1945 World Series

Lore & Background

The Curse of the Billy Goat originated in this Series before the start of Game 4. Having last won the Series in 1908, the Cubs owned the dubious record of both the longest league pennant drought and the longest World Series drought in history, not winning (or appearing in) another World Series until 2016. The Series was a rematch of the 1935 World Series. In that year's Game 6, Stan Hack led off the top of the ninth inning with a triple, but was stranded. The Cubs lost the game and the Series. Hack was still with the Cubs in 1945. According to Warren Brown's account, Hack was seen surveying the field before the first Series game. When asked what he was doing, Hack responded, 'I just wanted to see if I was still standing there on third base.'

In Their Own Story

The wind blew hard off Lake Michigan at Wrigley Field, rattling the ivy-covered walls as the ninth inning of Game 7 began. The score was tied, and the air in Chicago felt heavy with the weight of a city's hope. Stan Hack stepped up to the plate, his eyes fixed on the Tigers' pitcher. He laid down a delicate bunt toward third base, aiming to advance the runner. But the ball took a bad hop or perhaps his grip slipped; it rolled harmlessly into the dirt. The fielder scooped it up and threw home for the first out, then raced to second for the second. The crowd fell silent, the dream of 1945 dissolving in the dust of that single misplay, leaving only the echo of a season's promise unfulfilled.

Reader's Guide

In the decisive Game 7, Paul Richards drove in four runs to lead the Tigers to a 9–3 victory to clinch the Series. The World Series again used the 3–4 wartime setup for home field sites, instead of the normal 2–3–2. Although the major hostilities of World War II had ended, some of the rules were still in effect and many of the best MLB players were still in military service. Warren Brown, author of a history of the Cubs in 1946, commented on this by titling one chapter 'World's Worst Series'. He also cited a famous quote of his, referencing himself anonymously and in the third person. When asked who he liked in the Series, he answered, 'I don't think either one of them can win it.' In a similar vein, Frank Graham jokingly called this Series 'the fat men versus the tall men at the office picnic.' One player decidedly not fitting that description was the Tigers' slugger Hank Greenberg, who had been discharged from military service early. He hit the only two Tigers homers in the Series, and scored seven runs overall and also drove in seven. The series matched the league MVPs, with Phil Cavarretta (a .355 hitter that year) of the National League and Hal Newhouser of the American League for the second straight season for Detroit. Newhouser led the Tigers to two victories, including a complete game performance in Game 7.

Did You Know?

• Stan Hack, a third baseman for the 1945 Cubs, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023, making him the first Hall of Famer from this team.
• Bill Nicholson also hit a home run for the Cubs in Game 2, so Phil Cavarretta's blast was not the team's only homer of the Series.
• Besides being the last World Series game the Cubs won until Game 2 in 2016, Game 6 would also be the second—and last—World Series game that the Cubs would win before their hometown fans at Wrigley Field, until Game 5 in