Merkle's Boner

[ParisianJohn]

Mention has been made of Snodgrass' "$30,000 Muff" in the 1912 World Series. Interestingly enough, Merkle could have helped to bail Snodgrass out.

The 1912 World Series was between the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants. As Game 2 ended in a tie on account of darkness the best-of-seven series went for eight games. Game 8 went into extra innings when in the top of the 10th Merkle lined a one-out RBI single to put the Giants up by one. With Christy Mathewson on the bump he looked like he was lined up to be a World Series hero. But then...

In the bottom of the 10th Snodgrass dropped a fly ball to left-center that allowed the lead-off hitter, Clyde Engle, to reach second base. Oops. The Giants were still up by a run when Hall of Famer Harry Hooper came to the plate and squared to bunt. Snodgrass started cheating in behind second base in case the bunt was popped up and he needed to back-up a throw to second for a possible double play. Instead, at the least second Hooper pulled his bat back, took a full swing and hit what he himself thought would be an inside the park home run to center. Somehow Snodgrass tracked it down and made a catch described by many players later on as among the best they'd ever seen.

So now there's one out and a runner on second when Mathewson walks Steve Yerkes to put runners on first and second for Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. On the first pitch Speaker popped up in foul territory, just off the first base line. Accounts vary, but Merkle moved slightly towards the ball from his position at first as Mathewson also came towards the foul pop, and catcher Chief Meyers ran up the first baseline. The ball dropped between all three of them. Some Red Sox claimed that Mathewson called for Meyers to make the catch, thus throwing off Merkle. Some Giants claimed that Red Sox players on the bench imitated Mathewson's voice and called for Meyers. No matter, as the first baseman, Merkle should have taken charge on that foul pop. It would have been two out. Instead, with another chance Speaker lined a single to the outfield and tied the game. After an intentional walk to try and set up a double play with the bases now loaded, the Sox got a sac fly from Larry Gardner to score the World Series winning run.

Just a few years after the infamous 1908 "boner", for which I don't blame Merkle at all, he did kind of screw up on that foul pop. When Snodgrass died 62 years later, his obituary in the New York Times was headlined with "Fred Snodgrass, 86, Dead; Ball Player Muffed 1912 Fly". Sheesh...

Another interesting fact about Merkle. He played in the 1911, 1912 and 1913 World Series with the Giants, in 1916 with the Dodgers and again in 1918 with the Cubs. He was also on the regular season roster of the 1926 Yankees, who also played in the World Series (though Merkle wasn't on the post-season roster). All six of those teams lost the Series and Merkle never got a ring.

So far as I could think of, only Terry Pendleton has also played in as many World Series and never won any.