H is for Hank Sauer

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

H is for Hank

Hank Sauer

1917 - 2001

Hank Sauer , a 2 time all star and NL MVP of 1952 was a Cubs outfielder from 1950 to 1955.   He hit 288 homers in his 15 major league seasons.  His 7 seasons with the Cubbies yielded 198 of those round trippers which puts him 9th all time for the club.

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H is for How it Should Have Ended

G is for Gabby

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

G is for Gabby

Charles  Leo "Gabby" Hartnett(HOF)
1900-1972

Cubs, (NY)Giants

Gabby Hartnett hit 231 homers for the Cubs from 1922 to 1940 which puts him 7th all time with the club.  The 6 time all star and 1935 NL MVP is best remember for 1 specific homer,  The homer in the gloaming which took place 9/26 1938.  Before I get to the significance of the homer , let me explain how baseball in 1938 from the baseball we understand.

1. Until the late 60's there were no playoff series prior to the World Series.   Each year the best team in the National League would play the best team in the American League in the World Series.  The entire season was played to determine which team would win the pennant and play in the World Series.

2.  While the first MLB night game was played in 1934, night games were still not common in 1938 and not played at Wrigley Field until 1988.

The Pittsburgh Pirates led the NL for most of the 1938 season but started to unravel in September. When they came into Chicago for a 3 game series , the Cubs were only 1 1/2 games behind the Bucs.  Dizzy Dean who was traded from the Cards to the Cubs in 1938 beat the Pirates in the first game.  In the 2nd game the score was tied 5-5  as the Cubs came to bat in the 9th.  Because Wrigley had no lights the umpires decided that the 9th inning would be the last which would cause the entire game to be replayed the next day.



The Cubs were down to their last out and Hartnett was 0-2 in the account.  As twilight descended Hartnett homered into the left center bleachers and the crowd erupted.  The Cubs essentially won the pennant on that home run.

Hartnett hit all but 5 of homers for the Cubs but his walk off in 1938 put the immortal touch on an already HOF career,

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G is for Grover

You Tube A TO Z

G is for Grover

I grew up on Sesame Street.  I mean the television show, not the actual street.  My love for all things Muppets began watching sketches like these on PBS.  Like many sesame street sketches of it's time, it starts with a usual situation and put's an educational/wacky take on it.

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F is for Frank

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

F is for Frank

Frank "Wildfire" Schulte
1882-1949

Cubs, Pirates, Phillies and Senators

When composing a list such as this, it is fairly common to come across a player you are only vaguely familiar with.  But that is not the case with Frank Schulte, I had never heard of him.  Schulte was a contemporary of Tinker, Evers and Chance and played for the Cubs from 1904 to 1916. He was the 1911 NL MVP and (get ready for this) played in 4 World Series with the Cubs losing to the White Sox in 1906, beating the Tigers in 1907 and 1908 and lost to the Philadelphia Athleticss in 1910.  He hit .321 in those 4 World Series.  Schulte hit 91 home runs for the Cubs and only hit 1 more after he left the team in 1916.  

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