Phil Cavarretta

Positions: First Baseman and Outfielder
Bats: Left  •  Throws: Left
5-11, 175lb (180cm, 79kg)
Born: July 19, 1916 in Chicago, IL
Died: December 18, 2010  in Lilburn, GA
Buried: Cremated
High School: Lane Tech College Prep HS (Chicago, IL)
Debut: September 16, 1934 ( 7,777th in major league history)
vs. BRO 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: May 8, 1955
vs. DET 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Philip Joseph Cavarretta
Nicknames: Philliabuck
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1934

Phil Cavarretta
Rudy York
Harlond Clift
Augie Galan
Frank McCormick
Frenchy Bordagaray
Zeke Bonura
Al Benton
Denny Galehouse

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology 

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

October 7, 1935

Goose Goslin drives in Mickey Cochrane to win 1935 World Series

July 30, 1943

Phil Cavarretta of the Chicago Cubs homers off the RF foul pole against Johnny Allen of the Brooklyn Dodgers

July 11, 1944

Phil Cavaretta sets an All-Star Game record by reaching base five consecutive times in the NL’s 7-1 victory

October 3, 1945

Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs face each other in the World Series for the fourth time. Hank Borowy pitches a six-hitter and Hal Newhouser is demolished with eight runs in three innings as the Cubs win, 9 – 0.

October 10, 1945

The Detroit Tigers score five runs in the 1st inning of Game 7 of the World Series, and rout the Cubs, 9 – 3

December 31, 1945

Major League Baseball Season Recap 1945

July 16, 1950

Monk Dubiel starts a streak of 18 straight wins over the Chicago Cubs

July 22, 1951

With the Cubs 10 games under .500 at 35-45, Phil Cavarretta replaces Frankie Frisch as manager

July 29, 1951

Against the Phillies, Cubs player-manager Phil Cavarretta earns his money by driving home three runs in a 5 – 4 win snapping the Cubs’ 10-game home losing streak

August 2, 1952

Sawyer loses homerun crown after lost homerun in rain out

March 29, 1954

 Chicago Cubs manager Phil Cavarretta gives team owner Phil Wrigley an honest assessment of the Cubs’ chances, and is fired for his defeatist attitude, becoming the first manager ever to be given the gate during spring training. Stan Hack replaces him. Cavarretta is right: the Cubs will drop to seventh place this year.

March 21, 1978

The San Diego Padres fire manager Alvin Dark, replacing him with pitching coach Roger Craig. Dark becomes the second manager ever fired during spring training. Phil Cavarretta, fired by the Chicago Cubs in 1954, was the other.

Phil Cavarretta

Phil Cavarretta played 20 consecutive seasons with the Cubs. A lefthanded schoolboy pitcher for Lane Tech in Chicago, he signed a contract with Peoria (Central League) before he finished high school. He hit for the cycle as a right fielder in his first pro game in 1934. Brought up by the Cubs that September, he struck out as a pinch hitter in his debut, but homered in his first start for the only run of the game. He became the everyday first baseman for the 1935 NL champions as an 18-year-old. In a May 1939 game against the Giants, Cavarretta broke an ankle sliding; 13 months later he repeated the same injury, also against New York. Exempt from military service because of an ear problem, he peaked during WWII. His 197 hits in 1944 tied with Stan Musial for the NL lead. In that year’s All-Star Game, he reached base a record five times. He was the 1945 NL batting champion (.355), helping the Cubs to the pennant and winning MVP honors. He led all hitters in the 1945 WS with a .423 average (11 for 26). Cavarretta was the Cubs’ player-manager in 1951-53, and led the NL with 12 pinch hits in ’51. Fired in spring training of 1954 because owner Phil Wrigley bridled at Cavarretta’s prediction of a second-division finish, he finished his playing career with the White Sox. He managed extensively in the minors, coached and scouted for the Tigers, and became an excellent batting instructor for the Mets’ organization.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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