Jimmy Sheckard played in the World Series four times with the Chicago Cubs.
One of the biggest moments any baseball player can have in a game is to have a walk-off hit.
Back in the era of the Chicago Cubs dynasty, the first hit that ended a World Series game came in the fourth contest of the 1910 Fall Classic.
Jimmy Sheckard made history in the 10th inning against National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Chief Bender of the Philadelphia A’s.
Sheckard’s two-out single gave the Cubs a 4-3 victory, but a ninth inning rally set the stage for the Pennsylvania native.
The Cubs trailed 3-2 with Frank Schulte starting the frame with a double. One out later, another Hall of Fame member player-manager Frank Chance tripled to tie the contest.
Unfortunately for Chicago, game four would be the only win for the Cubs in the series as the A’s would clinch the title with a 7-2 victory in the next contest.
The loss in the 1910 World Series was the end of the five-year run by the Cubs where they made the post-season four times with championships in 1907 and 1908.
More Firsts
In addition to being the first player with a walk-off hit in the World Series, Sheckard has two other things that he did before anyone else.
With Brooklyn in 1901, Sheckard hit grand slam homers on back-to-back days in Cincinnati to become the first player in the modern era to hit two in one season.
In a 25-6 Brooklyn win on Sept. 23, Sheckard’s inside-the-park homer to right field was described the next day in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that it was hit so hard that it bounced off wall and rolled all the way to center.
Remarkably in a 16-2 win the next afternoon, Sheckard hit another inside-the-park homer with the bases loaded.
Sheckard batted .354 that season posting career-high totals with 11 homers and 104 RBI. he also led the National League in triples with 19.
Power and Speed
After a four-game stint in Baltimore at the start of the 1902 season, Sheckard went back to Brooklyn and the following summer he had another productive season in his 17-year career.
Sheckard was the first of three players to lead his league in homers and stolen bases. as he had nine homers and swiped 67 bases. It was the second time he led the way in steals having done it in 1899 with 77 for Baltimore.
Joining the Cubs in 1906, Sheckard played in Chicago through the 1912 season before ending his career a year later with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.
The other two players to lead their league in homers and steals are Ty Cobb with the Detroit Tigers in 1909 and Chuck Klein with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1932.