World Series Title (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. 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. 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. 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 wind howled off Lake Michigan, carrying the scent of coal smoke and autumn leaves as the final out snapped at West Side Grounds. The crowd didn't just cheer; they erupted, a tidal wave of blue and red surging toward the field. On the mound, Mordecai Brown stood tall, his taped hand raised in triumph as the Detroit batter swung at nothing but air. Frank Chance tipped his hat to the roaring masses, a silent salute to the grind that forged this moment. The roar was so deafening it swallowed the clatter of the nearby streetcars, and for a fleeting second, Chicago knew they had just witnessed history repeat itself—a dynasty sealed in the dust of the Dead Ball Era.

Reader's Guide

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'. The Cubs won the series 4 games to 1.

Did You Know?

• The final game drew a record-low 6,210 fans, the smallest crowd in World Series history.
• 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 only instance of a four-strikeout inning in a World Series game.
• This was the first World Series game in which neither team committed an error.
• The Cubs did not win another World Series title until 2016, a drought of 108 years, which remains the longest in MLB history.