The 1935 Chicago Cubs offense finally broke loose, scoring 12 runs against the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals and figuring out Syl Johnson to hand him his 1st loss of the Tournament. But it wasn’t easy. The Cardinals kept pressure on Charlie Root the entire game, never being more than 3 runs back at the end of any inning. St. Louis tied it in the 5th inning and scored in every inning after the 3rd. Even after allowing a 5-run 8th inning, the Cardinals scored 3 in the bottom of the inning and had the tying run at the plate in the 9th before Sparky Adams grounded into a double play. Roy Henshaw picked up his 2nd save with the 12-10 victory and sent the Cubs to Game 4 down just 2 games to 1 and ended their 4-game losing streak. Augie Galan was the star for Chicago, going 4 for 6 with a home run, 2 doubles, and 5 RBI. The teams combined for 38 hits.

’35 Cubs @ ’31 Cardinals – 10/9/23

1935 Chicago Cubs starter Larry French allowed 9 hits in the 1st 3 innings against the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals, but still found himself up 4-3. The Cardinals took a lead in the 2nd and 3rd innings, but Chicago came right back to retake it each time. Augie Galan added an insurance run in the 6th with an RBI double to give the Cubs a 5-3 lead. French left the game after allowing 2 hits in the 8th, but Clyde Shoun allowed just one of those runners to score to take a 5-4 lead into the 9th. But Shoun allowed Frankie Frisch a leadoff single, and Jim Bottomley walked before Chick Hafey doubled to tie the game. Pepper Martin followed and silenced the Wrigley Field crowd with a 3-run home run. Jim Lindsey pitched a scoreless 9th against the stunned Cubs, giving the Cardinals an 8-5 win and a 2-0 series lead heading to St. Louis. The Cubs will now need to win 4 of their next 5 games, the next 3 being at Sportsman’s Park. The Cardinals have won 4 straight and carry all of the momentum home.

’31 Cardinals @ ’35 Cubs – 10/7/23

The 1931 St. Louis Cardinals were limited to two hits through 7 innings against 1935 Chicago Cubs starter Lon Warneke. They finally broke through in the 8th. Charlie Gelbert led off with a double, and after Jimmie Wilson grounded out, Sparky Adams reached on one of Chicago’s 4 errors in the game. George Watkins came in clutch, bouncing one into the corner for a 2-run triple. Gelbert added an insurance run with an RBI double in the 9th. Meanwhile, Burleigh Grimes allowed just 4 hits in a 3-0 shutout. Chicago threatened in the 8th when Freddie Lindstrom doubled and moved to 3rd on a Billy Jurges sacrifice. Augie Galan and Billy Herman walked to load the bases, but Grimes struck out Chuck Klein and Gabby Hartnett to end the threat. After facing elimination, the Cardinals have now won 3 straight. This Game 1 victory at Wrigley Field puts the Cardinals in the driver’s seat for the series. The winner of this Best-of-7 series will face the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics in the Best of the 1930s World Series.

’31 Cardinals @ ’35 Cubs – 10/6/23

Facing an early deficit in the 3rd inning of a do-or-die game, Jim Bottomley hit a 3-run home run off 1935 Chicago Cubs starter Bill Lee to give the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals the lead. It was Bottomley’s 1st homer of the Tournament. It came after Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges bobbled a grounder that could have ended the inning. The game stayed close until the 7th, when the Cardinals piled on more runs. Cubs reliever Roy Henshaw couldn’t stop the bleeding as St. Louis scored 5 runs, 4 of them charged to Lee. A Billy Herman error in the 9th led to two more unearned runs, giving the Cardinals an 11-3 victory. Bottomley finished 2 for 5 with 4 RBI. Bill Hallahan went the distance for St. Louis, allowing 3 runs on 11 hits. The victory took the series for the Cardinals. Now, with both teams having one losing series, they’ll face off in a Best of Seven to see who advances to the World Series to face the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics.

Cardinals @ Cubs – 10/5/23

Even without Al Simmons, the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics found a way to win. After Joe Kuhel hit a 2-run home run off Lefty Grove to give the 1933 Washington Senators an early lead, Mickey Cochrane got the Athletics back on top with a 3-run homer in the 3rd. After Earl Whitehill hit Jimmy Dykes to lead off the 4th, Dib Williams singled. Eric McNair flew out, but Max Bishop doubled in Williams, and Lou Finney and Mule Haas singled to drive in two more, putting Philadelphia up 7-2. Washington’s Dave Harris hit a 2-run shot in the 7th off Grove, and a Bishop error in the 8th led to 2 more unearned runs to make it a 1-run game. Buddy Myer singled with 2 outs in the 9th, but Heinie Manush grounded out to Jimmie Foxx to end the game and send Washington home. The Athletics now wait for the Cubs-Cardinals series to find out who they will play in the 1930s World Series. Al Simmons is set to rejoin the team for the Series.

’33 Nationals @ ’31 Athletics – 10/5/23

Roy Mahaffey beat the 1933 Washington Senators for the 2nd time. Lou Finney turned a close game into a blowout, as the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics topped Washington 9-3 to force Game 5 in the American League Championship. It was a few weeks ago when Mahaffey allowed just 1 run in 6 1/3 inning against Washington in his 1st start of the Tournament. This time he allowed 8 hits and 3 runs in 8 innings. Washington got on the board with a run in the 1st, but Philadelphia got it back and more when Bing Miller drove in a run and then gave the Athletics the lead on a botched pickoff throw by Lefty Stewart. Buddy Myer hit a 2-run single to give the Senators back the lead in the 5th. In the 7th, Jimmy Dykes doubled in the tying run and scored on a sacrifice fly by Eric McNair. But in the 9th, facing reliever Jack Russell, the Athletics put the game away. A Joe Cronin error loaded the bases, and Finney tripled them all home, giving Philadelphia the lead and eventual win. It was the 1st hit of the game for Finney, who has been filling in for the injured Al Simmons. The series will head back to Philadelphia for a do-or-die game for Washington. If the Senators win, they’ll force a best-of-7 series to determine the AL Championship. Joe Cronin was 4 for 4 with 2 doubles in the losing effort.

’31 Athletics @ ’33 Senators – 10/3/23

Facing elimination, the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals turned to Syl Johnson, and he delivered. Johnson held the 1935 Chicago Cubs to just one run on 6 hits, nearly matching the shutout he pitched against the Cubs a few weeks ago. The Cardinals offense did the rest, hitting 9 doubles. Cubs starter Charlie Root allowed 6 runs on 11 hits in just 7 innings. Jim Bottomley was 3 for 4 with 3 doubles, and Chick Hafey was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI to improve his average to .420 to lead the National League. The 7-1 win forces Game 5 in the series. If the Cardinals win at Wrigley Field, they’ll send the NL Championship to a best-of-7 series. If they lose, it’ll be the end of the road for St. Louis and Chicago will advance to the Best of the 1930s World Series.

’35 Cubs @ ’31 Cardinals – 10/3/23

The 1935 Chicago Cubs only hit two balls out of the infield in the 1st 6 innings facing St. Louis’ Paul Derringer, but as Derringer tired, Chicago took advantage, scoring 6 runs in the 7th and 8th to pull ahead and top the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals 6-3. The Cardinals had gotten on the board first, breaking a scoreless tie in the 6th with a 2-out RBI double from Jim Bottomley, and a Chick Hafey 2-run home run. Stan Hack finally broke through in the 7th against Derringer with an RBI single. Frankie Frisch bobbled a grounder to extend the inning and allow the Cubs to get another run back. In the 8th, Augie Galan led off with a triple, and Billy Herman drove him in to tie things up. Chuck Klein, hitting less than .200 this Tournament, connected on the next pitch from Derringer for a 2-run homer to put Chicago in front. Larry French went the distance, allowing 11 hits and 3 runs in 9 innings to improve to 2-0. It was the 1st loss for Derringer. The Cubs are now just one win away from the National League Championship and a trip to the Best of the 1930s World Series.

’35 Cubs @ ’31 Cardinals – 10/2/23

Down 2-1 against the Philadelphia Athletics in the 8th inning with 2 outs and 2 runners on, Washington Senator’s first-baseman Joe Kuhel came through, hitting a double into the corner to score the go-ahead run off George Earnshaw. It was only Earnshaw’s 5th hit allowed in what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel. Monte Weaver improved to 3-0 in the Tournament, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits in his complete game victory. There was some drama in the 4th inning when Mickey Cochrane led off with an apparent double, but was called out on appeal for missing first base. Cochrane was ejected for arguing the call. Lou Finney went 1 for 4 in place of the injured Al Simmons. Simmons isn’t expected to rejoin the Athletics for a few more days. Washington is now a win away from forcing a best-of-7 series to determine the American League champion.

’31 Athletics @ ’33 Senators – 10/2/23

Mule Haas came in clutch as the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics overcame a 6-2 deficit to beat the 1933 Washington Senators, tying the series 1-1 as the teams head to Washington. Buddy Myer led off the game with a home run off Rube Wahlberg, and the Senators added two more runs in the 1st. Washington added 2 more runs in the 3rd and chased Wahlberg with another in the 5th to take a 6-2 lead. But Mickey Cochrane and Jimmie Foxx each hit 2-run homers for Philadelphia to keep the game close. In the 6th with 2 out, General Crowder walked the next three batters he faced, and Haas followed with a triple as the Athletics took the lead. After a costly error in the 9th by Foxx, Cliff Bolton singled in the tying run for Washington, and the game went to extra innings again. Washington won in 10 innings the day before, but had worse luck this time. Alex McColl allowed a 2-out base hit by Lou Finney that scored the winning run, and the Athletics won it 8-7. Finney was starting in place of Al Simmons who pulled a hamstring in yesterday’s game. Bolton was 4 for 5 and drove in 3 runs for Washington.

’33 Senators @ ’31 Athletics – 9/30/23