Item# 9681 (3 of 16)   < Previous Lot | Next Lot >

"The Merkle Ball" - The Ball That Cost the Giants the Pennant in 1908!

Reserve - $25,000, Estimate - Open

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"BLUNDER COSTS GIANTS VICTORY; Merkle Rushes Off Base Line Before Winning Run Is Scored, and Is Declared Out. CONFUSION ON BALL FIELD Chance Asserts That McCormick's Run Does Not Count -- Crowd Breaks Up Game. UMPIRE DECLARES IT A TIE Singular Occurrence on Polo Grounds Reported to President Pulliam, Who Will Decide Case.

Censurable stupidity on the part of player Merkle in yesterday's game at the Polo Grounds between the Giants and Chicagos placed the New York team's chances of winning the pennant in jeopardy. His unusual conduct in the final inning of a great game perhaps deprived New York of a victory that would have been unquestionable had he not committed a breach in baseball play that resulted in Umpire O'Day declaring the game a tie." - The New York Times - September 24, 1908

Robert Edward Auctions has had the privilege of handling literally hundreds of thousands of baseball items over the past thirty years, including some of the game’s most significant historical relics and rarities. Even our years of experience, however, could not temper our excitement over the consignment of this extraordinary piece: The famous "Merkle's Boner" Ball. Presented here is the very ball held by second baseman Johnny Evers to record the final out in the famous “Merkle’s Boner” game between the Giants and Cubs on September 23, 1908 at the Polo Grounds. That was the game in which Giants rookie first baseman Fred Merkle failed to touch second base on what was the apparent game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. That mistake not only cost the Giants the victory (the game was ruled a tie), but ultimately the pennant. The Merkle Ball is perhaps the most famous baseball in the history of the game! It is without question one of the defining artifacts of the game. There is no more important baseball from the dead ball era or a more controversial ball from the entire twentieth century.

The ball was personally saved by Johnny Evers and sold at auction by his family way back in 1993, where it was purchased by Charlie Sheen, who sold it in 1999 in a private transaction to a fellow collector who has had it ever since. We have known about this ball all this time, but it’s been so long since it’s been seen or heard of, even predating the Internet era, that it seems like it is being presented here for the first time. But in fact it was sold in 1993 (at that time for $30,250) and is being offered at REA in 2010 publicly for the very first time since. It is an honor!

The ball is accompanied by a notarized letter of provenance directly from Joe Evers, the great-nephew of Johnny Evers. The letter, dated February 17, 1993, is typed on “Johnny Evers Sporting Goods Co.” letterhead and reads in full:

To whom it may concern:

The following is to certify that “The Merkle’s Boner Ball” is 100% authentic:

Official National League Ball with “Merkle Sept 23, 1908” written on the sweet spot by John J. Evers. On one panel the ball is stamped 1908…Harry C. Pulliam. The ball is coated and shows a great amount of use. This is the ball that John J. Evers touched second base with in the 9th inning of the game against the N.Y. Giants on Sept 23, 1908. This game has since gone down in the record books as the most controversial game ever played.

John J. Evers (my great uncle) carried this ball off the field and it has been in the possession of the Evers family ever since.

I certify that the above information is true and correct. Joe Evers [signed].

The offered ball, which is accurately described in the accompanying Evers letter, is an official 1908 National League (Pulliam) ball and bears the period black-ink notation, “Merkle – Sept. 23. 1908,” printed across the sweet spot. Both the year, “1908,” and Pulliam’s facsimile signature appear stamped on a side panel (the factory stamping of the year on this ball was a "one-year" only manufacturing style unique to 1908). The ball is heavily toned and soiled, as one would expect from a game-used ball dating from the dead ball era, displaying a number of minor scrapes and abrasions. It should be clearly understood that this is the actual ball Evers was holding when he touched second base to record the final out of the game. As we relate in our historical analysis, it may or may not be the ball Al Bridwell hit for what appeared to be the game-winning single, as there are many conflicting reports regarding the close of the game. Evers always took exceptional pride in that play, especially after it resulted in the Cubs winning the pennant. It was the highlight of his career and one can only imagine that this ball was the most prized of all his baseball possessions.

When this ball, along with other baseball items personally saved by Johnny Evers, was first offered by the Evers family at public auction in February 1993, as previously noted, it sold at that time for the extravagant sum of $30,250. Today, a high-grade Babe Ruth single-signed baseball sells for similar sum, but in 1993, this was one of the highest prices ever paid for a baseball or any piece of sports memorabilia. In the very same auction, for example, a game-used 1920 Babe Ruth bat personally signed for Buck Weaver sold for $38,500. This same Ruth bat sold at auction in August 2006 for $167,000. Sports auctions in the early 1990s (predating the internet era) were not nearly as high profile, or as large as they are today. While the world and society are both much different than they were in 1993, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the timeless significance of this ball. If the world's greatest baseball scholars were asked to compile a list of what they consider to be the most important baseballs in the history of the game, the offered “Merkle’s Boner” ball would be a worthy contender at or near the top of every short list. What other ball can lay claim to being at the center of not only the most famous controversy the game’s ever seen, but also the greatest blunder in all of sports. “Merkle’s Boner” was the first great sports gaffe in history and is so ingrained in both baseball lore and public consciousness that even most people with little or no baseball knowledge are familiar with the term. That fact notwithstanding, Merkle’s famous omission of failing to touch second base also decided the 1908 pennant and, without being facetious, was indirectly responsible for a number of deaths, most notably that of National League president Harry Pulliam.

More words have been written and spoken about the Merkle ball controversy than perhaps any other play in the history of the game. Merkle's place in history is secure. The Merkle's Boner game is commonly referred to by scholars as "The most controversial game in baseball history." The impact of the controversy, on the history of the game, on the 1908 season, on the people and players involved, and on the collective consciousness of the public, is felt to this day. It is a great privilege for Robert Edward Auctions to present The Merkle Ball at auction, and in the process to have the opportunity to document the history of the legend of the Merkle incident as well as the history of the ball itself.

"Bridwell hits safely to centre, McCormick trots home, the reporter boys prepare to make an asterisk under the box score of the game with the line - 'Two out when winning run was scored' - the merry villagers flock on the field to worship the hollow where the Mathewson feet have pressed, and all of a sudden there is doings around second base..." - The New York Time s - September 24, 1908

Prologue

To fully understand the events of September 23, 1908, it is necessary first to cite the rule pertaining to the “Merkle’s Boner” play and how it was interpreted at the time. Most importantly, mention needs to be made of a similar play that happened just a few weeks prior to the September 23rd game; a game that involved many of the same principles, but resulted in a different decision. According to the official rules of the game in 1908, specifically Rule 59, “One run shall be scored every time a baserunner, after having legally touched the first three bases, shall legally touch the home base before three men are put out; provided, however, that if he reach home on or during a play in which the third man be forced out or be put out before reaching first base, a run shall not count. A force-out can be made only when a baserunner legally loses the right to the base he occupies and is thereby obliged to advance as the result of a fair hit ball not caught on the fly.”

What that rule means is that should the third out of any inning be a force out at first, second, or third base, than any preceding runs scored on that play will not count. While the rule is straightforward in its language, in 1908, and in years prior, both players and umpires commonly ignored it with regard to game-winning hits in the bottom of the ninth. Someone who chose not to ignore the rule was Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers. On September 4, 1908, in a game that eerily foreshadowed the events of September 23rd, the Pirates and Cubs were deadlocked 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth in Pittsburgh. With the bases loaded and two out, Pirates outfielder Chief Wilson singled to center, driving in Fred Clarke from third. However, the runner on first, rookie first baseman Warren Gill, instead of running to second, proceeded towards the Pirates clubhouse, which was standard practice at the time. When Evers saw this he called for the ball, stepped on second base, and asked umpire Hank O’Day, who was working the game alone, to declare Gill out. O’Day refused to call Gill out, but according to the accounts of the game it’s not entirely clear why he ruled as he did. Some reports say he was citing precedent by letting the run stand; other reports have him stating that he did not see whether or not Gill had touched second base, so he could not call him out. The Cubs protested the game, but National League president Harry Pulliam upheld O'Day’s decision. O’Day’s reasoning for letting the play stand is not nearly as important as his being made aware that the Cubs were on record demanding that Rule 59 be enforced in such situations. The die had been cast.

The Game

On September 22, 1908 the Cubs traveled to New York to play the Giants in a pivotal four-game series at the Polo Grounds that would most likely decide the pennant. After sweeping the New York in a double-header the first day, the Cubs found themselves just percentage points behind the first-place Giants when the clubs met again on Wednesday, September 23rd. With their backs against the wall, the Giants suffered another major blow when first baseman Fred Tenney reported to the stadium suffering from a bad back. With Tenney out, McGraw was forced to pencil in nineteen-year old Fred Merkle in his stead. Ironically, it was the first and only game Fred Tenney missed that season, and conversely, the only game Merkle started. As fate would have it, the umpires for the game were Hank O’Day behind the plate and “Blind Bob” Emslie on the bases. The game quickly evolved into a classic pitcher’s duel between the Giants’ Christy Mathewson and the Cubs’ Jack Pfiester, with neither team able to mount much of an offense. Heading into the bottom of the ninth the game was knotted 1-1. With two out and Moose McCormick on first base for the Giants, Merkle briefly endeared himself to the New York faithful with a single to right field, his first hit of the day, sending McCormick to third. Al Bridwell then stepped to the plate and lined Pfiester’s first offering into center field for a clean single, almost decapitating Emslie in the process, as McCormick came home with the apparent winning run. The Giant fans, unrestrained in their joy, rushed onto the field in celebration of the victory.

The only problem was the fact that Merkle, like every other player before him in that situation, did not run to second, but instead made a beeline for the clubhouse to try and avoid the maddening throng of fans. Evers and the Cubs, of course, having experienced this same situation a few weeks earlier, were once again ready and called for center fielder Art Hofman to throw the ball in so they can record the force out and negate the winning run. It is at this point that all the reports seem to vary somewhat. One account says that the ball sailed over the head of Evers and ended up in the hands of Giants third base coach Joe McGinnity, who, having seen what was about to transpire, proceeded to throw the ball into the stands so that the play could not be made. Other reports say that three members of the Cubs went into the stands after the ball, where, after physically wrestling it away from one of the fans, they returned it to Evers at second. The only two things it seems are known for certain on this day are that Merkle did not run to second and that Evers eventually had a ball in hand (the very ball offered here) to make the play at second base. By that point the stadium was in chaos. Neither Emslie or O’Day were quick to make a call, especially with both managers, all of the players, and a throng of irate fans surrounding them. Eventually the two arbiters were able to huddle under the grandstand, with police protection, where Emslie, either honestly, or out of fear for his life, claimed that since he was practically knocked down by Bridwell’s line drive, he didn’t see whether or not Merkle touched second and could not call him out. It is then that O’Day, in one the most courageous acts in the history of sports, tells Emslie that Merkle never touched second. Based on O’Day’s statement, Emslie calls Merkle out and O’Day negates the run and declares the game a tie. (O’Day ruled it a tie, he later said, because it would have been impossible to continue the game at that point, citing both the presence of the fans on the field and impending darkness.) Merkle was vilified by the fans for his mistake, and the play is quickly labeled “Merkle’s Boner” by an unforgiving press. Merkle, in his defense, later states that he did touch second base, a fact that other Giant players, including Christy Mathewson, corroborate. (One apocryphal story has it that McGraw hid Merkle in a hotel that evening and later brought him back to the Polo Grounds shortly before midnight just to be able to honestly state under oath that he saw Merkle touch second base on that day.) Most accounts do have Merkle returning to touch second base, but only after Evers had recorded the out. The Giants, of course, protest the game, but once again National League president Harry Pulliam backs his umpires and denies the protest. The National Commission, Baseball’s governing body at the time, also stands by Pulliam’s decision and the game remains a tie. Since neither team had any remaining off days, the game was not rescheduled. When the two teams finished tied for first at the close of the regular season it necessitated a replay of the game, which was scheduled for October 8th at the Polo Grounds. With the New York fans feeling that they were robbed of the pennant, the Cubs are greeted upon their return with a relentless barrage of insults and worse. Death threats were received by a number of Cubs players, including Evers and Brown. Even Johnny Evers’ mother received a death threat. In his infinite wisdom, Giants owner John T. Brush decided not allow advance ticket sales for the game, for fear of scalping. As a result, tens of thousands of fans converge on the Polo Grounds the morning of the game, resulting in numerous fights, injuries, and a few fatalities. Prior to the game, umpire Bill Klem is openly offered a bribe by the the Giants team doctor, Joseph Creamer, but he refuses the wad of cash, telling him “I can only umpire one way, and that is to call them as I see them.” Fittingly, the game features the same pitching match up as the September 23rd game, Mathewson vs. Pfiester. This time, Mathewson was not up to the task, and the Cubs won the game, and the pennant, by a score of 4-2, thus forever immortalizing the name of Fred Merkle in the annals of American history.


Epilogue

The outcome of the September 23rd game had a profound effect on both Merkle and National League president Harry Pulliam. Merkle was devastated by the event, and shocked by the harsh reaction of the fans. Things became so bad for Merkle that fall that he decided to quit baseball altogether at the end of the season. He only came back the next year on McGraw’s insistence. Although he enjoyed a fine career, the play haunted Merkle for the rest of his life (the writers referred to him as “bonehead,” and sometimes less flattering names, for years to come) and after his retirement he refused to grant interviews for the rest of his life. To McGraw’s credit, he never once blamed Merkle for losing either the game or the pennant. Instead, McGraw lambasted both umpires, and Pulliam in particular, for what he thought was a terrible and unjust decision. At the time of the Merkle incident, Pulliam was already on shaky ground with National League owners for his perceived weakness in dealing with league matters. His decision to uphold O’Day’s call, for which he was endlessly crucified by McGraw and the New York press, only exacerbated the situation. In February of 1909 he suffered a nervous breakdown at the banquet for league owners. A leave of absence seemed to do him good and he was thought to be in better spirits when he returned to work that June. Unfortunately, his problems and the cloud of the Merkle incident remained, and on July 25th he took his own life by means of a revolver to the head. The Giants were the only team not in attendance at his funeral, and upon learning of his death, McGraw was quoted as saying “I didn’t think a bullet to the head could hurt him.” Such were the depths of feelings that characterized the parties involved and polarized the baseball world. The Cubs went on to win the 1908 World Series, but legend has it they have been followed by "The Curse of Fred Merkle" ever since. Over a century later, it remains the last championship in Cub franchise history. Reserve $25,000. Estimate (open).

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