Yankee fans will never forget the error filled fifth inning of Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Likewise, Bosox fans cannot get over Bill Buckner letting the ball slide under his glove in the 1986 World Series. but it’s part of baseball and always has been. Since no one is still in existence from 1908, New Yorkers no longer have to be reminded of the Fred Merkle error that kept the Giants out of the World Series. It became known as the “Merkle” incident.
This was the year that the infamous Fred Merkle incident took place that resulted in a season ending tie between the Cubs and Giants. On September 23, the Giants and the Cubs, were in an intense fight for the pennant. In a pitchers’ duel, Christy Mathewson versus the Cubs Jack Pfiester, the score was 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth. The Giant’s reserve outfielder, Fred Merkle, came to bat with a runner on first and one out. Merkle lined a hard single to centerfield and the runner went to third. The next batter singled over second base causing the second base umpire to hit the ground in order not to get hit. The runner on third scored the winning run, and the fans mobbed the field. The excitement did not end there. Merkel, in the excitement took off directly to the dugout celebration which was in centerfield to avoid the crowd rush and failed to touch second base. Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers asked the outfielder to throw him the ball to touch second base, but the ball was overthrown. Chaos commenced. The Giant’s Joe McGinnity, aware of what Evers was planning, ran out of the dugout, picked up the loose baseball and threw it into the stands. Cub players Harry Steinfeldt and Rube Kroh ran up into the stands, snatched the ball from a fan and threw to Evers on second base. Evers tagged second base and insisted that Merkle be called out, claiming he would have been out before the runner scored. Since the second base umpire had ducked, the head umpire ruled for the Cubs and declared the game a tie. Ties were not uncommon in those days. Newspapers were vicious on reporting the error. Fans were irate. The tie ruling remained since it would not matter unless the season ended with the Giants and Cubs tied for first place; which two weeks later it did. A playoff game was replayed on October 7 to determine the pennant winner. Over 80,000 fans showed up for the game in New York, although the old wooden stadium could only seat 35,000. Fans were everywhere, on top of buildings, perched on lamp posts and on each other’s shoulders. The pitchers were Christy Mathewson of the Giants versus “Three Finger” Brown for the Cubs. The Cubs won in a comeback victory and Fred Merkle openly wept due to his error two weeks earlier that mandated playing the game. For many years thereafter, when someone would make a mistake, it would often be referred to as a “Merkle”. Merkle was never allowed to escape the monitor through out his career which lasted until 1926. Everytyime he came to bat or was seen in public he was reminded of the fatal errror. Howeverr in 1950, he returned to New York for an old timers game and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He died in 1956 at the age of 88. In his hometown of Watertown, Wisconsin there is a ball field and a pub bearing his name.