The 1929 World Series was a disaster from the opening moments.
Game 1 was delayed because the umpires showed up late. Before the game, two Cubs employees and two Wrigley vendors were arrested for threatening and assaulting independent hot dog operators who were selling hot dogs to the thousands lined up outside ballpark waiting for bleacher seats.
Still, no one doubted the Cubs were going to win it all in 1929. All the stars were aligned for that first game at Wrigley.
Charley Root, the Cubs all-time winningest pitcher, was on the mound. He had won 19 games in 1929, and was one of the most feared hurlers in the league. His opponent, Howard Ehmke of the A's, was near the end of a long career. The 35-year-old lifetime .500 pitcher had won only seven games in 1929. The Cubs seemed to be at a clear advantage.
It didn't turn out that way.
It was a pitcher's duel for six innings. Ehmke struck out 11 Cubs batters those first six innings, and this one of the greatest hitting teams of all time (featuring future Hall of Famers Hack Wilson--who had 159 RBI that year, Rogers Hornsby--who hit .380 that year, and KiKi Cuyler--who hit .360 and led the league in Stolen bases). Root was also cruising along, allowing only two hits. In the seventh inning, however, Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx stepped up to the plate and crushed a home run over the fence. The A's added two more unearned runs in the eighth (thanks to shortstop Woody English's error), and held on for a 3-1 win. Ehmke ended the game with 13 strikeouts.
On paper, Game 2 at Wrigley should have been the pitcher's duel. Cubs starting pitcher Pat Malone was a 22-game winner who also led the league in shutouts and strikeouts. The A's countered with their 24-game winner George Earnshaw. Again, the game didn't follow the script. In the top of the third inning Jimmie Foxx smashed a three run homer, and the A's never looked back. They added another 3 runs in the top of the 4th (thanks to another Woody English error), and chased Malone from the game. After the dust had settled the A's had taken the first two games at Wrigley, and were heading home with a chance to the win the series in Philadelphia.
The A's went for the throat in Philly--bringing their ace Earnshaw back to pitch Game 3 on only two days rest. It backfired. Although he still struck out 10, Cubs pitcher Guy Bush was fresher and held the A's to only one run. The Cubs won the game 3-1 and were right back in the series.
The way they started game 4--they jumped out to a 8-1 lead with fearsome Charley Root on the mound--it looked like the real Cubs had finally shown up. It was the bottom of the seventh when Hack Wilson's worst moment as a Cub player occurred. He lost an easy fly ball in the sun, which opened the floodgates for the biggest comeback in World Series history. He later lost another one in the sun during the same inning, which turned into a three run inside-the-park home run by Mule Haas. The A’s won the game 10-8. Hack Wilson was inconsolable after the game. A writer for the New York Sun described Hack seeing his son after the game: "Hello, Daddy," the four-year-old said. "Hack picked up the child, kissed him, hugged him. His sturdy frame shook with emotion. He wept." (By the next spring training he was making jokes about it. He asked the waiter to draw the blinds one day, so that he wouldn't misjudge his soup.)
In Game 5, Wilson's best friend Pat Malone pitched a shutout for eight innings, and the Cubs were leading 2-0 going into the bottom of the ninth. It looked the series was heading back to Chicago. Malone struck out the first batter. Two outs away. But then Max Bishop (a .230 hitter) scrapped out a hit. He was followed by Mule Haas, who hit a home run deep into the right field seats--tying the game. It didn't look good for the Cubs. The series was on the line, and the next three batters were future Hall of Famers.
Malone settled down and induced Mickey Cochrane to ground out, but Al Simmons doubled, and the most fearsome hitter on the A's, Jimmie Foxx, came up to the plate. It was a no-brainer--he was intentionally walked to get to Bing Miller. Miller was no slouch either (he hit .331 that year), but he was also no Jimmie Foxx. Pat Malone took a deep breath and heaved...
Miller smacked a walk-off double, and the Cubs lost the Series, 4 games to 1.
