It’s been unforgettable, Marv. I can’t tell you what a thrill it’s been. Thanks so much, pal.”

“Boys, it’s been my pleasure. Now go cheer our Cubs to the final victory. I’m counting on you!”

Just before Roy Nelson’s organ tunes filled the stadium, a collective groan rippled through the crowd as Hank Borowy left the bullpen and headed to the mound. No one would argue that Borowy was their best pitcher and had what it took to be a world-class champion. But with only one day off since pitching four innings in relief on Monday‌—‌and that, after pitching six innings on Sunday‌—‌most everyone questioned Grimm’s decision to send Borowy in to start Game 7.

As Borowy and Nicholson warmed up with a few more tosses, the stands began to thunder with cheers so loud, Danny wondered if they weren’t trying to infuse the Cubs pitcher with all their hopes and dreams for the championship.

“We can do this, Joey. We can!”

Joey said nothing, his eyes glued to number 26 as he wound up his first pitch.

The first inning did not go well. Borowy gave up singles to the first three Detroit batters. The stunned Chicago fans watched in disbelief as Charley Grimm marched out to the mound and held out his hand for the ball. Even from where Danny sat, he could see the surprise on the pitcher’s face. They exchanged some heated words as reliever Paul Derringer arrived to replace him. In protest, Borowy waited until Grimm was back in the dugout before he made his own final walk off the mound.

Danny, Joey, and the rest of the fans stood and gave Hank Borowy a loud shout of thanks. Without him, they knew they would never have made it to the World Series.

Unfortunately, Derringer didn’t fare much better. By the end of the first inning, Detroit had already racked up five runs. The Cubs answered with only one run on Detroit’s well-rested pitcher, Hal Newhouser. The tone of the final game was set as Newhouser went the distance for Detroit, striking out ten batters and allowing only ten hits through nine innings. Grimm, on the other hand, blew through a total of six pitchers and still came up short.

The Cubs lost the game 9-3, giving the World Series championship to the Detroit Tigers.

“I should’ve stayed home,” Joey moaned as they slowly made their way through the disheartened crowd. “I had a gut feeling this would happen. I just never thought it would all be over in the first inning.”

“I’m guessing Grimm will be raked over the coals,” Danny added. “He’ll have to answer for a lot of poor choices.”

“Just do me a favor,” Joey said, rounding the final exit onto Addison. “If by some bizarre chance we make it back to the World Series next year, remind me not to go. It’s too painful.”

Danny hooked his elbow around Joey’s neck. “Ah, c’mon, Joey. They played great ball! They may have lost the last game, but they clearly out-hit, out-fielded, and out-pitched the Tigers. Think about it. If you took Newhouser and Greenberg off their roster, who would have won the series?”

Joey pulled away with a chuckle. “Yeah, yeah, but none of that matters. It’s who comes up on top at the end, and apparently we’re destined to come up short no matter how hard we play. This makes
seven times
the Cubs have been to the World Series. And how many times have we won?”

“Only two, but lest we forget, both those wins back in ’07 and ’08 were against the Tigers. This was only their second series crown.”

“Yes, brother dearest, and lest we forget, who did they beat on their first visit to the series?”

“Okay, it was us, but‌—‌”