Turbow: The aftermath of Fred Merkle’s boner
From SABR member Jason Turbow at The National Pastime Museum on July 3, 2017:
Most of us know about Fred Merkle, at least enough to recognize his nickname: “Bonehead.” The epithet is tied to Merkle’s failure in 1908 to complete his advance from first base to second on a game-winning hit, when he prematurely decamped for the clubhouse as fans of his hometown New York Giants flooded the field. The visiting Cubs somehow procured a baseball and tagged second base, which Merkle had neglected to touch. The runner was called out on appeal, and the game was ruled a tie.
The play would not likely have become such an indelible historic marker had the Giants and Cubs not ended the season two weeks later with identical 98–55 records, setting up a one-game playoff for the pennant. Chicago won, of course, and Merkle was relegated to the list of baseball’s noteworthy goats.
Read the full article here: https://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/aftermath-fred-merkle-s-boner
- Related link: Read the 100th anniversary edition of SABR’s Deadball Era Committee “Merkle’s Boner” newsletter
Originally published: July 5, 2017. Last Updated: July 5, 2017.