We begin this series with a man who was a Chicago-area native (Marengo) and pitched for the Cubs more than a century ago.
Carl Lundgren, a right-hander, pitched for the Cubs for only eight seasons, 1902-09, but as you surely know, that period included some of the most significant years in franchise history, including two World Series titles in 1907 and 1908.
Lundgren, in fact, was a key pitcher for the 1907 World Series champions, posting a microscopic 1.17 ERA in 28 games (25 starts) covering 207
innings. While he walked a lot of hitters — 92 — he didn’t give up many hits, only 130, giving him a 1.072 WHIP. His 5.7 hits allowed per nine innings led MLB, and though hardly anyone hit home runs in general back then, Lundgren led all MLB pitchers by allowing none at all.
Even with all that, per his SABR biography, Lundgren wasn’t used at all during the World Series, manager Frank Chance trusting Mordecai Brown, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester and Orval Overall. Each of those pitchers won a game as the Cubs won the Series.
Lundgren “mysteriously lost his stuff,” per the bio, and his performance declined in 1908. It’s entirely possible he had some sort of injury that couldn’t be diagnosed 120 years ago. He “retired” from baseball after 1909, but pitched three more years in the minors before becoming a long-time baseball coach at two Big Ten schools, Michigan (1913-20) and Illinois (1921-34). He’d certainly have continued, as he won five Big Ten titles over those 14 years, but he had a fatal heart attack Aug. 21, 1934, aged just 54.
Per the SABR bio, Lundgren is still remembered in Champaign:
On the Champaign side of the University of Illinois campus sits a student residence named Lundgren Hall in his honor.
Lundgren is credited with 13.3 bWAR for his eight years with the Cubs, No. 100 on the list.
