1938 Homer in the Gloamin' vs Pirates

Lore & Background

On September 28, the Cubs and Pirates met for the second game of a crucial three-game series. With darkness descending on the lightless Wrigley Field and the score tied at 5 runs apiece, the umpires ruled that the ninth inning would be the last to be played. Gabby Hartnett came to bat with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. With a count of 0 balls and 2 strikes, Hartnett connected on a Mace Brown pitch, launching the ball into the darkness, before it eventually landed in the left-center field bleachers. The stadium erupted into pandemonium as players and fans stormed the field to escort Hartnett around the bases. Hartnett's walk-off home run became immortalized as the Homer in the Gloamin'. The Cubs were now in first place, culminating a 19–3–1 record in September, and the pennant would be clinched three days later.

In Their Own Story

The wind off Lake Michigan was biting as the shadows lengthened across Wrigley Field. The crowd held its breath, the silence heavy with the weight of the season's stakes. Gabby Hartnett gripped his bat, his eyes fixed on Guy Bush. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the diamond in a deep blue twilight, the pitch arrived. A sharp crack echoed through the park, followed by a collective gasp as the ball cleared the bleachers. In that fleeting moment of gloaming light, the impossible became real.

Reader's Guide

The Cubs won the National League pennant in 1938, finishing first in the league. They were swept four games to none by the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Did You Know?

• The Cubs cut the Pirates' lead to a half game on September 27, when Dizzy Dean pitched the opening game of the series and defeated the Pirates 2 to 1.
• Hartnett was named player-manager on July 20, replacing Charlie Grimm, when the Cubs were in third place, six games behind the Pirates.
• It would be 50 years before lights were installed at Wrigley Field.