Wrigley Field 1945 World Series
Source: Baseball Hall Of Fame Cooperstown, NY
Photo Subject: 1945 Chicago Cubs World Series Game Seven crowd and iconic marquee.
Folklore: The date is October 6, 1945 and Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, bought two tickets to see the Cubs play the Detroit Tigers in Game Four of the World Series at Wrigley Field. One ticket was for him and one was for his pet goat, Murphy. Under one version of the legend, P. K. Wrigley had Murphy removed because the goat smelled. Thus began the Curse of the Billy Goat.
What followed next was a disastrous slump for the Cubs. The team lost 4-1 on October 6, and went on to drop two of the next three games and hand the Tigers the 1945 World Series. After the defeat, Sianis is said to have sent P.K. Wrigley a telegram that read: “Who stinks now?” It wasn’t until 2016 that the Cubs made another appearance to the World Series.
Even if the Curse of the Billy Goat was just a myth, there’s no denying that it had been more than a century since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series—far longer than any other club in professional baseball.
Painting Detail: Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details were made using Prismacolor pencils.