World Series Championship (1908)

Lore & Background

The 1908 World Series was significant for being the last World Series championship the Cubs would win until 2016 (108 years later). That became the longest World Series championship drought for any team in North American sports history. Before the 2016 series, the team would go on to appear in seven World Series; in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, losing each time. The Cubs had been one of baseball's most dominant teams in the early 1900s. This was the year of the infamous 'Merkle's Boner' play that allowed the Chicago Cubs to reach the World Series after beating the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants) in a one-game 'playoff', actually the makeup game for the tie that the Merkle play had caused. The Series was anticlimactic after tight pennant races in both leagues. Ty Cobb had a much better World Series than in the previous year, as did the rest of his team. The final two games, held in Detroit, were shutouts. This was also the most poorly attended World Series in history, with the final game drawing a record-low 6,210 fans. Attendance in Chicago was harmed by a ticket-scalping scheme that fans accused the club's owner of participating in, and the World Series was boycotted to some degree. For the first time, four umpires were used in the series, in alternating two-man teams. Games 1, 4, and 5 were played in Detroit, while Games 2 and 3 were played in Chicago. Had the series continued, Game 6 would have been played in Chicago, and the home team for Game 7 would have been decided randomly, 'by lot'. This was also the first World Series with a defending champion and the first to feature a team that won back-to-back titles.

In Their Own Story

The chill of early November settled over Bennett Park in Detroit, where the stands were packed with hopeful faces bundled in wool coats. Frank Chance stood on the infield dirt, watching the Detroit lineup shuffle in; he didn't need to speak. The rhythm of Tinker to Evers to Chance had already silenced the Tigers' hopes throughout the series. As Mordecai Brown closed out the final game, a roar erupted from the traveling North Side faithful and the local press box alike, shaking the foundations of the ballpark. It wasn't just a win; it was a promise kept, a dynasty sealed in the dust of the diamond, leaving a legacy that would echo through decades of silence.

Reader's Guide

NL Chicago Cubs (4) vs. AL Detroit Tigers (1). Game 1: Cubs 10, Tigers 6. Game 2: Cubs 6, Tigers 1. Game 3: Tigers 8, Cubs 3. Game 4: Cubs 3, Tigers 0. Game 5: Cubs 2, Tigers 0.

Did You Know?

• The 1908 World Series was the first World Series with a defending champion and the first to feature a team that won back-to-back titles.
• This was the most poorly attended World Series in history, with the final game drawing a record-low 6,210 fans.
• Game 5 remains the fastest postseason game in major-league history, at 1 hour 25 minutes.
• In Game 5, Orval Overall registered four strikeouts in the first inning, the first and to date only instance of a four-strikeout inning in a World Series game.
• The Cubs did not win another World Series title until 2016, a drought of 108 years, which remains the longest in MLB history.