These infamous Chicago Cubs mysteries may never be solved

Chicago Cubs: Even Gabby Hartnett did not see exactly where the shot landed

The 1938 Chicago Cubs went on an unreal run in September to capture the National League pennant. In stunning fashion, they overtook the Pittsburgh Pirates, who led the NL most of the season. This epic roar to the World Series was made possible from a clutch home run by Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett on September 28.

Just a half-game back of the Pirates, the Cubs welcomed Pittsburgh in for a crucial series at Wrigley Field. On September 28 the game was tied at five in the ninth inning under a gloomy sky -which was getting darker by the minute as the sun was going down. Remember, no lights at Wrigley Field in 1938, so if the game remained tied after nine, the game would be called and a doubleheader scheduled the following day.

Hartnett came to the plate with two out and nobody on facing Pirates pitcher Mace Brown. On an 0-2 pitch, the catcher and manager belted a hanging curve deep into the dark sky that eventually went over the wall for a walk-off winner. Thousands of people stormed the field and mobbed Hartnett as he rounded the bases. Hartnett did not even see the ball go over the wall the sky was so dark, he just saw the umpire signal home run.

This would forever be known as the “Homer in the Gloamin'” which was a reference to the 1911 song, “Roamin’ in the Gloamin”.

The mystery is where exactly did the ball land? The accounts say it was somewhere in the left-center bleachers, but there is no footage of that historic blast. There are plenty of photos of him rounding the bases, but no photos or reels of him actually hitting the ball. This might not seem like that big of a mystery, but it is too bad that one of the Cubs greatest moments is something we cannot know for sure what it looked like exactly.

Unless by some miracle a rusty film canister is opened and the film of the event is revealed, we will have to use our imaginations to picture what that historic blast looked like and how far it went.