When The Cubs Came to McHenry

During the early 20th century, many professional baseball teams would play exhibition games against amateur teams. Oftentimes, the amateur teams would raise a certain amount of money to have the pros come in. This would be the draw that would bring the professional team to town. In an era where players made far less money than today, players would welcome the extra cash. Also, by playing well against a professional team a local player might catch the eye of the professional club. Most games would be played on days off during the professional team’s regular season schedule. In 1914, the McHenry White Sox were lucky enough to have the Chicago White Sox come to town. The following year, the McHenry Sox’s manager, Richard Walsh, was able to get the then westside Cubs to play.

Picture of the 1916 McHenry White Sox. Richard Walsh is in the middle, without a uniform. Roy Sahlberg (bottom row, second from the left) started the game for the Sox.

Getting them here wasn’t a given though. Walsh had to pledge $500 for payment. The money was paid upfront, with the hopes that ticket sales would at least cover that. During the 1915 season, the McHenry White Sox were considered one of the best teams in northern Illinois, according to the local papers. Yet, the money wasn’t flowing in, in fact, teams across the area were feeling a financial crunch. Most people were blaming some of the financial impacts caused by WWI. It goes without saying, that getting both major league baseball teams from Chicago to play in a city the size of McHenry was no small achievement, even in the 1910s. The Cubs arrived in town by train the morning of the game. Some festivities, including lunch at the Northwest Hotel, were set up before the game as the city preceded to honor the visitors. The Cubs then left the hotel and went to the field in style aboard automobiles.

Picture of the Great Zim from the Jun 14th East Oregonian.

Pitching for the Cubs was George “Zip” Zabel, who pitched 18 1/3 innings in a relief performance in a game played in July. This performance still holds the record as the longest relief appearance to this day. 1915 was the last year that Zabel pitched for the Cubs. He used the money he made from pitching and earned a degree in chemistry from Baker University. The star of the Cubs though was Heinie Zimmerman, also known as “The Great Zim”. He was the winner of the National League’s triple crown in 1912, yet was later seen as not living up to his potential in the long run. Zabel pitched well against the McHenry club, going seven innings and only giving up two runs. The McHenry Sox started out pretty strong and left 2-0 after the first inning. Soon, the wheels came off the bus for the Sox and they were down 15-2 after the sixth inning. Zimmerman, came in to pitch after the game was pretty much decided and gave up five runs in the last two innings. McHenry’s reliever, Nemac, fared much better, only giving up one run in four innings of work.

Zip Zabel appearing in the July 10th Chicago Eagle.

The day of the game started ominously with a severe downpour. By the time of the contest, around noon, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. However, in a time of dirt roads, strong rain could quickly turn them into mud. The poor weather before the game was blamed for the somewhat disappointing turnout. While about 1,200 people attended the Cubs game, there were 1,400 who came to see the Chicago White Sox play in 1914. Even with adults paying .50 and kids .25, the McHenry Sox manager, Richard Walsh was out about $100. Several local businessmen came together and helped raise the money to get the club to nearly break even in the business venture.

Sources

  • “Cubs Game Posters Out.” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 26 Aug 1915, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 14 Aug 2023.
  • “Cubs Here Next Thursday.” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 2 Sep 1915, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 14 Aug 2023.
  • “Chicago Cubs at McHenry.” The Marengo Republican News. (Marengo, IL) 16 Sep 1915, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 14 Aug 2023.
  • “Cubs Day Brings Crowd.” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 16 Sep 1915, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 14 Aug 2023.
  • “The Baseball Situation.” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 16 Sep 1915, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 14 Aug 2023.
  • “In the exhibition game….” The Marengo Republican News. (Marengo, IL) 17 Sep 1915, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 14 Aug 2023.
  • Society for American Baseball Research. (2023, August 25). George Zabel. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/george-zabel/
  • Society for American Baseball Research. (2023, August 25). Heine Zimmerman. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/heinie-zimmerman/