The Chicago Cubs became the first back-to-back World Series Champions after Orval Overall won his second game of the series. Overall threw a three-hit complete game shutout and a first inning RBI by Frank Chance would prove to be the difference in the game.
Orval Overall worked around four walks and a wild pitch by striking out 10 batters. Overall finished the 1908 World Series with a 0.98 ERA.
There were only 6,210 fans in attendance at Bennett Park when the Cubs won their last World Series, the lowest attended World Series game in history.
Frank Chance was 3-for-4 in the final game and finished the series with a .421 batting average.
Only one home run was hit in the five games, a two-run homer in game two by Joe Tinker.
The Cubs won game five, 2-0, and it took just one hour and 25 minutes for the Cubs to win their second straight title.
Game Five – Bennett Park, Detroit – Wednesday, October 14, 1908
- Cubs Manger – Frank Chance
- Tigers Manger – Hughie Jennings
Cubs Starting Lineup
- Jimmy Sheckard – LF
- Johnny Evers – 2B
- Frank Schulte – RF
- Frank Chance – 1B
- Harry Steinfeldt – 3B
- Solly Hofman – CF
- Joe Tinker – SS
- Johnny Kling – C
- Orval Overall – P
Tigers Starting Lineup
- Matty McIntyre – LF
- Charley O’Leary – SS
- Sam Crawford – CF
- Ty Cobb – RF
- Claude Rossman – 1B
- Germany Schaefer – 2B
- Boss Schmidt – C
- Bill Coughlin – 3B
- Bill Donovan – P
Top of the First
The Cubs did not waste any time against Bill Donovan in game five. After Jimmy Sheckard popped out to second base, Johnny Evers singled to center. Frank Schulte singled to right. Frank Chance followed with a single to center. And Johnny Evers scored the first run of the game. Harry Steinfeldt flied out to center. With runners on first and second with two outs, Solly Hofman hit a grounder to third and Bill Coughlin stepped on the base to end the inning.
The Cubs scored one run on three hits.
Bottom of the First
Orval Overall walked Matty McIntyre to start his day. Charley O’Leary struck out but Sam Crawford singled to center. Overall struck out Ty Cobb. Claude Rossman struck out but the pitch got away from Johnny Kling and Rossman reached to load the bases. Overall struck out his fourth batter of the inning, Germany Schaefer, to end the inning.
1-0 Cubs, after the first inning of game five of the 1908 World Series.
Top of the Second
After allowing a run in the first inning, Bill Donovan settled down and retired the Cubs in order in the second inning without a ball leaving the infield. Joe Tinker grounded out to third, Kling fouled out to Boss Schmidt and Overall grounded out to first base.
Bottom of the Second
Overall struck out Schmidt to start the inning. Coughlin grounded out to short for the second out but Overall walked the pitcher, Bill Donovan, with two outs. Donovan stole second base but McIntyre flied out to center to end the inning.
1-0 Cubs, after two innings
Top of the Third
Bill Donovan retired the Cubs in order for the second inning in a row. Sheckard popped out to first, Evers popped out to short and Schulte flied out to left.
Bottom of the Third
Orval Overall retired the Tigers in order for the first time. O’Leary grounded out to third, Crawford grounded out to second and Ty Cobb flied out to left.
1-0 Cubs, after three innings
Top of the Fourth
Frank Chance started the fourth by flying out to right. Donovan walked Steinfeldt but Boss Schmidt threw out Steinfeldt trying to steal second. Donovan struck out Hofman to end the inning.
Bottom of the Fourth
Overall struck out Claude Rossman for the first out of the inning. Germany Schaefer walked but Schmidt struck out and Johnny Kling threw out Schaefer trying to steal second to end the inning.
1-0 Cubs, after four innings
Top of the Fifth
The Cubs scored the last run of the 1908 World Series in the fifth inning. Joe Tinker popped out to short to start the inning but Johnny Kling worked a walk. Overall sacrificed Kling to second. Donovan walked Sheckard to put runners on first and second with two outs for Johnny Evers. Evers doubled to center, Kling scored and Jimmy Sheckard advanced to third. Frank Schulte grounded out to short to end the inning.
The Cubs scored one run on one hit with two walks.
Bottom of the Fifth
Overall gave up a lead off single to left by Bill Coughlin to start the inning. Donovan struck out but McIntyre doubled to right. With the tying runs in scoring position Charley O’Leary flied out to shallow center, the runners did not tag. Overall struck out Sam Crawford to end the threat and the inning … the double to McIntyre was the last hit given up by Orval Overall.
2-0 Cubs, after five innings
Top of the Sixth
Frank Chance reached on a bunt single to start the sixth. Steinfeldt sacrificed Chance to second but Hofman flied out to left and Tinker lined out to center to end the inning.
Bottom of the Sixth
Ty Cobb led off the sixth with a walk. Rossman hit a grounder to Joe Tinker. He threw to Johnny Evers and forced Ty Cobb at second base. Overall struck out Germany Schaefer and retired Boss Schmidt on a pop up to Johnny Evers to end the inning.
2-0 Cubs, after six innings
Top of the Seventh
Johnny Kling flied out to center to start the seventh. Overall reached on a single to center. Jimmy Sheckard hit a ball between first and second that hit Overall for the second out of the inning. With Johnny Evers at the plate, Donovan picked off Sheckard from first base to end the inning.
Bottom of the Seventh
Orval Overall retired the Tigers in order for the second time in the game. Coughlin grounded out to third and Bill Donovan grounded out to short. Matty McIntyre flied out to left to end the inning.
2-0 Cubs, after seven innings
Top of the Eighth
Johnny Evers reached on an infield single to first base. Frank Schulte (the number three hitter in Frank Chances’ lineup) sacrificed Evers to seond. Chance followed with a single to left, Evers advanced to third. Harry Steinfeldt struck out and Johnny Evers was tagged out trying to steal home to end the inning.
Bottom of the Eighth
Overall was in total control by the eighth inning. Overall retired the Tigers in order for the second consecutive inning. Charley O’Leary popped out to Frank Chance, Crawford grounded out to second and Ty Cobb, in his last at bat of the series, grounded out to short to end the inning … Tinker, Evers and Chance made all three outs.
2-0 Cubs, after eight innings
Top of the Ninth
Solly Hofman struck out to start what would end up being the last inning of the Cubs’ 1908 season. Joe Tinker singled to right but Johnny Kling grounded into a double play to end the inning. Kling actually grounded out to short and Tinker was thrown out at third to end the inning.
Bottom of the Ninth
Orval Overall retired the Tigers in order to end the inning and the game without a ball leaving the infield. Claude Rossman grounded out to second, Germany Schaefer grounded out to third and Boss Schmidt tapped out in front of home plate for the last out. Johnny Kling threw to Frank Chance to give the Cubs the Championship … And one has to wonder where that ball is today?
Final in Game Five – Cubs 2, Tigers 0
- WP – Orval Overall
- LP – Bill Donovan
- Time of Game – 1:25
- Attendance: 6,210
Sources: Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
Game Recaps of 1908 World Series
- Game One – Cubs Big Ninth Inning Leads to Game One Win Over Tigers
- Game Two – Cubs Use Six-Run Eighth to Talk a Two Game Lead in Series
- Game Three – Cubs Drop Game Three of The Series
- Game Four – Mordecai Brown Tosses a Shutout, Cubs Take a Commanding Lead in Series
