The baseball pennant races are entering the home stretch with fans hoping for some tight races down to the wire.
The game's wildest finishes came more than a century ago in 1908. In both leagues, three teams battled until the final day, and for the National League, after the last day.
In the American League, it was the Tigers led by Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford, the White Sox and the Naps, as Cleveland was nicknamed at the time, with pitchers Ed Walsh for Chicago and Addie Joss for Cleveland. Pitching during the dead ball era when scoring was at its lowest point, they have the game's two lowest career ERAs, 1.82 for Walsh and 1.89 for Joss.
With one game to go in the season Detroit led both Chicago and Cleveland by half a game. The Naps and the White Sox played that final game, with Walsh facing Joss.
Walsh had 40 wins, needing one more to tie Jack Chesbro's league record. He pitched a good game, but Joss pitched a perfect game for a 1-0 Cleveland win.
The Naps a needed a Tiger loss. They didn't get it as the Tigers won their final game for the second of three straight pennants, finishing half game ahead of the Naps with a 90-63 record to 90-64 for Cleveland. For some reason, the Tigers played one fewer game.
In the National League, it was the Cubs of Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance fame, the John McGraw New York Giants with Christy Mathewson and the Pittsburgh Pirates with Honus Wagner. Those three teams won every NL pennant between 1901 and 1913.
Late the the season, the Cubs and Giants met at the Polo Grounds in New York. It was 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth when Fred Merkle, a 19-year-old Giant rookie, singled with two outs, sending Moose McCormick to third. Al Birdwell followed with a hit to centerfield which should have scored McCormick with the winning run. But Merkle stopped before reaching second, joining his celebrating teammates while fans streamed onto the field. It was dubbed Merkle's Boner.
Recognizing there was a force at second, Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers yelled for the ball from centerfielder Solly Hofman. Giant first base coach Joe McGinnity recognized the same thing and intercepted the ball, throwing it into a crowd of fans.
The ball, or at least some ball, was retrieved and thrown to Evers at second. After conferring, the umpires called Merkle out, ending the inning and nullfiying the run. But with fans on the field, the game could not be continued.
The National League ruled it no contest, to be made up, if necessary. It was necessary.
After the final day of the season, the Giants and Cubs were tied with 98-55 records, the Pirates half a game back at 99-56.
The game was replayed two days later. Mathewson had a career a high 37 wins, but was not at his best, allowing nine hits in a 4-2 Cub victory.
After all the drama, the World Series was anticlimatic, the Cubs defeating the Tigers in five games to repeat as champions. The Cubs won another Series — 108 years later.
