The 1938 Chicago Cubs season was the 67th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 63rd in the National League and the 23rd at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished first in the National League with a record of 89–63. The team was swept four games to none by the New York Yankees in the World Series.
The team is known for the season of pitcher Dizzy Dean. While pitching for the NL in the 1937 All-Star Game, Dean suffered a big toe fracture. Coming back too soon from the injury, Dean changed his pitching motion to avoid landing too hard on his sore toe enough to affect his mechanics. As a result, he hurt his arm, losing his great fastball. By , Dean's arm was largely gone. Cubs scout Clarence "Pants" Rowland was tasked with the unenviable job of obeying owner Philip K. Wrigley's direct order to buy a washed-up Dean's contract at any cost. Rowland signed the ragged righty for $185,000, one of the most expensive loss-leader contracts in baseball history. Dean still helped the Cubs win the 1938 pennant.
On July 20, Wrigley named 37-year-old Gabby Hartnett as the team's player-manager, replacing Charlie Grimm. When Hartnett took over, the Cubs were in third place, six games behind the first place Pittsburgh Pirates who were led by Pie Traynor. By September 27, with one week left in the season, the Cubs had battled back to within a game and a half game of the Pirates in the National League standings as the two teams met for a crucial three-game series. Dean pitched the opening game of the series and with his ailing arm, relied more on his experience and grit to defeat the Pirates by a score of 2 to 1. Dean would later call it the greatest outing of his career. The Cubs cut the Pirates' lead to a half game and set the stage for one of baseball's most memorable moments.
On September 28, the two teams met for the second game of the series, where Hartnett experienced the highlight of his career. With darkness descending on the lightless Wrigley Field and the score tied at 5 runs apiece, the umpires ruled that the ninth inning would be the last to be played. The entire game would have to be replayed the following day if the score remained tied. Hartnett came to bat with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. With a count of 0 balls and 2 strikes, Hartnett connected on a Mace Brown pitch, launching the ball into the darkness, before it eventually landed in the left-center field bleachers. The stadium erupted into pandemonium as players and fans stormed the field to escort Hartnett around the bases. Hartnett's walk-off home run became immortalized as the Homer in the Gloamin'. The Cubs were now in first place, culminating a 19–3–1 record in September, and the pennant would be clinched three days later.
It would be 50 years before lights were installed at Wrigley Field.
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Roster 1938 Chicago Cubs Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders Manager
Coaches
Schedule
Player stats = Indicates team leader = Indicates league leader Batting
Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI C 88 299 82 .274 10 59 1B 143 490 131 .267 13 61 2B 152 624 173 .277 1 56 SS 137 465 114 .245 1 47 3B 152 609 195 .320 4 67 OF 125 497 150 .302 3 67 OF 110 395 113 .286 6 69 OF 129 476 130 .273 8 62
Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI 92 268 64 .239 1 28 86 247 65 .263 3 33 76 235 57 .243 7 35 54 120 32 .267 5 23 23 54 14 .259 0 5 12 36 9 .250 0 2 17 33 6 .182 0 3 2 4 1 .250 0 0 1 1 1 1.000 0 1
Pitching
Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 44 291.0 22 9 2.66 121 44 270.1 19 11 3.10 135 43 201.1 10 19 3.80 83 33 167.2 10 9 5.42 80 13 74.2 7 1 1.81 22 2 10.0 0 0 5.40 4
Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 44 160.2 8 7 2.86 70 13 68.0 5 4 3.84 18 9 27.0 2 0 3.67 10
Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G W L SV ERA SO 42 6 1 3 3.34 29 14 0 2 2 2.78 10 1 0 0 0 9.00 1
1938 World Series
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Ponca City, Greeneville
References
External links 1938 Chicago Cubs season at Baseball Reference 1938: A Rockier Road A Pennant Made of Cheesecloth, Baseball Digest, October 1954 When Gabby Hartnett Hit His Homer in the Gloamin, Baseball Digest, October 1978