Rooted to the Mound
Charlie Root will forever be remembered as the pitcher on the mound when Babe Ruth allegedly called his shot in the 1932 World Series. Yet that one momentary recollection does little justice to a pitcher who excelled over a long career.
This photograph, featured in the Hall of Fame’s collection, was snapped a bit earlier in the 1932 season, before Root became a household name. It’s a wonderful black-and-white image that offers plenty of insight into Root and the equipment of the day. We can see a replication of the end of Root’s balanced delivery, the conspicuously loose webbing in his glove, and the distinctive Cubs logo, which is written in script and is very different from the trademarks that we have become used to with the venerable Chicago franchise.
Root looks very much in control in this photograph. That should come as no surprise; by 1932, the fiercely competitive Root had curbed his wildness and become an accurate strikethrower, issuing only 55 walks in 216 innings that summer. In contrast, Root walked three batters when he faced the Yankees in Game 3 of the ‘32 World Series, and his overall performance fell short of his usual standards. Knocked out in the fifth inning, Root took the loss, as the Cubs fell into a three-games-to-none hole in that best-of-seven Fall Classic – one where they would eventually be swept by the Yankees.
That performance didn’t seem to affect Root in 1933, as the no-nonsense hurler bounced back with a 15-win season, accompanied by an ERA of 2.60. For the most part, he remained an effective pitcher through the 1938 season, just before he turned 40 and finally saw his arm give out to Father Time.
For his career, Root won 201 games against only 160 losses. The all-time leader in wins for the Cubs’ franchise, he was such a valued pitcher that he earned votes in the National League MVP race five times. He also happens to be the only player in big league history to have sported the last name of “Root,” which is not a common surname. That piece of trivia becomes especially pertinent on April 4, 2016, which is “Square Root Day.”
Using only numerals, the date of April 4, 2016 can be written out as 4/4/2016. Let’s take the last two numbers in the sequence: 16. The square root of 16 is 4. The first two numbers in the above sequence are 4. If we multiply 4 times 4, we come up with 16, as in the year 2016. Hence, the name Square Root Day.
To celebrate this unofficial holiday and to commemorate major league baseball’s Opening Day, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will be hosting Square Root Day activities for school children. These hands-on activities teach students not only about squares and roots, but focus on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) that can be found in baseball.
Students and educators who visit the Hall of Fame for Square Root Day will have the opportunity to see the STEM fields in action through a variety of activities. Students will learn how a car’s GPS works and how it is able to get fans to stadiums. Students will also learn about sound and light frequencies. They will look at the frequency of the notes in the baseball classic, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and use the colors of light with the corresponding frequencies to perform the song as a light show.
These and many other STEM-based lessons will be available for students at the Museum, including a look at how all four STEM fields combine in Major League Baseball Advanced Media’s Statcast.
For more information on Square Root Day and a list of planned activities for the day, please visit the Hall of Fame’s Square Root Day page.
Bruce Markusen is the manager of digital and outreach learning at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; Nathan Tweedie is the Museum's manager of onsite learning
Online Photo Exhibits
Reproductions
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum features a collection of nearly 250,000 photographs like this one. Reproductions are available for purchase. To purchase a reprint of this photograph or others from the Photo Archive collections, please call (607) 547-0375 or email jhorne@baseballhall.org. Hall of Fame members receive a 10-percent discount.
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