The Cubs made it to the World Series in 1938 thanks to the heroics of Gabby Hartnett. On September 28, 1938, the second place Cubs were playing the first place Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. It was the bottom of the ninth, the score was tied 5-5, and Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett stepped to the plate.

The umpires were sure to call the game because of darkness if the Cubs didn't score in the bottom of the inning. No one knows how Hartnett even saw that ball from Pittsburgh pitcher Mace Brown, but Hartnett knocked it out of the park, in a moment that will always be remembered as the "Homer in the Gloamin." The Cubs overtook the Pirates for first place, and clinched the pennant a few days later.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, the 1938 World Series had none of the drama or excitement of that Homer in the Gloamin game. The Yankees were the clear favorites, winners of 99 regular season games. (The Cubs had only won 89). Plus, their lineup was stacked with the likes of Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, catcher Bill Dickey, and a young centerfielder the Cubs could have signed themselves just a few seasons earlier...Joe Dimaggio. Their pitching staff was anchored by another pair of Hall of Famers; 22-game winner Red Ruffing and 18-game winner Lefty Gomez. The Yankees were also the two-time defending champions.

The Cubs, by contrast, were an aging team. A few players remained from their 1935 pennant winning team, but this team was not nearly in the same class. Catcher/Manager Hartnett was 38 years old. First baseman Ripper Collins was at the tail end of his career. Centerfielder Carl Reynolds was 35, and a shell of the speedster he once was. Tony Lazzeri, who had won 5 World Series as a member of the Yankees (including the previous two years), was struggling and riding the pine in his second to last big league season. And their biggest off-season acquisition, electrifying pitcher Dizzy Dean, was clearly pitching on fumes. In fact, this World Series would be remembered as "Ol' Diz's Last Stand."

It was never close.

Game 1 featured the best pitchers on each team; Bill Lee of the Cubs and the Yankees' Red Ruffing. The Yanks scored two in the second and another in the sixth, and that was enough to win the game 3-1 in front 43,000-plus at Wrigley Field.

Game 2 was the game that Dizzy Dean (photo) pitched, and the Cubs actually had the lead going into the 8th inning. Somehow, the cocky Dean was getting them out with nothing more than guts and guile. It really looked like he may have one more miracle left in that bag of tricks. Then the Yankees came to bat in the top of the eighth. Leadoff man Frankie Crosetti knocked a ball out of the park, and the Yanks took a slim lead. The score was 4-3 in the ninth, and ol' Diz took the mound one last time. Tommy Heinrich led off the inning with a single, and Joe DiMaggio came to the plate. DiMaggio was the most feared hitter in baseball that year, and it didn't take Dizzy Dean too long to figure out why. He easily cleared the left field wall with a mammoth shot, and the Yanks sealed the win. Dizzy was yanked from the game, never to return to the big stage again.

After losing those first two games in Chicago, the series was essentially over. The Yankees beat Clay Bryant 5-2 in Game 3, and then clobbered the Cubs in Game 4. An early error by shortstop Billy Jurges led to three unearned runs and knocked Bill Lee out of the game, and then the relievers couldn't get anyone out. Tex Carleton still holds the World Series record for most wild pitches in the same game (2). He faced three batters, giving up one hit, two walks, and an ERA of Infinity.

The Yankees won the World Series for the third year in a row.