RetroSimba

The Cardinals collected a club-record 13 doubles in a game against the Cubs, but were aided by unusual circumstances.

On July 12, 1931, the first-place Cardinals played the Cubs in a Sunday doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. The Cubs’ player-manager was former Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby.

“The park, with fewer than 35,000 seats, was inadequate to accommodate all who wanted to see the struggle,” The Sporting News reported, “and shortly after daybreak the eager customers began to arrive at the park. The gates were opened at 9 o’clock and long before noon every unreserved seat in the park was occupied and the spectators were standing in the aisles.”

With insufficient security to manage the growing wave of arrivals, ballpark and team officials lost control of the situation and spectators pressed toward the outfield gates in confusion.

“When the gates in the bleacher and pavilion walls were opened, the customers avalanched out into the field like invading hordes,” The Sporting News reported. “There were no police or guards to herd them into position and they spilled all over the field. An attempt was made to herd the fans back to the walls, but it was hopeless.”

According to the Associated Press, “Umpires appealed to the crowd to move back. Finally, a police detail arrived and aided in the work.”

The opener of the doubleheader began with thousands of people standing in the outfield. The overflow, according to The Sporting News, was deepest in right field “about 70 feet beyond first base and extending through center field, not more than 150 feet back of second base and across over (to) the left foul line, perhaps 100 feet beyond third base.”

Official attendance was 45,715. That exceeded by 7,419 the previous regular-season record crowd for a Cardinals home date (against the Giants on May 20, 1928).

The doubleheader was played, The Sporting News opined, “under unspeakable conditions.”

Uncatchable balls hit into the outfield crowd were declared ground-rule doubles.

The Cubs won the opener, 7-5, overcoming a 3-2 Cardinals lead by scoring five runs in the seventh, three on Hack Wilson’s home run off Bill Hallahan. The Cubs hit five doubles; the Cardinals, four.

“Conditions for that first game were bad enough, but they were excellent compared to those that prevailed during the second contest,” The Sporting News reported.

The Cardinals and Cubs combined for 23 doubles in the second game, and the Cardinals won, 17-13.

All of the doubles were official, though most were tainted.

“Pop flies that good infielders could have caught dropped in the crowd for doubles and the two games were more like county fair exhibitions than major league contests,” The Sporting News reported. “In the two games, there were 32 doubles and perhaps six of the two-baggers were legitimate.”

Seven players accounted for the Cardinals’ 13 doubles in Game 2. Rip Collins and Gus Mancuso hit three apiece. Chick Hafey and Frankie Frisch each hit two. George Watkins, Andy High and Ernie Orsatti contributed one each.

The Cubs got doubles from Woody English and Gabby Hartnett (each with three), Footsie Blair (two) and Rogers Hornsby and Les Bell (one apiece). Boxscore

The 1931 Cardinals finished as the major-league leaders in doubles, with 353. The Cubs were second at 340.

Previously: Rip Collins was one-of-a-kind hitter for Cardinals