Before Reggie Jackson, Orval Overall Was Mr. October

We look back at the career of Orval Overall, a notable postseason competitor from the early days of the Chicago Cubs.

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Pregame Pepper

Did you know…

. . . From 1906-1910, Orval Overall was teammates with Hall of Famer Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, who ranks sixth all-time with a career ERA of 2.06. The two of them were teammates with another similarly stingy pitcher, Jack Pfiester, whose career 2.02 ERA ranks fourth all-time.

. . . Overall started Opening Day every year for the Chicago Cubs from 1906-1910, going 3-2 in those outings.

. . . Overall’s four-strikeout inning in the 1908 World Series was just the third recorded instance of a four-strikeout inning in Major League Baseball history spanning either the regular season or the World Series. The first known four-strikeout inning was authored by Ed Crane of the New York Giants on Oct. 4, 1888.

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Leading Off

Orval Overall: The O.G. Mr. October

By Paul M. Banks

If you haven't seen the recently released Amazon Prime documentary "Reggie," focusing on "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson, I strongly suggest you check it out. The film is enthralling, informative and entertaining in ways that go far beyond baseball.

But what if I told you (cue the ESPN 30-for-30 narrator voice) that there was a prior Mr. October, well over a century ago? Enter former Chicago Cubs pitcher Orval Overall, who hails from an era so bygone that he's sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Orville Overall."

It's an honest mistake, as Overall's heyday coincided with the crowning achievements of Orville Wright, one half of the Wright Bros. who invented the airplane. Also, the all-time godfather of the popcorn business, Orville Redenbacher, was born in 1907. This was when the Cubs were a dynasty, winning three consecutive pennants from 1906-1908.

They also won back-to-back World Series titles in ought-seven and ought-eight. Ace pitcher Orval Overall was a cornerstone of those Cubs teams in the "oughts."

Technically, this is how you're supposed to refer to the first decade that was the 1900s. Although hardly anyone, other than maybe The Simpsons supervillain Mr. Burns, would likely know this. Also, Overall is not to be confused with former White Sox pitcher Orval Grove, who pitched from 1940-1949 and made an All-Star appearance in 1944.

Overall’s popularity made a very brief comeback in 2003 when Kerry Wood accomplished some things that no Cubs pitcher had done since Overall. Then, a few years ago, when Jake Arrieta was in his prime, it was he who was accomplishing things that no Cubs pitcher had done since Overall.

In 2017, Arrieta became the first Cubs pitcher with 200-plus strikeouts and 10 or fewer home runs allowed since Overall in 1909 (205 K, 1 HR). The Cubs, despite their reputation as "lovable losers" and the 108-year championship drought, have produced a lot of October heroes: Jon Lester, the aforementioned Wood, Ryne Sandberg, Andy Pafko, Kyle Schwarber, and Ben Zobrist, just to name a few.

It is too bad that the Cubs won't have a seat at the table this October, as it appeared their reservation was booked a long time ago. Alas, they have no one to blame but themselves for its cancellation, as David Ross was way in over his depth once closer Adbert Alzolay went on the IL for the stretch run.

So with the Cubs left out of the postseason party, let's flash back to the glory days. The Cubs made three straight NLCS appearances from 2015-2017. No, back further.

In 1906, the Cubs set a Major League record (which still stands to this day) with 116 wins against just 36 losses. In 18 games with Chicago that season, Overall went 12-3 with a 1.88 ERA.

In the 1908 World Series clinching game, Overall shut out the Detroit Tigers on three hits. In the first inning of that clincher he became the first pitcher to ever strike out four hitters in one inning of any World Series game, and no one else joined him in this exclusive club until 2013. The Farmersville, Calif., native is the only Cub to win three World Series games.

For his career, he went 108-71 with a 2.26 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, to go along with 22.3 bWAR. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds (1905-1906), in addition to the Cubs (1906-1910, 1913). Overall, who led the National League in strikeouts in 1909 while setting a career-low in ERA (1.42), and winning 20 games for the third time in his career, worked as the vice president of a bank after his baseball career ended.

He passed away in his home state of California (Fresno) in 1947 at the age of 66.

Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

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Extra Innings: Putting The 1906 Cubs Into Context