On This Day in Cubs History: Chicago Takes Game One of the World Series
For the standards of its time, two hours, 10 minutes was a long baseball game. In 2022 that might seem like the time it takes to play a few innings, but that Wednesday it was all the Chicago Cubs needed to send Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser packing.
Newhouser went on to win two MVP awards — this was before the advent of the Cy Young Award — and a World Series ring, something the 1945 Cubs were unable to accomplish. But they did force on Newhouser a 6.10 ERA for the series, with seven of those runs coming in his game one implosion.
Meanwhile, Cubs pitcher Hank Borowy threw a complete-game shutout, silencing Detroit Tiger greats like Hank Greenberg and Roy Cullenbine. Along with them in the Tigers lineup were Jimmy Outlaw, Skeeter Webb and Eddie Mayo, names fit only for a Western-flick or pre-integration baseball.
The Cubs took game one 9-0 over the Tigers, but failed to break their drought in a winner take all game seven as the Curse of the Billy Goat began. 1945 would be their last pennant winning season until 2016.
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