Gabby Hartnett
Gabby Hartnett willed the Chicago Cubs to the 1938 National League pennant, hitting a dramatic home run on September 28 against the Pirates in Wrigley Field, vaulting the Cubs past the Bucs into first place. The popular Hartnett played in four World Series for the Cubs but never tasted victory. He won the 1935 National League Most Valuable Player Award when he hit .344 with 91 RBI in 116 games, and he was the best catcher in the NL prior to World War II. His impressive offensive skills landed him in Cooperstown in 1955.
Played For
Chicago Cubs (1922-1940)
New York Giants (1941)
Managed
Chicago Cubs (1938-1940)
All-Time Rankings
Gabby Hartnett ranks #10 among the Top 50 all-time at C. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1930
The right-handed slugger set career-highs with 37 homers and 122 RBI. He hit .339 in 141 games, the most games he ever played in one season. The Cubs failed to defend their NL Championship however, as the Cardinals went 21-4 in September to overtake Chicago.
Factoids
Bucky Harris, Gabby Hartnett and Joe Tinker, are the only Hall of Famers who died on their birthdays.
The Homer in the Gloamin'
Hartnett's "Homer in the Gloamin" is legendary in Chicago. It occurred on September 28th in Wrigley Field late in the day in a 5-5 tie with the Pirates. With darkness setting in, Hartnett launched a Bob Klinger pitch into the left field stands to win the game, 6-5, and propel the Cubs into first place by half-a-game. Three days later, the Cubs clinched the pennant, completing an amazing late-season surge.
As a Manager
Hartnett replaced his friend and former teammate Charlie Grimm as Cubs' manager on July 20, 1938. The team was in fourth place, 5 1/2 games behind the Pirates. Hartnett guided the Cubs to a 44-27 record over the second-half of the campaign, including a 20-3-1 record from September 4 to September 29. Chicago was seven games back of the Bucs when that streak started and 1 1/2 games in front on the morning of the 30th. The next season, Gabby led the Cubs to a winning record, but they finished a disappointing fourth. After another losing record in 1940, the Cubs no longer wanted the 40-year old Hartnett, and fired him in a very unpopular move. Subsequently, Hartnett signed with the Giants for one final season as a player, hitting .300 in a part-time role. He never managed in the majors again, though he spent five years in the minors as a skipper.
Born
Charles Leo Hartnett was born on December 20, 1900, in Woonsocket, RI.
Died
December 20, 1972, Park Ridge, IL
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: C
Primary Team: CHN
Major League Debut
April 12, 1922
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1922
Jim Bottomley
Gabby Hartnett
Ossie Bluege
Travis Jackson
Sparky Adams
George Grantham
Fats Fothergill
Fred Haney
Andy High
Unlike others who got the name "Gabby" because they really were, Hartnett earned the nickname becuase he was very quiet as a rookie in 1922.
Uniform Numbers
#7 (1932), #9 (1933-1936, 1941), #2 (1937-1940)
Similar Players
Carlton Fisk
Related Players
Charlie Grimm was Hartnett's longtime teammate and his predecessor as manager of the Cubs... Hartnett was the catcher for the NL All-Star team when Carl Hubbell fanned Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in succession in 1934.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1936 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
2 |
1.0% |
1947 |
BBWAA |
2 |
1.2% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
33 |
27.3% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
35 |
22.9% |
1949 |
Run Off |
7 |
3.7% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
54 |
32.1% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
57 |
25.2% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
77 |
32.9% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
104 |
39.4% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
151 |
59.9% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
195 |
77.7% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1929 World Series
1932 World Series
1935 World Series
1938 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Hartnett struggled in the World Series, hitting .241 with just three RBI in 16 games. As a manager, his 1938 Cubs was swept by the Yankees.
Awards and Honors
1935 NL MVP
Hitting Streaks
26 games (1937)
24 games (1937)
All-Star Selections
1933 NL
1934 NL
1935 NL
1936 NL
1937 NL
1938 NL
Replaced
Bob O'Farrell, who the Cubs traded in 1925 to make room for Hartnett, who had been caddying for O'Farrell for three seasons. O'Farrell was every bit as good as Hartnett was defensively, and he won the National League MVP Award for the Cardinals in 1926.
Replaced By
As a manager/player in 1940, Hartnett replaced himself as the Cub starting catcher, with Al Todd, a 38-year old veteran.
Best Strength as a Player
Throwing arm.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Poor strike zone judgment, and he also grounded into a lot of double plays.
Learn More about Gabby Hartnett
Search Amazon.com for Books about Gabby Hartnett ⇒
Search for Gabby Hartnett at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
