RetroSimba

Phil Cavarretta hit one of the most important home runs in the long rivalry between the Cubs and Cardinals.

Cavarretta, who died Dec. 18, 2010, at 94, was a 19-year-old first baseman for the Cubs in 1935.

On Sept. 25, the first-place Cubs brought an 18-game winning streak to St. Louis to begin a season-ending, make-or-break five-game series with the Cardinals.

Chicago (97-52) had a three-game lead over St. Louis (94-55).

The series opener paired Chicago’s Lon Warneke against Paul Dean, brother of Dizzy Dean. Paul Dean had beaten the Cubs five times in six decisions that season. Warneke had lost four of six against the Cardinals.

Paul Dean struck out four of the first five Cubs. That brought Cavarretta to the plate with two outs in the second inning.

Dean hung a one-strike curve and Cavarretta belted it over the right-field pavilion. It was the hit that lifted the Cubs into the World Series.

Warneke shut out the Cardinals on two hits and the Cubs won, 1-0, clinching a tie for the pennant. Boxscore

After a rainout the next day, the Cubs beat Dizzy Dean and the demoralized Cardinals, 6-2, in the opener of a doubleheader, eliminating St. Louis from contention.

Playing for the Cubs from 1934-52, Cavarretta batted .291 (260-for-893) against the Cardinals, with 12 home runs, 110 RBI and a .370 on-base percentage.

In 1944, Cavarretta and Stan Musial of the Cardinals were the National League co-leaders in hits (197).

Musial trailed Cavarretta by six hits as the Cardinals went into a doubleheader against the Giants at New York on the final day of the season.

Musial went 6-for-9 (4 hits in the opener and 2 in the second game).

His final hit, the one that tied Cavarretta, came on his last at-bat _ a two-run home run off Ken Brondell.  Boxscore