Thursday, April 12, 2012

Cubs 365, April 12

On April 12, 1933, the Wrigley Field crowd was undoubtedly happier than it has been since 1919. This was the first game at Wrigley Field since Prohibition had been repealed, although it would be another month before beer was officially available again.

The Cubs were the defending NL Champs, and the crowd of 25,000 witnessed a great pitching performance by Cubs ace Lon Warneke. He out-dueled the best pitcher in baseball, Dizzy Dean, throwing a 4-hit shutout against a Cardinals lineup that featured future Hall of Famers Joe Medwick and Frankie Frisch.

Warneke's battery-mate Gabby Hartnett was the hitting star for the Cubs that day. He got three hits, and knocked in two runs, as the Cubs won the game 3-0.

Neither the Cubs nor the Cardinals ended the season in first place in 1933. The National League pennant went to the New York Giants. They went on to beat the Washington Senators in the World Series.