October 4, 1936: King Carl's Interregnum

Carl Hubbell

October 4, 1936: Game 4 of the World Series is played at Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees were led by slugging 1st baseman Lou Gehrig, catcher Bill Dickey, and rookie center fielder Joe DiMaggio. The New York Giants, with manager Bill Terry in his last year as a player, were led by powerful right fielder Mel Ott and lefthanded pitcher Carl Hubbell

Known as "King Carl" or "The Meal Ticket," Hubbell was the 1st pitcher since an earlier Giant, Christy Mathewson, to master the screwball. He finished 26-6 on the season, having won his last 16 regular-season decisions. That streak would continue deep into the 1937 season: From July 17, 1936 to May 27, 1937, Hubbell won 24 straight games, plus 2 saves, and a no-decision in a game the Giants won. In other words, they won 29 straight games in which he appeared.

Time magazine called this Series "a personal struggle between Hubbell and Gehrig." Hubbell did win Game 1, but Gehrig hit a home run off him in the 3rd inning of this Game 4. Hubbell was also undermined by his fielding, which allowed a Yankee run to score in the 2nd. The Yankees won, 5-2. Monte Pearson was the winning pitcher, and now the Yankees were 1 win away from taking the Series.

Lou Gehrig

Hubbell went 105-50 from 1933 to 1937, and 253-154 over his career, with a 2.98 ERA, and a dazzling 1.166 WHIP. He would be elected to the Hall of Fame, and the Giants would retire his Number 11. He died in 1988.

*

October 4, 1936 was a Sunday. Also on this day, London's police and anti-fascist demonstrators clash with members of the British Union of Fascists in the East End. It was known as the Battle of Cable Street, and I have a separate entry for that event. This was Britain's 1st message that it would not put up with far-right tyranny. Sadly, in 1938, its government did. Thankfully, in 1939, that stopped.

And there were 4 games played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Redskins, 7-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. The following year, the Redskins moved to Washington.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 18-0 at Ebbets Field. The football version of the Dodgers went out of business after the 1948 season.

* The Chicago Bears beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 27-9 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* And the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Cardinals, 24-0 at the Dairy Bowl in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin. The Dairy Bowl was a football stadium built in the infield of a speedway, now known as the Milwaukee Mile, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park.