Winning on the North Side: The 1929 Chicago Cubs (The SABR Digital Library Book 25)

“The best team I ever played on was McCarthy’s twenty-niners. It was strictly power all the way. No tricky baseball.” —Cubs first baseman Charlie Grimm



This book celebrates the 1929 Chicago Cubs, one of the most exciting teams in baseball history. Bashing their way to the pennant by crushing their opponents in a high-scoring era, skipper Joe McCarthy’s North Siders were an offensive juggernaut, leading the majors with 982 runs scored. Future Hall of Famers Hack Wilson, ’29 NL MVP Rogers Hornsby, and Kiki Cuyler, along with Riggs Stephenson formed one of the most potent quartets in baseball history, collectively scoring 493 runs and knocking in 520. As awe-inspiring as the Cubs offense was, their pitching was almost as good. Charlie Root, Guy Bush, and Pat Malone anchored a staff that finished second in team ERA and led the league in shutouts.



The Cubs’ magical season came to an ignominious conclusion when they faced Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. Long before the “lovable loser” moniker was attached to the Cubs, Chicago’s crushing defeat in five games helped craft the narrative of fateful losses.



The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) invites you to read the life and baseball stories of all the roster players and the coaching staff and relive an important part of baseball history. Also included are biographies of club owner William Wrigley, visionary executive Bill Veeck, Sr., and Margaret Donahue, the first female executive in baseball history. A summary of the regular season and World Series, as well as essays on the 1929 Athletics, Wrigley Field, Catalina Island, and fate of the Cubs after 1929 round out this volume. With contributions from 26 members of the SABR BioProject, this book is a riveting account of one of the most memorable teams in Chicago sports history.



Introduction by Gregory H. Wolf

THE OWNER

William Wrigley, Jr. by David Fletcher and George Castle

THE CUBS

Tom Angley by Jack Morris

Clyde Beck by Norm King

Footsie Blair by Norm King

Sheriff Blake by Gregory H. Wolf

Guy Bush by Gregory H. Wolf

Hal Carlson by Ernie Fuhr

Kiki Cuyler by Gregory H. Wolf

Mike Cvengros by Chip Greene

Woody English by Dan Fields

Mike González by Joseph Gerard

Earl Grace by Greg Erion

Hank Grampp by Peter Morris

Charlie Grimm by Dan Fields

Gabby Hartnett by William H. Johnson

Cliff Heathcote by William H. Johnson

Trader Horne by Dan Fields

Rogers Hornsby by C. Paul Rogers

Claude Jonnard by William H. Johnson

Pat Malone by Gregory H. Wolf

Norm McMillan by Bill Nowlin

Johnny Moore by C. Paul Rogers

Art Nehf by Gregory H. Wolf

Bob Osborn by Nancy Snell Griffith

Ken Penner by Chip Greene

Charlie Root by Gregory H. Wolf

Johnny Schulte by James Lincoln Ray

Riggs Stephenson by Gregory H. Wolf

Danny Taylor by Nancy Snell Griffith

Zack Taylor by Norm King

Chick Tolson by Chip Greene

Hack Wilson by Thomas E. Schott

THE MANAGER

Joe McCarthy by John McMurray

THE COACHES

Jimmy Burke by Gary Livacari

Mickey Doolan by Paul Mittermeyer

Grover Land by Gary Livacari

FRONT OFFICE

Bill Veeck, Sr. by David Fletcher and George Castle 200

Margaret Donahue by David Fletcher and George Castle

Wrigley Field by Scott Ferkovich

Catalina Island by Zachary Michael Jack

THE SPORTSWRITERS

Ed Burns by Chip Greene

Irving Vaughan by Chip Greene

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Bob Elson by Fred Taylor

SEASON SUMMARY

The 1929 Chicago Cubs Regular Season Summary by Gregory H. Wolf

HIGHLIGHTS AT WRIGLEY FIELD IN 1929

Full Game Summaries by Gregory H. Wolf

June 9: Art Nehf and Ben Cantwell hurl four-hitters

June 15: Riggs Stephenson’s walk-off pop-foul wins it in the 10th

August 1: Guy Bush hurls shutout to win 10th consecutive decision

September 14: Pat Malone tosses shutout for 21st win

WORLD SERIES SUMMARY

1929 Philadelphia Athletics by Bob Buege

1929 World Series Summary by Norm King

By the Numbers: Chicago Cubs in 1929 by Dan