Cubs Won The World Series And Billy Sunday Just Missed It

Most readers are aware Billy Sunday’s path out of poverty and into the public eye was through the path of professional baseball.
Born in Iowa in 1862, Sunday had a most unfortunate childhood. His father died six months after he was born and his mother responded to widowhood with an unfortunate marriage that ended in alcoholism and desertion. Because she was unable to care for her family, Billy and his brother spent part of their childhood being shuttled between two orphanages in Iowa, and spending time with grandparents and other relatives.
As Billy grew up he soon gained a reputation as a fast runner. The Marshalltown, Iowa, fire brigade was seeking an exceptional runner to help them in their annual firefighting tour against neighboring teams. They invited young Sunday to join their brigade, promising to help him find work. He deemed the honor an offer, so he dropped out of Nevada High School and took a job with a Marshalltown furniture store. That move ended Sunday’s career with formal education.
During his time in Marshalltown, Billy joined the town’s amateur baseball team. He knew very little about the sport, but his extraordinary agility, coordination, and lightning quickness fitted him for tracking down fly balls in the outfield. He helped the Marshalltown team win a state championship against Des Moines in 1882 by scoring five runs and making several outstanding catches.
One of Marshalltown’s founders and distinguished citizens was Henry Anson whose son, Adrian (or “Cap” for Captain), was perhaps America’s premier ballplayer in the 1880s. Cap’s father and his Aunt Em urged Anson, whose professional team was the Chicago White Stockings, to invite Billy to Chicago for a tryout with Anson’s team.
The next spring Billy was invited to a tryout with the Chicago team. Baseball was quickly becoming popular, and soon would be known as the national sport. Anson decided to find out how fast the Iowa farm boy really was, so he set up a race with Pfeffer, the fastest man on the team. Running barefooted, Sunday easily beat Pfeffer, gaining instant respect from Anson and the Chicago team.
Billy’s entrance to professional baseball was against the Boston Beaneaters on Tuesday, May 22, 1883. Billy played left field and was the leadoff batter — a 19-year-old with no professional baseball experience. Sunday struck out. And again. And again. Thirteen consecutive strikeouts. But he eventually gained some hitting skill, though his main asset was his speed. He reportedly could circle the bases from a standing start in 14 seconds.
Sunday played for the White Stockings (later to become the Chicago Cubs) for five years before being traded to the Pittsburgh Alleghenies. There was only a National league at this time, so his uniform, now on display in the Winona History center, displays a blue “N” on the chest of his jersey. Later traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday eventually decided to leave baseball, turning down a lucrative contract offer from the Cincinnati Reds to go to work for the Chicago YMCA for $83.33 a month. He retired from professional baseball in 1890.
A few short years later the American League was formed and in 1907 the Chicago Cubs, now playing without their retired speedster, faced the Detroit Tigers and won the fourth edition of the World Series four games to none. Again the next year the same two teams made it to the World Series, and Chicago bested Detroit four games to one in 1908.
The Cubs never again won a World Series until 108 years later, in 2016. Although Sunday was best known for being fleet of foot on the basepaths and in the outfield, he did complete his career with a lifetime batting average of .249.
Sunday parlayed his professional baseball fame into an asset as he became an evangelist who quickly gained fame as an athletic, energetic pulpiteer. His depiction of salvation was, “When the great umpire in the sky calls the game, will you be safe at home or will you be out?”
Over his lifetime Sunday spoke to more than 100 million people in his evangelistic meetings — all without benefit of television, radio or even amplification. Settling with his family in Winona Lake, Indiana, in 1911, he lived in an Arts and Crafts bungalow atop Evangel Hill until he died in 1935. For many years he umpired a popular annual baseball game on the diamond at the corner of Kings Highway and 13th Street, where the Winona Lake Grace Church now stands.
But in 1907 and 1908, his Chicago Cubs won the World Series. And Billy Sunday just missed it!