The Woody English Web Site-Biography

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Chicago Cubs - 1929

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With the addition of future Hall of Famer, Roger Hornsby, Cubs owner William Wrigley, Jr. finally got a pennant winning team. The Chicago Cubs won the National League Pennant in a run-away race. The Cubs totaled 98 wins with only 54 losses for a winning percentage of .645. The second place Pittsburgh Pirates were 10 1/2 games back.

Woody played in 144 games compiling a .276 batting average. He had 168 hits with 29 doubles and 68 bases on balls scoring 131 runs. The team had four starters with batting averages over .300 led by Roger Hornsby, (.380). Riggs Stephenson, (.362); Kiki Cuyler, (.360); Hack Wilson, (.345) and back-up out fielder, Cliff Heathcote, (.312) also attained a batting average above the .300 mark. Both Roger Hornsby and Hack Wilson had 39 home runs tied for third place in the National League for that year. As a team, they led the league with 6.29 runs per game compared to the previous year of 4.64 runs per game.

The pitchers were again led by Pat Malone with a record of 22-10. The 22 wins was good enough to lead the National League in 1929. Charlie Roots was 19 and 6, and led the league in winning percentage. Also, Guy Bush ended up 18 and 7 and he had a league leading 8 saves. The line-up looked like this:

Fielders:
    Woody English, SS
    Clyde Beck, 3B
    Kiki Cuyler, RF
    Roger Hornsby, 2B
    Hack Wilson, CF
    Riggs Stephenson, LF
    Charlie Grimm, 1B
    Mike Gonzalez, C

Starting Pitchers:
    Charlie Root
    Sheriff Blake
    Pat Malone
    Guy Bush
Relievers:
    Mike Cvengros
    Art Nehf
    Hal Carlson
    Trader Horne

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With all the success of the regular season, the World Series was a disappointment. The Cubs played American League Champions, Philadelphia Athletics that had six players with a batting average over .300. The Athletics achieved 104 wins against 46 losses and won the league by 18 over the second place Yankees. The Athletics had two pitcher with 20 or more wins, Lefty Grove, (20-6) and George Earnshaw, (24-8). Lefty led the American League with an 2.81 ERA. and 170 strikeouts.

In the first game, played in Chicago, Connie Mack, manager of the Athletics surprised the Cubs by starting junk-ball specialist, Howard Ehmke, (7-2) instead of Lefty Grove or George Earnshaw. Ehmke had not pitched in two months and had been travelling around with the Cubs scouting the team. Chicago countered with Charlie Root. Mack's strategy worked because Ehmke struck out 13 batters. The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when the A's Jimmie Foxx hit a home run over the center field fence.

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The A's added two unearned insurance runs in the ninth due to poor defense by Woody. With a batter on first, Woody booted a double play ball and followed that with a muff on an easy roller. Therefore, the bases were loaded when Bing Miller bounced a grounder through the box into center scoring two runs. The Cubs avoided a shut-out scoring one run in the ninth.

Game two was on a chilly, windy day in Chicago where 50,000 fans huddled in blankets, overcoats and furs. Chicago's starting pitcher, Pat Malone, gave up 3 runs in the third off two singles and a home run blast by Foxx. The next inning 3 more A's runs sent Malone to the locker room. Chicago rallied in the fifth inning scoring 3 runs off Earnshaw, but Connie Mack brought in Lefty Groove who shut down the Cubs the rest of the way. Philadelphia added 3 more runs making the final score an humiliating 9-3.

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After a day for traveling, game 3 took place in Philadelphia in warm balmy weather. A's manager sent George Earnshaw back on the mound to face the demoralized Cubs and their pitcher Guy Bush. The Athletics struck first with a run in the fifth inning. The Cubs finally broke out of their offensive slump the next inning scoring three runs. It began with a base on balls sending pitcher, Bush, to first. Norm McMillan pop-fouled out was the first out. Woody then hit a sharp ball to third and A's Jimmie Dykes fumbled the ball for an error. Roger Hornsby tied the game with a single to left scoring Bush from second. After Hack Wilson moved both Cubs along with a ground-out to second, Kiki Cuyler sent a 3-2 pitch through the box scoring Woody and Hornsby. That ended the scoring for the day and the Cubs got their first and only win of the series.

In the fourth game, the Cubs build a 8-0 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. The A's got on the board with a home run by Al Simmons, followed by a single by Foxx. Bing Miller hit a fly ball to center which Hack Wilson lost in the sun allowing him to reach first base. Two more runs scored by singles before a pop-out to Woody. Cubs' pitcher, Charlie Root gave up one more single before being yank and replaced by Art Nehf. Mule Haas hit one of Nehf's curve balls to center which which should have been caught but, again, Hack Wilson lost the ball in the sun resulting in an inside-the-park home run. After a Nehf walk, Cubs manager, McCarthy, brought in Sheriff Blake to protect a one run lead. Not up to the task, Blake allowed to hits and the score was tied at 8-8. Pat Malone became the forth pitcher of the inning and started off by hitting the batter, loading the bases. Then A's Dykes hit a line drive to Riggs Stephenson who got both hands on it but was not able to make the play resulting in a double and two more runs. Malone ended the agony with two strike outs but the damage had been done.

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With the A's up 3 to 1, President Herbert Hoover along with his wife and some members of his cabinate were in attendance for what ended up to be the final game of the World Series. As Hoover and most Americans were unaware, in one month the stock market would crash and the United States would spiral into years of depression. Game one hero, Howard Ehmke pitched for the Athletics while Cubs' Ace Pat Malone started for Chicago. After four scoreless innings, the Cubs scored two runs with two outs and drove Ehmke off the mound. Malone held the A's without a run on only two hits until the ninth inning with one out. With a runner on first, Mule Haas hit a Malone fast ball over Kiki Cuyler's outstretched glove for a home run and the score was tied. The A's went on to scored the winning run with two outs and a runner on second. Bing Miller hit a dinky little ball over Hornsby's head and Connie Mack got his fourth World Series Ring.

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