Today being the 118th anniversary of what is known as Merkle’s Boner, I am reminded that something somewhat similar happened in a minor league game in 1899 involving St. Paul Saints pitcher Chauncey Fisher. I first read about it in David Nemec’s Major League Baseball Profiles: 1871 – 1900 (Volume 2) under a bio of Albert Manasssau (the umpire).
As you may remember, the Giants and Cubs were in the midst of a heated race to win the 1908 National League pennant and facing each other in a key late September series at the Polo Grounds. The Giants had a chance beat the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth inning, having runners on first and third with two outs. (In fact, Merkle had just singled the tying run in and moved the winning run to third base).
Al Bridwell laced a single to centerfield and Merkle, rather than completing his run to second base, headed to the dugout. The Cubs, realizing his mistake, tried to get the ball to second base to get a force out. However, at that point, fans were spilling out onto the field. The Giants tried keeping the Cubs from getting the ball to second base (Joe McGinnity allegedly tossed the ball out of play), and the Cubs were allegedly keeping Merkle fro...