Season Wrap-up
The defending champion Dodgers went 14-16 in August and then dropped 11 of their first 15 in September to fall out of contention. Their starting rotation was the main reason for their struggles. No starting pitcher had an ERA below 4.00. The bullpen, though, was dominant when they got a lead. They posted a league-best 3.20 ERA, led by closer
John Cattanach's 30 saves and impressive 0.92 ERA in 59 innings.
With L.A.'s struggles, the Cubs took control of first place. However from September 23-25, they dropped 2-of-3 to the 2nd place Pirates in Pittsburgh. That limited the Cubs' lead to 2 games with a week remaining in the season. The Pirates went on to sweep the Phillies in Pittsburgh while the Cubs won 2-of-3 at home against the Dodgers. So with just 3 days left, the Cubs' lead had shrunk to one game.
On the final day of September, both teams would lose their matchup - the Cubs lost 5-3 at home versus the Giants while the Pirates dropped their game 3-1 on the road in St. Louis. On the following day, Pittsburgh's new ace
Ed Morris was lit up for 5 runs in 4 innings as the Pirates again lost to the Cardinals, this time 9-2. Meanwhile in Chicago, the Cubs took a 7-3 lead into the 7th inning. Cubs starter
Jocko Flynn was not sent back to the mound in the 7th, instead replaced by reliever
Joe Brown. Brown would cough up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk in 1/3rd of an inning, including a 2-run homer to Giants' third baseman
Roger Connor.
The game remained tied 7-7 in the bottom of the 9th, so the Giants sent out closer
Myron Allen (3-6, 33 Sv, 2.21 ERA). Rookie
George Van Haltren led off the inning with a single. Defensive replacement
Bill Kreig followed with another single, but Van Haltren was thrown out while trying to advance to 3rd. However, the Cubs added another single off Allen from shortstop
John Peters, and then slumping outfielder
Charlie Eden was sent to the plate as a pinch hitter for the pitcher's spot in the rotation. The 33-year-old Eden, a powerful hitter, stepped to the plate with 203 career home runs on his resume, but he was hitting just .218 on the season and had been relegated to a backup role all year. But this was Eden's day. On the very first pitch from Allen, the left-handed Eden sent the ball 390 feet over the right-center field fence for a 3-run homer, winning the game and clinching the pennant for Chicago for the first time in 7 seasons.
In other news, Cubs second baseman
Ross Barnes led the league with 232 hits and won his first batting title in 6 years with his .336 average. Meanwhile, Giants rookie
Mike Tiernan hit .287 with 30 home runs and led the league with 120 runs and 87 walks. Dodgers shortstop
Monte Ward stole 71 bases, just short of setting a new record. But unfortunately, Braves centerfielder
John O'Rourke broke his own record for strikeouts from the 1881 season with 201 K's - the first time anyone has ever struck out over 200 times.
Standings
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
