The Chicago Cubs entered the 1945 World Series as the clear favorite to win it all. They had won ten more games that season than the Tigers, they had home field advantage for the series (games 4, 5, 6, and 7 were played at Wrigley), and of all the war-depleted rosters in baseball, the Cubs had the best.

The Cubs roster was stocked with older players—guys that were considered too old or unfit for military service. For instance, one of their pitchers, Hank Wyse, had to wear a corset when he pitched, because he had a spine injury. While other teams lost their best players to the war (like Ted Williams in Boston), the Cubs didn't lose any significant starters. Plus, the Yankees, who were a little cash-strapped at the time, traded a star pitcher to the Cubs in exchange for money. Hank Borowy arrived in Chicago in mid-season, and quickly became the undisputed ace of the Cubs--going 11-2 after coming to Chicago at the end of July.

The Cubs won game 1 in Detroit handily, with Borowy on the mound 9-0. They lost Game 2, but won again in Game 3 when Claude Passeau (photo) pitched one of the best games in World Series history--a one hit shutout. That meant the Cubs came back to Chicago with a 2-1 lead. They only needed to split the remaining 4 games at Wrigley Field to win the championship.

A little noticed event (at the time) occurred before Game 4 at Wrigley. Tavern owner Bill Sianis and his goat Murphy were refused entry to the game because of the goat's objectionable odor. (He was wearing a sign that said "We got Detroit's goat.") Sianis was so enraged by his goat's dismissal, he reportedly placed a curse on the Cubs. It's possible that the curse started working immediately. Detroit's Dizzy Trout won Game 4 handily by only allowing five hits and one run.

In Game 5, the Cubs figured to take a commanding lead because their ace, Hank Borowy, was on the mound. Borowy pitched magnificently for the first five innings, but in the sixth he fell apart and allowed 4 runs. The Cubs couldn't recover--and Detroit took a 3-2 lead in the series.

With their backs against the wall in Game 6, the Cubs gave everything they had to keep the series alive. They brought in starters Wyse and Prim to relieve Passeau when it looked like Claude was starting to lose it...and they promptly gave up six runs to make it a 7-7 tie. Desperate to avoid losing the game, Charlie Grimm brought in his ace, Hank Borowy (photo) in the ninth inning. It was a big gamble because Borowy was scheduled to pitch Game 7. Grimm figured that if Borowy could hold the Tigers in the top of the ninth, the Cubs could win it, and Borowy would still be fine for Game 7.

Unfortunately, Borowy was forced to pitch four innings. The Cubs eventually won the game in the bottom of the 12th on a Stan Hack double. That forced a decisive game 7 at Wrigley Field, but now the Cubs didn't know who to pitch. Charlie Grimm asked his ace how he felt.

"I can do it," Borowy said.

"Are you sure," a doubtful Grimm replied.

"I can do it," Borowy repeated.

Grimm chose to believe his ace, but Borowy didn't make it out of the first inning. The Tigers scored five times and coasted to a World Series title.

The Cubs haven't played in a World Series game since.