1945 World Series

The 1945 World Series marked the culmination of the baseball season and represented the last Fall Classic played during the era significantly impacted by World War II. The series pitted the Detroit Tigers against the Chicago Cubs, with the Tigers ultimately claiming victory and their second World Championship title. The series is notable for several reasons, including the unique circumstances surrounding both rosters due to wartime player shortages, the emergence of several players returning from military service, and an incident involving a goat that would pass into Cubs folklore for generations.

History

The 1945 World Series was a matchup between the American League's Detroit Tigers and the National League's Chicago Cubs. The Cubs had not appeared in a World Series since 1938, ending a seven-year absence driven in large part by the pitching of Henry Borowy, acquired from the New York Yankees midseason. Borowy proved instrumental in securing the National League pennant for Chicago, winning eleven of thirteen decisions after joining the team in the second half of the 1945 season. The Tigers, meanwhile, were seeking their second World Series championship, having previously won in 1935, also against the Cubs. The Cubs were aiming for their third title, their previous victories having come in 1907 and 1908.

The series itself was characterized by strong pitching performances and key offensive contributions across all seven games. Game 1 saw the Cubs dominate with a 9–0 victory, led by Borowy's strong pitching and offensive support from Bill Nicholson, Phil Cavarretta, and Mickey Livingston. The Tigers responded in Game 2 with a 4–1 win, highlighted by a home run from Hank Greenberg, who had recently returned from military service, with Virgil Trucks — himself recently discharged from the Navy — earning the win on the mound. The Tigers continued their momentum through the series, ultimately winning four games to three.

The Players

The 1945 World Series took place during a period when many Major League players were serving in the armed forces, creating a unique roster landscape for both clubs. Despite the absence of some star players, both teams featured talented individuals who rose to the occasion. For the Tigers, Hank Greenberg's return from military service provided a significant boost to the lineup, and Hal Newhouser — who finished the 1945 regular season with 25 wins and would go on to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award — was the key pitching component of the Detroit staff. Virgil Trucks, recently discharged from the Navy, also made a notable contribution with a win in Game 2.

The Cubs relied heavily on Borowy's pitching throughout the series, but also featured strong offensive contributions from Nicholson and Cavarretta. Cavarretta had an exceptional 1945 regular season, batting .355 to claim the National League batting title and the NL Most Valuable Player Award, making him one of the standout performers of the wartime era. Both Greenberg and Newhouser are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, underlining the caliber of talent Detroit brought to the Fall Classic despite the wartime context. The impact of military service on player availability remains one of the defining characteristics of this particular World Series, with rosters on both sides shaped as much by the demands of the war as by the decisions of the front office.

The Billy Goat Incident

One of the most enduring stories to emerge from the 1945 World Series involves William "Billy Goat" Sianis, a Chicago tavern owner who brought his pet goat, Murphy, to Game 4 at Wrigley Field. According to widely reported accounts, Sianis and his goat were ejected from the ballpark, reportedly because other patrons objected to the animal's odor. An enraged Sianis is said to have declared that the Cubs would never win another World Series at Wrigley Field — a pronouncement that became known as the "Billy Goat Curse." The Cubs lost Game 4 and ultimately the series, and they would not return to the World Series until 2016 — when they finally ended a 108-year championship drought. Whether taken as folklore or genuine superstition, the Billy Goat Curse became one of the most recognizable legends in baseball history, inextricably linked to the 1945 Fall Classic.

Game Details

The series unfolded in dramatic fashion across all seven games, with neither team able to establish a dominant lead until the very end. Game 3 saw Chicago's Claude Passeau deliver one of the finest pitching performances in World Series history, a near-perfect one-hitter that allowed only a single to Rudy York. The Tigers responded by winning Game 4 by a score of 4–3, tying the series at two games apiece. The series then shifted back to Detroit for Games 5, 6, and, as it turned out, 7. Detroit secured an 8–4 victory in Game 5, taking a 3–2 series lead. The Cubs fought back with an 8–7 win in Game 6, evening the series once again and setting the stage for a decisive finale.

The decisive Game 7 was a resounding victory for the Tigers, who scored five runs in the first inning and ultimately defeated the Cubs 9–3. Newhouser pitched a complete game, allowing ten hits but maintaining control of the contest throughout. This win secured the Tigers' second World Championship and ended the series on a note of commanding dominance by the Detroit club. For the Cubs, the defeat marked the beginning of a lengthy championship drought that would not end until 2016.

Records and Significance

The 1945 World Series holds a unique place in baseball history. The Detroit Tigers set a record by using twenty-six players during the series, a figure that reflects both the depth of the roster and the logistical challenges posed by wartime player availability and the unpredictable health of returning servicemen.

The series is also remembered as the last wartime Fall Classic, representing a moment when the nation was still absorbing the consequences of years of global conflict. While rosters across Major League Baseball had been significantly depleted by military service, both the Tigers and Cubs showcased considerable talent, and the seven-game series provided competitive, compelling baseball throughout. Newhouser's MVP-caliber season and Cavarretta's NL batting title demonstrated that meaningful individual excellence was still very much present in the wartime game. The 1945 World Series serves as a reminder of the ways in which historical events shape the sport of baseball, and of the resilience of players and institutions during periods of national upheaval.

Venues and Broadcasts

The games of the 1945 World Series were played at two storied baseball stadiums: Briggs Stadium in Detroit and Wrigley Field in Chicago. Briggs Stadium, the home of the Detroit Tigers, hosted Games 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, while Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs, hosted Games 3 and 4. Both venues were well-established landmarks of American professional baseball by 1945, and both provided fitting settings for what proved to be a closely contested and historically significant series. Wrigley Field, in particular, had hosted World Series games on several previous occasions and remains one of the most celebrated ballparks in the history of the sport.

The 1945 World Series was broadcast on radio, allowing fans across the country to follow the action despite wartime constraints on travel and public gatherings. Radio coverage of the Fall Classic had become standard practice by this era, and the broadcasts reached a wide national audience eager for news of the series amid the transitional atmosphere of the immediate postwar period.

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