The Merkle Boner

Setting The Stage

The year was 1908. It began with the first ever ball-drop in Times Square. The Model T went into production at Henry Ford’s plant in Michigan. The Chicago Cubs were going to win their last World Series until their fateful run in 2016.  But, before they could win the Series, they had to beat the New York Giants for the National League pennant.

A Merkle is…..

A Merkle is a person. More specifically it is a person’s last name. There have been many people with this same last name, but there was one person who made it infamous. That person’s first name was Fred, Fred Merkle. His nickname was bonehead. We shall see why.

Definition of a Boner

Simply put by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a boner is a clumsy or stupid mistake.

The Merkle Boner

Short Answer:

A stupid mistake made by Merkle.

Disclaimer: you are welcome to stop reading if you are not interested in hearing the detailed story of how a decent ballplayer at the beginning of his career marked himself for life as a bonehead. Even though he really wasn’t. The truth is we are all boneheads at times and at other times we are not. Unfortunately for Merkle, he was on a “stage” when he committed the offending act and so lots of people saw it. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Longer Answer:

Who Should Start

As stated before, the Cubs and Giants were in a fight for the NL Pennant. On September 23, 1908, the Cubs were at the Polo Grounds, playing the third game of a four-game series. Fred Tenney, the Giants regular first baseman, had sprained his ankle and was not going to be in the lineup. John McGraw, manager of the Giants, had to make a decision. Who would he start at first for Tenney? The answer for McGraw was easy. Fred Merkle.

Merkle was going into his second season with the Giants. He was young, talented, and considered the next in line for the position when Tenney decided to hang up the old spikes. So, Merkle would get the start. No biggie, right? Just another day at the park.

Fast Forward

The game was tied 1 to 1 in the bottom of the ninth.

Two outs.

Pinch hitter, Moose McCormick was on third and Merkle was on first.

Just a base knock was all that was needed to bring the winning run across the plate.

At bat was Giant shortstop, Al Bridwell.

Base knock.

McCormick scored from third.

Ballgame.

But wait…

The Boner

Giants fans streamed onto the field. Merkle, alarmed by the wave of humans coming his way, bolted for the clubhouse without touching second base.

That was the boner. That was Merkle’s big mistake. He didn’t touch second base, which meant that the play was still live. Remember there were two outs, and regardless of McCormick scoring, if the Cubs could get the ball and touch second, the inning would be over and the run wouldn’t count. Tie ballgame.

Have You Seen My Ball

But, who would notice that in all the melee? Nobody right? Not right. Cub’s second baseman, Johnny Evers, of Tinker to Evers to Chance fame, noticed. He needed to find that ball. This is where it gets a bit murky.

First Possible Scenario of How The Ball Got Back To Evers

The first scenario goes like this: Giants third base coach, Joe McGinnity saw what was developing, found the ball, and threw it as hard as he could into the stands. A lucky, or not so lucky, fan caught it and continued his way through the crowd only to be tackled by two Cubs (or possibly two New York police officers) and have the ball wrestled away from him. The ball was then brought to Evers at second base. Evers got the attention of the umpire.

Second Possible Scenario of How The Ball Got Back To Evers

The second scenario goes like this: McGinnity, Christy Mathewson, and a fan were trying to get the ball away from Evers. The fan snagged it and threw it into the stands. Then Evers got a different ball, pretending that it was the live ball, and got the attention of the umpire.

How ever you spin it, the outcome is the same. There was no way that the game could go on. The fans were all over the field and most of the players had retreated to the clubhouse. So, the game was called and both the Giants and Cubs claimed victory.

The Ruling

What happens next? If it had just been a regular game with no postseason implications then fine, but this was a pennant race. Somebody needed to make a decision. But who was going to make it?

League president, Harry C. Pulliam. And what did he decided?

Tie game. Giants 1, Cubs 1. The game would be replayed if the teams were stalemated at the end of the season. And, guess what? The two teams were tied at the end of the season

Two weeks later, on October 8, the Cubs and Giants met for a one-game playoff at the Polo Grounds. The Cubs won 4 to 2. They had won the pennant. They went on to win the World Series. It would only take 108 years to win another one.

Poor, Fred

If the Giants won the one-game playoff all would have been forgiven, but alas, they did not. Merkle’s teammates and manager never blamed him. It was the public that had a field day and over the next fourteen years in the big leagues, Fred could never live it down. Even now, although it has been almost 112 years, the last name Merkle is still synonymous with boner.

Poor, Fred.

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