On September 4, 1908, Chief Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates lined a base hit against the Chicago Cubs that sent home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Warren Gill, the runner at first, started for second on the hit, watched the winning run score, then retreated to the clubhouse without reaching the base.
Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers, a glutton for the rulebook, quickly yelled for the ball from the outfield, got it, and stepped on second base—which, by the rules, would have forced Gill out and nullified the winning run.
The problem was, when Evers looked for umpire Hank O’Day to make the call, he had discovered that O’Day, too, had trotted off the field.
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