August 4, 1931: Rookie Vince Barton slams two homers to power Cubs over Reds

Just four years after playing sandlot ball in Toronto, highly-touted Vince Barton appeared to be on the verge of stardom with the Chicago Cubs.1 The 23-year-old slugger had just blasted a pair of homers and driven in four runs in the second game of an August 4, 1931, twin bill against the Cincinnati Reds. Herbert Simons of the Chicago Daily Times wrote that the fans at Wrigley Field had witnessed “the flourishing of Rookie Barton in something approaching advance expectations.”2

But it was not meant to be. Although Barton went on to become one of professional baseball’s most prolific home-run hitters of the 1930s,3 his big-league career was limited to a modest 102 games.4

The International League’s Baltimore Orioles had signed Barton to his first professional contract in October 1927, right under the noses of their IL rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs.5 Barton began the 1928 season with Baltimore before being sent down to the Eastern Shore League for more seasoning.6 A month later the Class D circuit disbanded, and he returned to the Orioles for the rest of the season.7 Despite the massive jump from amateur ball in Toronto to the top rung of the minor leagues,8 Barton held his own in 63 games with Baltimore, batting .285.9

The Orioles held spring training in Augusta, Georgia, in 1929, and Barton’s play drew rave reviews.10 He even caught the attention of a special instructor in camp, the recently retired Ty Cobb. “Cobb likes the physical qualifications of Barton,” wrote the Baltimore Evening Sun. “Ty believes he’ll go far in this game of baseball.”11 Even with the high-profile endorsement, Barton was demoted by the Orioles and spent most of the season tearing up the Class A Eastern League.12

Barton had a breakout season with the Orioles in 1930, slamming 32 homers – tied for fourth best in the league – and hitting .341. He was one of three outfielders named to the IL’s All-Star team, cementing his status as a big-time prospect.13 The performance drew the attention of several major-league teams, and the Cubs purchased his contract for a whopping $40,000 and assigned him to the Pacific Coast League’s Los Angeles Angels to begin the 1931 season.14

The Cubs had fallen just two games short of claiming their second consecutive National League pennant in 1930, and expectations were high under player-manager Rogers Hornsby.15 But in mid-July the team was mired in fourth place and in need of outfield help, so Barton, the PCL’s home-run leader, was called up.16

Barton hit just .143 in his first 14 games with the Cubs. After a short stint on the bench, he got another chance to start in right field when Hack Wilson’s season-long batting funk deepened.17 Barton responded by hitting his first career big-league homer and knocking in four runs to lead the Cubs to an 8-0 victory over the Reds in the opener of a four-game series on August 3.

The underachieving Cubs came into their August 4 doubleheader in third place with a 55-45-2 record, eight games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds were on a four-game losing skid and floundering in last place with a 37-64 mark. Worse still, they hadn’t scored a run in 40 consecutive innings.

Barton kept hitting in the first game of the twin bill, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in a 4-2 Chicago win. The sad-sack Reds could at least take solace in finally getting on the scoresheet, as their sixth-inning run snapped their streak of scoreless innings at 45.

The starting pitchers in the second game were both coming off forgettable seasons. Righty Benny Frey, who lost an NL-worst 18 games in 1930, took to the hill for Cincinnati. Frey had a much-improved 7-7 record and a 4.10 ERA. Hornsby tapped 29-year-old southpaw Les Sweetland (7-4, 4.94 ERA) to start for Chicago. Sweetland had posted a 7.71 ERA in 167 innings with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1930, setting a NL/AL record for the worst ERA for a pitcher who qualified for the ERA title.18

Barton, batting in the cleanup spot, led off the bottom of the second against Frey. The left-handed pull hitter got the Cubs on the scoreboard by blasting a long fly that “arched leisurely into the right-field bleacher.”19 One out later, back-to-back doubles by Charlie Grimm and Gabby Hartnett put the Cubs ahead 2-0.

Sweetland blanked the Reds through his first six innings of work, scattering five hits and a walk.

With one out in the sixth, Cubs center fielder Kiki Cuyler reached on an infield single. The next batter, Barton, launched a 1-and-1 pitch from Frey over the right-field fence for his second homer of the game, giving Chicago a 4-0 lead.

The Reds rallied in the eighth for three runs off Sweetland, highlighted by an RBI double by Tony Cuccinello and Leo Durocher’s RBI single.20

In the bottom of the eighth, Cubs shortstop Woody English greeted reliever Jack Ogden with a leadoff double.21 Cuyler surprised the Reds by laying down a two-strike bunt; it went for a single and advanced English to third. The next batter, Barton, singled to right field for his third hit and fourth RBI of the game. Two outs later, the Cubs tacked on runs on an RBI double by Hartnett and an RBI single by rookie third baseman Billy Jurges, extending their lead to 7-3.

Sweetland kept the Reds off the scoresheet in the ninth, sending the 37,000 fans home happy.

In the three games since Barton had returned to the starting lineup, he had gone 7-for-10 with 3 homers and 9 RBIs. The offensive outburst led the United Press’s George Kirksey to suggest that Barton “might be the answer to the Cubs’ plea for a successor to Hack Wilson, major league home run leader last year who has been the biggest failure of the 1931 season.”22

Barton held onto the starting right fielder’s job for the rest of the season.23 He began another hot streak on September 10, helping Chicago win 13 of its final 15 contests, although it was too little, too late.24 The Cubs finished third, 17 games behind the pennant-winning Cardinals.

Barton had a highly productive rookie season even though he hit only .238 in 66 games. He clubbed 13 homers − ninth best in the NL − and drove in 50 runs.25 No Cubs player had more home runs in his first 66 career games until 2015, when Kyle Schwarber hit 16 four-baggers.26 Barton’s home-run rate of one round-tripper per 18.4 at-bats was impressive considering the NL and AL had deadened the ball in 1931 to reduce offense.27

Barton was the Cubs’ Opening Day right fielder and cleanup hitter in 1932. But after batting only .182 in the first 11 games, he was demoted to the International League on May 2.28 Barton was recalled in late June and soon fell into another slump. Before the Cubs’ July 30 game at Ebbets Field, Hornsby announced that Barton was being sent back to the minors.29 Barton later blamed his struggles on Hornsby changing his batting style in 1932.30

The Cubs, meanwhile, continued to disappoint, and President Bill Veeck Sr. lost confidence in Hornsby. On August 2, with the Cubs five games out of first place, Veeck waived Hornsby as a player and fired him as manager.31 According to one report, Veeck’s “insistence that Vince Barton be given another chance as an outfielder after Hornsby had quit on the fellow opened the breach that led to the dismissal of the Rajah.”32

The Cubs quickly improved under new player-manager Grimm, and they roared back to win the pennant by four games over the Pittsburgh Pirates.33 Barton was recalled late in the season, although he didn’t see any game action.34

The Cubs were swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series, which featured Babe Ruth’s alleged called shot in Game Three. Despite appearing in 36 regular-season games, Barton was denied a share of World Series receipts.35 Then again, so too was Hornsby, who was despised by many of his players.

In 1933 Barton narrowly avoided tragedy during spring training with the Cubs. A serious eye infection was misdiagnosed and nearly cost him the sight in his right eye, derailing his chances of making the team.36 Barton began the season with Albany in the International League and after a slow start Chicago sold his contract to the Newark Bears in June.37

Barton bounced back in 1934, tying for the IL lead with 32 homers. Surprisingly, no major-league teams came calling. In 1935 he hit 27 homers for the Orioles in an injury-riddled campaign, his last good season in Organized Baseball.38

His career began to spin out of control in 1936, and reports of a drinking problem began to surface.39 In late June, Barton refused a demotion to the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League and he was eventually suspended and placed on the ineligible list.40 With few other options, he jumped to the outlaw Carolina League that summer.41

Barton spent two more seasons in the Carolina League, putting up impressive power numbers.42 On August 26, 1938, Barton was playing for the Hickory Rebels when he accomplished something that very few professional ballplayers have done: He hit five home runs in a nine-inning game, with the longest blast estimated at 500 feet.43 Decades later, the Hickory clubhouse attendant divulged that Barton had shown up late for the game, clearly under the influence of alcohol.44

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Kurt Blumenau and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Stathead.com, Retrosheet.org, and The Sporting News contract card of Vince Barton. The author also reviewed the SABR biographies of Bill Veeck Sr., Rogers Hornsby, Hack Wilson, and Pat Malone. All statistics for the outlaw Carolina League were taken from the book Baseball Outlaws: The Independent Carolina Baseball League. Unless otherwise noted, all play-by-play information for this game was taken from the article “Cubs Win, 4-2, 7-3; Barton Hits 2 Homers,” on page 19 of the August 5, 1931, edition of the Chicago Tribune.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN193108042.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1931/B08042CHN1931.htm

Photo credit

Photo of Vince Barton courtesy the Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 Barton was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and his family moved to Toronto when he was a child. Barton had just finished his final season with the Toronto McCormicks, a highly successful junior baseball team, when he signed his first professional contract. “F. Barton, Ex-Edmontonian, While Insane, Slays Sister, So Toronto Police Allege,” Edmonton Journal, April 21, 1930: 1; “Playground Junior Makes Record Jump; Barton of the McCormicks Hops From Kid Ranks Into the International League,” Toronto Star, October 12, 1927: 12.

2 Herbert Simons, “Vin Barton Stars as Long Home Stay Ends,” Chicago Times, August 5, 1931: 30.

3 As of December 2023, Barton’s minor-league statistics were missing on Baseball-Reference.com for 1928 in the Eastern Shore League, 1936-38 in the outlaw Carolina League, and 1939 in the independent (Québec) Provincial League. His statistics for 1937-39 can be found in Notes 41 and 42. Barton led the Carolina League in home runs in 1937 and he was second in the league in round-trippers in 1938. Based just on the figures on Baseball-Reference.com as of December 2023, Barton averaged more than 30 home runs per 600 at-bats in the minors.

4 Barton hit .233 with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs in 373 big-league at-bats.

5 The Orioles had been alerted to Barton’s baseball prowess by Frank Selke, a friend of Orioles owner Jack Dunn and a minor-league hockey manager in Toronto. Selke went on to become a successful executive with the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960. “Vince ‘Firpo’ Barton,” Toronto Star, April 16, 1928: 10; Paul Menton, “It’s All in the Viewpoint,” Baltimore Evening Sun, September 15, 1930: 24.

6 “Orioles Out-Rally Bisons in Eighth Inning and Take Second Contest,” Baltimore Sun, April 20, 1928: 16; “Orioles Have Chance to Climb in Series with Buffalo Bisons,” Baltimore Sun, June 9, 1928: 12; Randall Cassell, “Dunn Gives Sackett Walking Papers,” Baltimore Evening Sun, June 13, 1928: 30.

7 The Eastern Shore League disbanded on July 10. “Anderson Released by Oriole Leader; Porter to Infield,” Baltimore Evening Sun, July 27, 1928: 29; Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, (Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997), 255.

8 Class AA (commonly spoken as Double A) was the highest level of the minor leagues in 1928. There were three Class AA circuits: the International League, the American Association, and the Pacific Coast League. Class A was the second-highest level of the minors.

9 Barton also made the transition from first base to the outfield during the 1928 season. He had primarily been a first baseman in amateur baseball. “Probable Pitchers,” Baltimore Evening Sun, March 5, 1928: 22.

10 Randall Cassell, “Barton is Most Improved Player at Baltimore Camp,” Baltimore Evening Sun, March 29, 1929: 43.

11 Barton’s calling card was his hitting. Randall Cassell, “Barton’s Batting Draws Praise from Cobb,” Baltimore Evening Sun, March 13, 1929: 27.

12 Barton played for two Eastern League teams in 1929. He went 8-for-20 (.400) with the Allentown (Pennsylvania) Dukes and he hit .320 for the New Haven (Connecticut) Profs. Barton batted .200 in three games with the Orioles in 1929. Randall Cassell, “Slow Double Play Work Hurting Birds,” Baltimore Evening Sun, May 18, 1929: 8; Randall Cassell, “Orioles Recall Vince Barton from New Haven,” Baltimore Evening Sun, August 20, 1929: 24; “Taylor, Reading, Led International League Batters for Season of 1929,” Montreal Gazette, January 21, 1930: 19.

13 The other two outfielders on the International League All-Star team were 26-year-old Pepper Martin and 24-year-old Red Worthington of the Rochester Red Wings. Johnson and Wolff, 264.

14 According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) Inflation Calculator on the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website, $40,000 in September 1930 was worth roughly $740,000 in November 2023. “Orioles Sell Outfielder to Cubs for $40,000,” Chicago Tribune, September 14, 1930: 28; Edward Burns, “Cubs Take Final Game from Los Angeles, 15-3,” Chicago Tribune, March 20, 1931: 35.

15 Hornsby took over the managerial duties from Joe McCarthy for the last four games of the 1930 season.

16 Barton had hit .302 with 17 homers in 334 at-bats with the Angels. “Barton Rejoins Cubs Wednesday; Moore to Coast,” Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1931: 26; “Barton Obtained from Los Angeles,” The Sporting News, July 16, 1931: 1.

17 Hornsby had benched Wilson several times by this point of the 1931 season – and not just for his poor play. Hornsby was a stern disciplinarian and Wilson was notorious for drinking and breaking curfew. Irving Vaughan, “Barton’s Hitting Helps Cubs Whip Reds, 8-0,” Chicago Tribune, August 4, 1931: 23.

18 As of the end of the 2023 season, Sweetland still held the NL/AL record for the highest single-season ERA.

19 Irving Vaughan, “Cubs Win, 4-2, 7-3; Barton Hits 2 Homers,” Chicago Tribune, August 5, 1931: 19.

20 The other run scored on an RBI groundout by former Cub Clyde Beck.

21 Cincinnati had pinch-hit for Frey in the eighth inning.

22 Wilson batted.356 and led the majors with 59 homers in 1930. He also set a new major-league record with 191 RBIs. As of August 4, 1931, Wilson was hitting .260 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs. George Kirksey (United Press), “Rebuilding of Chicago Cubs Is Launched,” Neenah (Wisconsin) Daily News-Times, August 5, 1931: 5.

23 Barton had a one-week absence in early September to attend a family funeral. Chicago went 0-5 while he was away, although the drama surrounding Hack Wilson also contributed to the team’s tailspin. Wilson was humiliated when Hornsby ran out of outfielders in a September 4 game against the Reds and used a pitcher, Bud Teachout, instead of him. Wilson was suspended for the remainder of the season for an ugly incident on the train with two sportswriters and pitcher Pat Malone on September 5. He had finally worn out his welcome with the Cubs. On December 11, 1931, Wilson and Teachout were traded to the Cardinals in return for Burleigh Grimes. “Teachout Replaces Wilson; Reds Whip Cubs, 12-3,” Chicago Tribune, September 5, 1931: 17.

24 Barton hit .333 with 3 homers and 15 RBIs in Chicago’s last 15 games of the season. His on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) was 1.036 in those games.

25 Barton also led the National League with nine hit-by-pitches.

26 As of the end of the 2023 season, only two Cubs had hit more homers than Barton in the first 66 games of their career: Schwarber in 2015 and Ian Happ in 2017. Happ hit 24 homers in his rookie season; 14 of those homers came in his first 66 games.

27 Only two National League players hit home runs at a faster pace in 1931: outfielder Mel Ott (29 homers in 497 at-bats) and pinch-hitter and backup first baseman Sam Leslie (3 homers in 53 at-bats). Both were on the New York Giants.

28 “Cubs Give Barton Ticket to Reading; Subject to Recall,” Chicago Tribune, May 3, 1932: 21.

29 Later that day, Wilson – now with the Brooklyn Dodgers – knocked in four runs to help defeat Hornsby and the Cubs. “Wilson’s Bat Spells Defeat for Cubs 7 to 2,” Chicago Daily News, July 30, 1932: 11.

30 “Barton Blames Hornsby for Flop in Big League,” Toronto Star Weekly, July 8, 1933: 6.

31 Edward Burns, “Hornsby Removed by Cubs,” Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1932: 1.

32 There were other factors in the firing of Hornsby as manager. According to the SABR biography of Bill Veeck Sr., he was never a fan of Hornsby the manager. Hornsby was a favorite of Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr., and when he died in January 1932 Veeck had more autonomy. William Braucher, “Hooks and Slides,” Pomona (California) Progress-Bulletin, August 17, 1932: 8.

33 The Cubs also benefited from an extended cold spell by the Pirates. Pittsburgh lost 22 of 27 games from July 30 to August 25.

34 Charles Good, “Sport Brigade,” Toronto Daily Star, September 20, 1932: 9.

35 Herbert Simons, “Cubs Deny Hornsby Series Cut; Former Pilot Ignored; Koenig Gets 1-2 Share,” Chicago Times, September 21, 1932: 30.

36 Associated Press, “Barton Ailing,” Rockford (Illinois) Morning Star, April 5, 1933: 11; Herbert Simons, “Barton Nearly Loses Eye; Out Several Weeks,” Chicago Times, April 11, 1933: 26; “Cubs Rest Some More; Start Trip,” Chicago Times, April 19, 1933: 26.

37 “Barton Bought by Bears,” Buffalo News, June 19, 1933: 11.

38 The Orioles had purchased Barton’s contract from Newark in late October 1934. He missed a week of action because of a dislocated shoulder in late July 1935. Barton was out for the remainder of the season after being hit on the elbow by a pitch on August 25. “Vince Barton Is Bought by Birds,” Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard, October 26, 1934: 12; “International League News and Gossip,” Montreal Gazette, August 2, 1935: 10; “Return of Barton Bolsters the Birds,” Toronto Daily Star, August 3, 1935: 8; “Vince Barton Out,” Victoria (British Columbia) Daily Times, August 31, 1935: 13.

39 Andy Lytle, “New Pearce Is a Whiz,” Toronto Daily Star, May 5, 1936: 10; “Thompson Hitting Star as Montreal Beats Orioles, 6-3,” Montreal Gazette, May 9, 1936: 14.

40 In April 1936, Baltimore demoted Barton to the Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association. He played poorly for Birmingham and was unable to “get into condition,” so Baltimore sold his contract to Syracuse in May. Barton continued to struggle with Syracuse, batting .239 with little power in 44 games. Syracuse attempted to farm him out to Wilkes-Barre of the New York-Pennsylvania League. “Orioles Ship Outfielder Vince Barton to Birmingham Club on Option,” Baltimore Sun, April 10, 1936; “Thompson Hitting Star as Montreal Beats Orioles, 6-3”; “Orioles’ Shortstop Lost Several Days Due to Bone Bruise,” Baltimore Evening Sun, June 29, 1936: 22.

41 An outlaw league was a professional circuit that operated outside of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and did not honor the association’s player contracts. Barton remained in the Carolina League until it split into two leagues and joined the National Association for the 1939 season. He spent the final year of his professional career playing for the Granby Red Sox of the independent (Québec) Provincial League in 1939. According to SABR member Christian Trudeau, Barton hit .286 with 7 homers and 55 RBIs in 255 at-bats with Granby. R.G. Utley and Scott Verner, Baseball Outlaws: The Independent Carolina Baseball League, (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., 1999), 112-13, 226-32; Chauncey Durden, “The Sportview,” Charlotte News, July 22, 1936: 13; R.G. Utley, Tim Peeler, and Aaron Peeler, Outlaw Ballplayers: Interviews and Profiles from the Independent Carolina Baseball League, (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., 2006), 124.

42 The author could not find Barton’s Carolina League batting statistics for 1936. In 1937 Barton hit .320 for the Kannapolis (North Carolina) Towelers and he led the league with 27 homers in only 300 at-bats. The Towelers considered Barton’s “hard-living ways a bad influence,” so he signed with the Hickory (North Carolina) Rebels for the 1938 season. In 361 at-bats with Hickory, Barton hit .324 with 26 homers, 97 runs scored, and 82 RBIs. He led the league in runs scored and finished second in homers and RBIs. Utley and Verner, 207.

43 According to research completed by SABR members, from 1901 to 2022 only four players in the minor leagues hit five home runs in a game: Pete Schneider in 1923, Lou Frierson in 1934, Cecil Dunn in 1936, and Dick Lane in 1948. Jay Clarke hit between three and eight home runs in a 1902 game. Barton’s five-homer game is not included in SABR’s list because it happened in an outlaw league. Wake Bridges, “Vince Barton Hits Five Homers to Set Record for Single Game,” Hickory (North Carolina) Daily Record, August 27, 1938: 2.

44 Utley, T. Peeler, and A. Peeler, 124.