1939 Wrigley Field Main Entrance

A crowd gathers in front of the Wrigley Field main entrance in May 1939. The classic Art Deco marquee says The North Siders will play three games against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers have a new manager, Leo Durocher. who also starts at shortstop. For the first time, the National League’s New York City club also has a radio broadcast, featuring the one and only Red Barber.

But the crowd outside the Wrigley Field main entrance is here to see their North Side squad. The sluggers from the early 1930s are mostly gone. Fan favorite Gabby Hartnett is the team’s catcher and player-manager, in the very twilight of a stellar career. There’s second baseman Billy Herman, who hits .307, and third baseman Stan Hack (.298). Outfielders Augie Galan (.304) and Hank Leiber (.310) have decent years. But it’s really the pitching that carries the team. Bill Lee, fresh off a 22-win season in 1938, goes 19-15 with 20 complete games. Larry French goes 15-8, while newcomer Claude Passeau chips in at 13-9. And even Dizzy Dean, sore arm and all, helps out, at 6-4. 

The North Siders, who play in the 1938 World Series, have no such luck this year. They finish 84-70 and in fourth place, one-half game behind this Brooklyn Dodgers team and 13 games behind the NL pennant winners, the Cincinnati Reds. So what happens during this May three-game series versus Brooklyn? The home team goes 1-1-1, with a 19-inning tie!

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