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.

[yanksfan09]

The only card item I've ever seen depicting Fred Merkle in Yankees attire, plus the only card I've seen of Brother Matthias...

There's some ballplayer named Ruth on there too.

[FrankWakefield]

John, good stuff there... Merkle and Pendleton.

Reminds me of the Buffalo Bills, going to the Super Bowl but not winning. So, as a player I think I'd rather go to the World Series 6 times and lose all 6 rather that play 20 years and not ever get to the World Series.

[Casey2296]

Great piece Erick.

[ParisianJohn]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

John, good stuff there... Merkle and Pendleton.

Reminds me of the Buffalo Bills, going to the Super Bowl but not winning. So, as a player I think I'd rather go to the World Series 6 times and lose all 6 rather that play 20 years and not ever get to the World Series.

Tough call!!! I guess I'd agree with you but to keep getting that close and losing each time. Maybe two losses would be the ideal!

I always felt badly for Pendleton as the first 3 Series he went to (1985, 1987 and 1991) were all in odd-numbered years, so at that time it meant the AL had home field advantage. It all 3 of those Series Pendleton's team had a 3-2 lead and then lost Games 6 and 7 on the road. In fact, in the last two Series all seven games were won by the home team.

Even worse yet for Terry, he played with the Braves in 1994 and 1996, but in 1995 (when they won a World Series) he was with the Marlins and missed out.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by ParisianJohn

I always felt badly for Pendleton as the first 3 Series he went to (1985, 1987 and 1991) were all in odd-numbered years, so at that time it meant the AL had home field advantage. It all 3 of those Series Pendleton's team had a 3-2 lead and then lost Games 6 and 7 on the road. In fact, in the last two Series all seven games were won by the home team.

Even worse, Pendleton should've had the game winning RBI to win the 1991 World Series, if not for the most underrated play in World Series history: Knoblauch's fake out of Lonnie Smith:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM5kHJUBRSE

[ParisianJohn]

Originally Posted by Mark17

Even worse, Pendleton should've had the game winning RBI to win the 1991 World Series, if not for the most underrated play in World Series history: Knoblauch's fake out of Lonnie Smith:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM5kHJUBRSE

Oh yes, that's right! I remembered Lonnie Smith was the runner but forget it was Pendleton at the plate for that play. Ouch.

And to go back to the 1985 World Series, Pendleton's team lost Game 6 in part due to Denkinger's infamous call at first. And very similarly to Merkle in Game 8 of the 1912 World Series, while a ton of people remember Denkinger's blown call not so many remember that on the very next pitch Steve Balboni popped up in foul territory near first base and the ball wound up falling between the first baseman and the catcher (Jack Clark and Darrell Porter). Given another chance, Balboni then lined a single to the outfield to get two on with none out, giving more momentum to the Royals.

[jakebeckleyoldeagleeye]

Let's don't forget good old Steve Bartman. To me the goat is Alex Gonzalez who booted a sure double play that would have resulted in the Cubs still leading 3-1.

[pawpawdiv9]

i was just going thru a Auction--and remember this thread.
So, i also got interested and read the info around this excitement.
Wow.
Heres the xtra tad i was looking at:

Rare original Type I photograph capturing a heated argument between the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs during their historic final game on October 8, 1908, to decide the National League pennant. This is, to the best of our knowledge, one of only three known images from this game, and the only example of this photo to appear at auction. The game was a make-up of the famous “Merkle’s Boner” game on September 23rd. In that game, the Giants had seemingly defeated the Cubs in the ninth inning on a two-out base hit by Al Bridwell. However, Fred Merkle, who was on first base at the time, failed to touch second base before exiting the field (a common practice at the time). Second baseman Johnny Evers noticed this, called for the ball (there is some dispute whether he retrieved the actual ball Bridwell hit), and stepped on second for the force out, thereby negating the winning run. After a lengthy argument by the Giants, the umpires upheld the call. They also decided that it was too late to start another inning and declared the game a tie. The importance of the game became apparent at the end of the season when both clubs finished tied for first. As a result, National League president Harry Pulliam ordered that the game be replayed on October 8th at the Polo Grounds. The Giants, of course, lost the game, thereby forever immortalizing Fred Merkle’s name in the annals of baseball history.

The image pictures numerous members of the Giants and Cubs huddled together around home plate as the umpires watch the fracas. We don’t know the nature of the dispute, but Cubs catcher Johnny Kling looks particularly upset. There are no descriptive markings on the photo to identify the game or date (we know it is 1908, because the uniform style worn by the Cubs here was used only during that season). However, we can accurately determine it is from the October 8th makeup game because we found a nearly identical image, taken by George Grantham Bain, that is housed in the Library of Congress. (The Bain photograph pictures nearly the exact same scene as the offered photo, only it was taken either a few seconds earlier or later, because the position of the players is slightly different.) Bain’s photo is clearly marked by his customary etching in the negative that reads "Dispute - Giant - Cub Final Game '08."

It is incredible that given the importance of the October 8th makeup game that so few photos from the contest exist. Aside from the offered photo and the Bain example housed in the Library of Congress, the only other image we know of is that featured on a real-photo panoramic postcard that pictures a game-in-progress scene. This is both a rare and historically important Type I photo that would be welcome addition to any advanced baseball photograph, New York Giants, or Chicago Cubs collection. The photo (6.75x4.75 inches) displays a “Spooner & Wells, Inc.” credit stamp on the reverse, along with a handwritten number in pencil. There is a tiny chip in the lower-left corner, a few minor surface wrinkles, and adhesive residue on the reverse. In Excellent condition overall. PSA encapsulated as Type I Authentic.