Chicago’s lineup had been silent for days, even against some of baseball’s best pitchers. Then one wild inning suddenly flipped the script.

On June 21, 1968, the Cubs finally ended a brutal scoring drought that had stretched to 48 consecutive innings, tying a major league record set in 1906. Chicago’s slump came during a five-game stretch against elite pitching that included future Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and Phil Niekro. In the third inning, Reds pitcher George Culver suddenly lost the strike zone and walked the bases loaded. Billy Williams’ sacrifice fly brought home Cubs pitcher Joe Niekro with the long-awaited run.

🕵️ Inside Today’s Original Newspaper Coverage:

  • Durocher’s plan to shock slumping Cubs awake

  • The other record tied by the Cubs heading into the game

  • Durocher’s thoughts on what the game might’ve changed

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