Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the controversial play that landed [New York Giants infielder Fred Merkle] on the short list of baseball's all-time goats. The beneficiaries were the Cubs, who without "Merkle's Boner" almost surely would not have gone on to win the 1908 World Series.
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Merkle, only 19, was on first base after hitting a single, and teammate Moose McCormick was on third. With two outs, Al Bridwell singled to center to drive in McCormick with the apparent winning run.
As Giants fans mobbed the field, Merkle headed for the safety of the clubhouse. But Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers noticed Merkle had left the field without touching second base, though it really should not have mattered, as the forceout rule usually wasn't enforced on game-winning hits in those days.
On this day, however, it was. Amid the chaos, Evers convinced umpire Hank O'Day to call Merkle out on a force play, thus nullifying the winning run.
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