Gabby Hartnett

Lore & Background

Hartnett was an all-around player, performing well both offensively and defensively. Known for his strong and accurate throwing arm, he routinely led the National League's catchers in caught stealing percentage and was the first major league catcher to hit more than 20 home runs in a season. During the course of his career, Hartnett took part in some of the more memorable events in Major League Baseball history including: being behind the plate for Babe Ruth allegedly calling his shot during the 1932 World Series, Carl Hubbell's strike-out performance in the 1934 All-Star Game and Dizzy Dean's career-altering injury during the 1937 All-Star Game.

However, the greatest moment of Hartnett's career came with one week left in the 1938 season, when he hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to put the Cubs in first place. The event, which occurred as darkness descended onto Wrigley Field, became immortalized as the "Homer in the Gloamin'". Prior to the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League. A six-time All-Star, he appeared in four World Series during his playing career.

At the time of his retirement, Hartnett held the career records for catchers in home runs, runs batted in, hits, doubles and most games played as a catcher. Hartnett was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Reader's Guide

Hartnett was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, as the eldest of 14 children. His father moved the family to Millville, Massachusetts, just over the state line from Woonsocket, when he took a job at Banigan's Millville Rubber Shop. He began his professional baseball career at the age of 20 with the Worcester Boosters of the Eastern League in 1921. New York Giants manager John McGraw sent scout Jesse Burkett to appraise Hartnett's talent as a player.

Burkett reported back to McGraw that Hartnett's hands were too small for a major league catcher. Hartnett joined the Cubs in 1922, serving as a backup catcher to Bob O'Farrell. He was given his ironic nickname of "Gabby" as a rookie due to his shy, reticent nature. On July 22, O'Farrell suffered a fractured skull during a game against the Boston Braves and Hartnett took over as the Cubs starting catcher, posting a .299 batting average along with 16 home runs and 67 runs batted in.

After the retirement of catcher Bill Killefer, Hartnett became the favorite catcher of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander and caught Alexander's 300th career win on September 20, 1924. Hartnett played well enough during O'Farrell's absence the Cubs decided to keep him as their starting catcher, trading O'Farrell to the St. Louis Cardinals in May 1925. Hartnett hit 24 home runs in 1925, breaking the single-season home run record for catchers set by Jack Clements in 1893.

He finished second overall in the National League behind the 39 home runs hit by Rogers Hornsby. Although Hartnett led National League catchers in errors, he also led in range factor and in putouts, while his strong throwing arm helped him lead the league in assists and caught stealing percentage. Leo Durocher, who played against Hartnett and was a National League manager during Johnny Bench's career, stated that the two catchers had similarly strong throwing arms.

During the major league baseball winter meetings in December 1925, it was rumored Hartnett might be traded to the New York Giants for catcher Frank Snyder and outfielder Irish Meusel; however, Cubs president Bill Veeck Sr., squelched the rumors saying Hartnett would not be traded for anybody. The young catcher had a disappointing year in 1926 as his batting average dropped to .275 with only 41 runs batted in.

Did You Know?

• He caught a baseball dropped from a Goodyear blimp on April 1, 1930, in Los Angeles.
• Hartnett's single-season home run record for catchers (37 in 1930) stood for 23 years until Roy Campanella hit 40 in 1953.

Early Life and Unlikely Ascent

Born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, as the eldest of 14 children, Hartnett moved with his family to Millville, Massachusetts. He began his professional career at age 20 with the Worcester Boosters of the Eastern League in 1921. New York Giants manager John McGraw sent scout Jesse Burkett to appraise him, but Burkett reported back that Hartnett's hands were too small for a major league catcher. Despite this, he joined the Cubs in 1922 as a backup to Bob O'Farrell. He earned the ironic nickname 'Gabby' due to his shy, reticent nature. On July 22, after O'Farrell suffered a fractured skull against the Boston Braves, Hartnett took over as starter, posting a .299 batting average with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs. He became the favorite catcher of Grover Cleveland Alexander, catching Alexander's 300th career win on September 20, 1924.

Defining Moments and Historic Feats

Hartnett was behind the plate for Babe Ruth's alleged 'called shot' in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. He called pitches for Carl Hubbell during his strikeout performance against five future Hall of Famers in the 1934 All-Star Game. In the 1937 All-Star Game, he was calling signs when Dizzy Dean suffered a career-altering toe injury from a line drive by Earl Averill. His greatest moment came on September 28, 1938, with one week left in the season. As darkness descended on Wrigley Field, Hartnett hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth to put the Cubs in first place, an event immortalized as the 'Homer in the Gloamin'.

Offensive and Defensive Dominance

Before Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in National League history. He was a six-time All-Star who appeared at four World Series. Known for his strong, accurate arm, he routinely led National League catchers in caught stealing percentage and assists. Between 1928 and 1938, he led league catchers in fielding percentage seven times. Offensively, he was the first major league catcher to hit more than 20 home runs in a season. In 1930, he set a single-season record with 37 home runs, which stood until Roy Campanella hit 40 in 1953. At retirement, he held career records for catchers in home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles, and games played.

Legacy and Hall of Fame Induction

Hartnett was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. After his playing career ended in 1940 with the Cubs, he spent the 1941 season as a player-coach with the New York Giants before continuing as a coach and minor league manager.