With the opportunity almost within their grasp the
machine, which had been patched for the moment, fell to pieces, and the
Cubs, brought to a climax in their work by all the personal magnetism
and the driving power of which Chance was capable, were exhausted by
their strongest effort. The courage and the wish were there, but the
team lacked the playing strength.

To return to the factors which contributed to the club's success. They
were the restoration to health of Evers, and a complete change in the
manner of playing second base, added to the consistent and powerful
batting of Zimmerman. The latter led the league in batting and
repeatedly pulled his club through close contests by the forceful manner
in which he met the ball with men on bases.

A third contributing force, though less continuous, was the brief spurt
which was made by the Chicago pitchers in the middle of the season. They
were strongest at the moment that the New York team was playing its
poorest game, and their temporary success assisted in pushing the
Chicagos somewhat rapidly toward the top of the league. They were not
resourceful enough nor strong enough to maintain their average of
victories and finished the season somewhat as they had begun.

The most of Chicago's success began to date from the early part of July,
when Lavender, pitching for the Cubs, won from Marquard of the Giants,
who, to that time, had nineteen successive victories to his credit.
Chicago continued to win, and the New York team made a very poor trip
through the west.

Lavender's physical strength held up well for a month and then it became
quite evident that he had pitched himself out. Then was the time that
the Chicagos could have used to good advantage two and certainly one
steady and reliable pitcher, who had been through the fire of winning
pennants and would not be disturbed by the importance which attached to
games in which his club was for the moment the runner-up in the
championship race.

Chicago managed to hold its own fairly well against the New York team.
Indeed, the Cubs beat the New Yorks on the series for the season, but
there were other clubs, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati, which won
from Chicago when victories were most needed by the Cubs, and their hope
to capture the pennant deserted them as they were making their last trip
through the east.

The race was not without its bright side for Chicago. Even if the Cubs
did finish third for the first tim