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The Cubs came to town the next day for three games, including a July 4 doubleheader. Paige started the July 3 game. Both Paige and the Cubs’ Roy Prim went through the first three innings scorelessly, surrendering just a hit a piece. The Cubs finally broke the tie in the sixth when Phil Cavarretta stroked an RBI double to right. The Phillies came back in the bottom of the inning with three runs, including two on Leonard’s triple to deep center field. The Cubs scored two in the ninth to tie it, and the gave went into extra frames. Paige stayed out there for eleven innings, until Ron Northey’s pinch hit triple won it in the 11th, 4-3.

Barnhill started game one of the Independence Day doubleheader. With the war still raging, the patriotic ceremonies took on added meaning to players and spectators. Peanuts Lowrey tripled and scored in the first to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Both lineups seemed to wilt in the afternoon heat, but the pitchers were unaffected. The Cubs loaded the bases in the ninth, but Barnwell got out of it without a run and the Phillies batted in the bottom of the ninth, still trailing 1-0. Northey lofted a long drive toward the right field corner with two away, but it was not to be. Nicholson hauled it in and the Phillies went down to defeat.

With Johnson on the mound that afternoon, the Cubs went up early again, this time on Phil Cavarretta’s solo shot to right in the third. The Cubs did not score anymore off of Johnson, but he labored constantly and Ruth pulled him from the game in the fifth with the score still 1-0. Beck was effective in relief, but the Phillies still failed to score. Fans were near-riotous as the team went down to defeat again without scoring a run—eighteen straight shutout innings. They needed to get right quickly: the Cardinals were coming town tomorrow.