The Yankees, as usual, cruised to the American League pennant, finishing 9 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Red Sox. The Cubs traveled a significantly tougher path to the National League flag. Chicago spent most of the season chasing, first, the Giants, and then the Pirates. But on September 28, with twilight descending upon Wrigley Field, Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett, who had been named manager in July, hit a home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, lifting Chicago to a victory over the Pirates and sole possession of first place. Hartnett's blow would immortalized in Cubs lore as "the Homer in the Gloamin'." A few days later, the Cubs clinched the pennant.

The World Series opened in Chicago, where the fans in Wrigley Field witnessed a tight contest. The Yanks scored a pair of runs in the second, the Cubs scored once in the third, the Yanks a single run in the sixth, and that's how it ended -- 3-1 Yankees. Red Ruffing went the distance and scattered nine hits to earn the victory with Bill Lee taking the loss.

Game 2 matched Yankee ace Lefty Gomez against Dizzy Dean, bereft of his once-great fastball but still effective. And thanks to center fielder Joe Marty's sac fly in the first and two-run double in the third, Dean was nursing a 3-2 Chicago lead after seven frames. But in the top of the eighth, Frank Crosetti touched Dean for a two-run homer, and one inning later Joe DiMaggio did the same. Gomez, with help from reliever Johnny Murphy, didn't allow the Cubs to score after the third, and the final was New York 6, Chicago 3.

In New York for Game 3, after a day off, the Yankees didn't collect their first base hit until the fifth inning, when Joe Gordon drove a Clay Bryant pitch into the left-field bleachers. Three batters later, Yankees third baseman Red Rolfe singled home Yankees starter Monte Pearson to give New York a 2-1 lead. The Bombers scored another pair in the sixth on Gordon's two-run single, and Pearson went nine innings for the 5-2 victory.

Crosetti lined a bases-loaded triple into the left-field corner in the second inning of Game 4, and though the Cubs hung around for a while after that, the Yankees put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Game 1 winner Red Ruffing went nine innings to gain the 8-3, Series-clinching decision.

That made six straight Series losses for the Cubs, while the Yankees could boast three in the last three seasons.

Managers:?Joe McCarthy, NYY;?Gabby Hartnett, CHC