Thompson: In 1938, the Chicago Cubs exploded for 12 runs in 1 inning against 1 hapless pitcher
From Phil Thompson at the Chicago Tribune on May 5, 2020, with mention of SABR member Matt Albertson:
There are a number of reasons to mark May 5, 1938, when the Cubs crushed the Phillies 21-2 at Wrigley Field. But there are also reasons that game seems to have been overlooked with the passage of time.
After all, while the Cubs’ monstrous eighth inning set National League records for runs allowed (12) and batters faced (16) in one inning by one pitcher — unfortunate Phillies reliever Hal Kelleher — it’s not even a Cubs record for runs in an inning. That would be the 18 runs the White Stockings (the Cubs’ original name) scored in the seventh inning against the Detroit Wolverines on Sept. 6, 1883.
“Nineteen-thirty-eight for the Phillies is the first of five straight 100-plus-loss seasons,” said Matt Albertson, a historian with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). “And it’s also the first of six of seven 100-plus-loss seasons. So the Phillies aren’t really good.”
Read the full article here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-1938-12-run-inning-20200505-up2gh5nrtnbl7aosrazu52ujoi-story.html
- Related link: “May 5, 1938: Al Epperly wins starting debut as Cubs pulverize Phillies” (SABR Games Project)
Originally published: May 5, 2020. Last Updated: May 5, 2020.