A Lot (500) of Posts

About ten years ago, four-year-old Sophie Zinn was regaling Carol and me with the story of her visit to a bookstore with her parents.  First, she proudly told us that she got three books. Then she paused and, clearly getting her parents' message, said "And that's a lot of books!"  How many is a lot?  It's a relevant question today because this post is the 500th since A Manly Pastime began over 14 years ago.  If the average post is 800 words that’s the equivalent of about four books which is also "a lot of books."  Although the initial subject matter was limited to early New Jersey baseball, the focus expanded to include the Neshanock and other baseball history topics.  One such topic baseball’s greatest games, a favorite of mine, is the subject of this 500th post.

Tyler Kepner - Senior Writer for the Athletic

Thanks to the seventh game of last year's World Series, a classic, if there ever was one, the subject has gotten more attention. Especially interesting is Tyler Kepner's four criteria for evaluating the greatness of such games.  To be great:

The game must go into extra innings

The winning team must overcome at least a three-run deficit

One team must lose the lead in the ninth inning or later

There is at least one “golden pitch”

Developed by Wade Kapszukiewicz, a golden pitch occurs when, in the seventh game of a World Series, either team can win the game on that pitch.  Once Toronto had two men on with one out in the bottom of the eleventh, the Blue Jays could win by scoring twice or the Dodgers could win by making a double play.  Each pitch from that point was a golden pitch.

Although these criteria are for World Series games, they can also be applied to regular season contests. This came to mind while working on Hall of Famer “Ki-Ki” Cuyler’s “Biggest Baseball Day” story. (Ki-Ki supposedly comes from repeating the first syllable of his last name). Cuyler chose the August 31, 1932, Cubs-Giants game, a contest also picked by Cubs manager Charlie Grimm.  Not only does the game meet all of the above criteria, the story is enriched even further by a bizarre development in the last inning.

The 1932 Chicago Cubs were a talented team that struggled under manager Rogers Hornsby.  Only 53-46 on August 2nd, the Cubs took off under new manager Charlie Grimm.  By August 31, the resurgent Chicago team had won 12 straight and 22 out of their last 27.  Unsurprisingly, they were in first place a full 7 ½ games ahead of second place Pittsburgh and on their way to winning the National League pennant.  

On August 31, the Cubs played the New York Giants, managed by Hall of Famer Bill Terry, in the last game of a five-game series.  Hoping to finish a series sweep, Grimm chose his ace pitcher Lon Warneke who was looking for his 20th win.  Seldom did a strategy backfire so quickly.  The Giants jumped out to a 3-0 lead and Warneke was knocked out of the game without retiring a batter.  New York added two more runs, but the Cubs got three back and trailed 5-3 as the game headed to the bottom of the eighth.

Grimm, who also played first base, brought the Cubs to within one run with a double and then inserted Stan Hack in his place as a pinch runner.  Next Marv Gudat pinch hit for catcher Gabby Hartnett and made the third out of the inning.  As the Cubs took the field, Gudat stayed in the game at first base while Zach Taylor went behind the plate and took Grimm/Hack’s place (sixth) in the batting order (this will prove to be important). 

Zach Taylor

 

After keeping the Giants off the scoreboard in the top of the ninth, the Cubs tied the game at 5-5 on Cuyler’s single, his fourth hit of the day.  But the Cubs couldn’t push the winning run across as Johnny Moore, the fifth batter in the order, grounded out to end the inning.  At this point the game had met two of Kepner’s four criteria – it was headed to extra innings, and the Giants had blown in a lead in the ninth.

Having come back all the way to tie the game, Grimm brought in Charlie Root, a starting pitcher who was also usually effective in relief.  Like the decision to start Warneke, the move blew up in the manager’s face.  It had begun raining and Root had problems with the wet ball, walking one batter and hitting two.  Two hits and a wild pitch later, the Giants had a four-run lead.  A large enough cushion that Terry intentionally made out on the bases to move the game along and avoid a rainout.

Cubs Manager Charlie Grimm

With the outlook far from brilliant, Chicago came to bat with Zach Taylor, the sixth-place hitter, due up.  Grimm sent Billy Jurges up to pinch hit, but he was retired as was Gudat, who was hitting seventh.  Down four runs with two out, nobody on and the rain falling, it’s hard to visualize more dismal prospects.  But in baseball so long as there is an out left there is hope.

Mark Koenig, the eighth hitter, homered to bring the Cubs within three runs.  Next up was the pitcher’s spot.  Zach Taylor batted and singled, as did the next two batters.  With the bases loaded, Cuyler, looking for his fifth hit of the day, was at the plate.  Since there were two outs and the winning run at the plate, each of Sam Gibson’s pitches was a golden pitch.  With the count 2-1, Cuyler swung and hit one “through the swishing rain drops and the gathering dusk” beyond the desperate reach of Giants center fielder, Fred Lindstrom into the center field bleachers for a game winning grand slam home run.

Wrigley Field as it looked in 1932.  Cuyler's game winning grand slam to center field traveled about 440 feet.  The outfield was reconfigured in 1937 reducing the distance to center field to 400 feet.

  

With Cuyler’s bases clearing blast, we have an extra inning game, a more than three run rally (with two outs and no one on), a blown lead in both the ninth and tenth innings as well as four golden pitches.  How’s that for a great game?  

But we’re not done because the last four runs should not have counted.

Did you notice who pinch hit for the ninth place hitting pitcher with two out in the tenth?  

It was Zach Taylor, who was batting sixth after entering the game in the ninth inning.  And to make matters worse, Taylor had been taken out of the game earlier in the inning. Not only did Taylor bat out of turn, but he also did so after he had been removed from the game.  How can that be? Only because the entire Giants team, especially manager Bill Terry, didn’t notice.  

Once Taylor singled, if the Giants had appealed, he would have been out for batting out of order and the Giants would/should have won 9-6.  Equally in the dark was Cubs manager Grimm who many years later admitted that “Taylor did bat out of turn – and I as manager of the ball club didn’t know it either.”

Chicago Tribune - September 1, 1932

None of this, of course, was Cuyler’s problem. He had earned every moment of his greatest day in baseball. In fact, he could have claimed the whole five-game series since he went 12 for 23 with four homers and 14 RBIs.  But it was special for the future Hall of Famer for another reason.  In the Cubs dugout was his young son who by the time Cuyler told the story in 1945 was a pilot in World War II.  He was now, said Cuyler, “having thrills of his own. But like me, he’ll never forget that day in 1932.”  Nor should we – a great game by any standard.