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Chicago Cubs - 1932
Woody English was an essential part of the Chicago Cubs winning the National League Pennant. Woody's batting average slipped below .300 for the first time in three years to .272. He played in 127 games, 93 games at third base and 38 games at short stop. He scored 70 runs on 142 hits, 23 doubles, 7 triples, 55 base on balls and 3 home runs.
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The Cubs built a 4 game lead on Pittsburgh with a record of 90 wins against 64 losses. Mr. Wrigley made several important changes to the line-up. The biggest acquisition was bringing on Billy Herman to play second base. Herman led the team in runs scored with 102. Billy also led the team in hits with 205 and was second only to Riggs Stephenson in the batting average with .314. On a whole, the Cubs continued to decline in offense totaling only 4.68 runs per game for third place in the league. However, their pitching was best in the league allowing 4.11 runs per game. Pat Malone led the Cubs in ERA with 3.38 but his record had more losses with 17 than wins with 15. The pitcher with the best record was Lon Warneke at 22 and 6 followed by Guy Bush, (19-11) and Charlie Root, (15-10.)
Starting for the Chicago Cubs:
Fielders:
Stan Hack, SS
Billy Herman, 2B
Kiki Cuyler, CF
Vince Barton, RF
Riggs Stephenson, LF
Gabby Hartnett, C
Charlie Grimm, 1B
Billy Jurges, 3B
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Starting Pitchers:
Charlie Root
Pat Malone
Guy Bush
Lon Warneke
Burleigh Grimes
Relievers:
Jakie May
Bob Smith
Bud Tinning
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Even though the Cubs won the National League Pennant, there was controversy within the organization. Billy Jurges, was shot in his hotel room by a girlfriend resulting in him having some difficulties in playing short stop. At the same time, Roger Hornsby and Cubs President, Bill Veeck, were having a war of words which cost Hornsby his manager's job on August 2. When Veeck named first baseman, Charlie Grimm, manager, Woody became field captain of the team. Mark Koenig, who had been released by Detroit due to an eye problem the previous year was acquired on August 5. Koenig had played for the Yankees for six years before his eyes caused him to move to Detroit. Koenig contributed to the Cubs wrapping up the National League Pennant by averaging .335 with 36 hits and 15 runs. He won several close games with timely hitting. Unfortunately, Koenig was injured in one of games and was unable to play regularly in the World Series.
The Cubs' players met before the World Series to decide how to split the series money. Woody, being captain, presided over the meeting which concluded that Koenig would get half of the regular share of money. And Roger Hornsby, the team decided, would get nothing because he was no longer part of the team. When the Cubs met the Yankees in the World Series, the Yanks had added incentive to beat the Cubs due to their treatment of Koenig. The New York ball players throughout the series called the Cubs "cheapskates" and "nickel-squeezers."
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New York Yankees swept the World Series in a lop-sided adventure outscoring the Cubs 37 to 19. Yankees manager, Joe McCarthy, got sweet revenge by beating his former boss's team. The series began in New York with Red Ruffing pitching for the Yankees against Guy Bush. The Cubs score in the first inning with a single by Billy Herman followed by a line drive from Woody's bat which got by the Babe Ruth when his slipped. By the time the slow Ruth had retrieved the ball, Woody easily made it into third for a triple. Riggs Stephenson then hit a single bringing Woody across the plate for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth inning, the Yankees took the lead for good by scoring 3 including a home run by Lou Gehrig. The Yankees added 5 more runs in the sixth inning. The Cubs tried to make it a game by scoring 4 more runs but the powerful Yankees scored 4 more in the seventh for a final score of: Yankees 12; Cubs 6.
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The Yankees won game two even though the would Cubs strike first. The Cubs scored one run in the first from Billy Herman's double. The Yankees respond with two runs with RBIs from Lou Gahrig and Bill Dickey. In the third inning, the Cubs even the score with a double by Riggs Stephenson and a single by Frank Demaree which. Stephenson beat the throw by Ruth but the Cubs could score no more. The Yankees scored three more runs and took a 2-0 lead going to Chicago.
Game three of the 1932 World Series resulted in one of the most famous folklore in baseball which actually did not happen.
The first inning, with Charlie Root pitching, the Yankees get the first two batters on base. Babe Ruth then hits a home run to take a 3 run lead before the first out. The Yankees had four home runs that day against Charlie Root. The Cubs scratch back and tie the game in the third.
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Woody English was playing on third and retold the stories numerous times. According to Woody, when Ruth came to the plate in the fifth inning, the Cubs began a verbal assult swearing and making fun of Ruth's size. The first pitch was a strike. After two balls, the next pitch also crossed the plate for strike two. That's when the Cubs teased Ruth calling him a "lard-ass" and other slurs which I will not repeat. Ruth responded by holding up two fingers and saying, "that's only two strikes." On the next pitch, the Babe hit a home run to center. The radio announcer, and newspaper reporters for the Yankees then fabricated the story of the "called shot." Years later Babe Ruth admitted that he never called his shot. He stated that if he told pitcher Charlie Root that he was going to hit a home run, Root would have taken his head off. Lou Gehrig follows Ruth with his second homer of the game and the Yankees hold on for a 7-5 victory.
The Yankees sweep the series with a 13 to 6 win in game four also setting a record 12 consecutive World Series wins. Again, the Cubs take an early lead with the score of 4 to 1 after the first inning. The Yankees eventually take the lead in the sixth inning before the Cubs answers in the bottom of the sixth with a run. The Yankees then blast it open scoring four runs in the seventh and four more in the ninth.
The Cubs were no match for the powerful Yankees. It would be 3 years before the Cubs win another pennant.
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