Charley Root
A fine pitcher who registered 201 victories and helped the Chicago Cubs to four pennants, Charley Root is destined to be remembered for something that never really happened. In the fifth game of the 1932 World Series, Root was on the mound when Babe Ruth blasted a home run to deep center field at Wrigley Field. Later, the homer became known as "The Called Shot," with various witnesses and Ruth himself for a time, insisting the slugger had pointed to center field and predicted he would hit a homer. Ruth admitted several times that the story was a myth, but it was repeated enough that it became legend. Root denied that the Babe had called his shot, and only years later, when a home movie of the game was found, was Charley vindicated. Though Ruth had been pointing during the at-bat, it was to indicate how many strikes he had on him, and to gesture at the Cubs bench, which had been jockeying the Bambino all series.
Played For
St. Louis Browns (1923)
Chicago Cubs (1926-1941)
Best Season: 1927
Despite an ERA of 3.76, Root led the National League with 26 victories. He probably pitched his best ball in 1933, when he posted a career-low 2.60 ERA, but he didn't receive the run support to win more than 15 games.
Factoids
In his authorized biography, Babe Ruth admitted that he never called his shot off Charley Root in Game Five of the 1932 World Series, but many people chose to ignore his admission and continued to perpetuate the myth anyway.
Multiple Pitchers Homering in the Same Game for the Same Team
CHN NL 06/13/1887: Mark Baldwin and Jimmy Ryan
STL AA 06/14/1888: Nat Hudson and Tommy McCarthy
PIT NL 07/07/1929: Erv Brame and Fred Fussell
CHN NL 08/28/1937: Clay Bryant and Charlie Root
NY NL 05/01/1942: Hugh East and Harry Feldman
MIN AL 08/20/1961: Jack Kralick and Al Schroll
Description
"Root was one of the fiercest competitors the game ever knew... his cigar-chomping, no-nonsense visage was one of the most intimidating tools in his baseball arsenal." — Baseball Legends: The Charlie Root Story, by Joseph E. Bennett, Jan. 1995 Knight Templar magazine
Born
Charles Henry Root was born on March 17, 1899, in Middletown, OH.
Died
November 5, 1970, Hollister, CA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: CHN
Major League Debut
April 18, 1923
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1923
Lou Gehrig
Heinie Manush
Bill Terry
Hack Wilson
Willie Kamm
Ted Lyons
Moe Berg
Charley Root
Earl Whitehill
Nicknames
Chinski
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1945 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
3 |
2.5% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.7% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.6% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
6 |
2.3% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.7% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1929 World Series
1932 World Series
1935 World Series
1938 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Root started four games in three different World Series for the Cubs, but he suffered an 0-3 record with a 7.35 ERA. His best start came in the opening game of the '29 Series, when he went seven innings, allowed one run on just three hits, but left the game trailing 1-0. He was outduelded by Philadelphia's surprise starter Howard Ehmke, who set a Fall Classic record by striking out 13 Cub batters.
Milestones
- August 27, 1941: 200th Win... Delivered two-run single in the ninth inning to provide the margin of victory. Got the win, a complete game, in the second game of a doubleheader at Braves Field in Boston.
Learn More about Charley Root
Search Amazon.com for Books about Charley Root ⇒
Search for Charley Root at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
