The 1945 World Series Loss to Detroit

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

Smoke from the bleachers drifted across Wrigley Field as the late afternoon sun began to dip behind Lake Michigan. A heavy silence descended on the North Side crowd when the final out was recorded in Detroit, silencing the celebration before it could truly begin. Men slowly removed their caps, staring blankly at a field where the Tigers raised their arms in victory, while a quiet, collective realization settled over Wrigleyville: the wait had officially begun. The taste of glory was still on their tongues, but the long winter ahead promised to be far colder than any Chicago January.

Reader's Guide

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?

• In the decisive Game 7, Paul Richards drove in two runs to lead the Tigers to a 9–3 victory to clinch the Series.
• To date, several personnel from the 1945 Cubs have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including Phil Cavarretta and Billy Herman.
• The Cubs' World Series record at Wrigley Field after Game 5 stood at 1–10.