A Sad Ending For “Happy” Jack
The 1904 New York Highlanders (later to be the Yankees) did not need much in regard to offensive support. “Happy”Jack Chesbro did it all. Chesbro started 51 games, finished 48 of them, winning 41, and threw 455 innings. These are all records still standing. His ERA was 1.82. He was almost perfect until …
The Highlanders were heavily favored, with “ Happy” Jack taking the mound against the Boston Americans on the critical last day of the season to determine the winner of the American League pennant. Chesbro looked unbeatable after the Highlanders scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-0 lead; however, this was baseball. In the seventh inning, a throwing error allowed two runs to cross the plate and tie the game. In the ninth, Chesbro gave up a single to weak hitting catcher Lou Criger, who moved to third following a sacrifice bunt and ground out. With two outs, the unthinkable happened; “ Happy” Jack Chesbro threw a wild pitch, allowing Criger to score the winning run and clinch the pennant for the Bostonians. “Happy “ quickly turned sad.