Woonsocket Charles Leo Hartnett was

born December 20th, 1900

in Woonsocket, RI
His mother, Ellen, and his
father Frederic had 14
children, Gabby being the
oldest. Fred taught four of
his boys, and three of his
girls how to be a catcher in
baseball
His professional career
started with Worchester in
the Eastern League when
the New York Giants went
out to go scout Gabby.
They ended up rejecting
him because his “hands
were too small for a major
league catcher”. Though
the Giants saw small
hands, but the Chicago
cubs saw a big heart for
the game.
In 1922, at only 22 years On July 22nd, Gabby
old, Gabby signed with the finally got the chance to
Chicago Cubs. make his Major League
Baseball debut. That day,
Bob O’Farrell was struck
in the head by a baseball
and fractured his skull.
Because of this, Gabby
was not the starting
catcher. He did so well
during O’Farrell’s
absence, the cubs decided
to keep his for the next
season and ended up
trading O’Farrell.
During his career prime, in
1931 he had what seemed
to be a major slip-up.
During a game against the
Chicago White Sox, he
had a picture taken and
posted in newspapers of
him signing a baseball for
Al Capones nephew. The
MLB contacted him and
“Ok, but if you don’t want me
told him to not take
to have my picture taken with
anymore pictures with the
him, you tell him”
gangster. His response?
you tell him”
On July 20, 1938, Hartnett was named player-manager for the
Cubs. It was this time when Hartnett were to experience the
highlight of his career.

On September 28, 1938

the cubs were battling the
Pirates in a 3-game series.
The sky was getting darker
as the score was tied in the
5th inning. The umpires
ruled that the game was to
finish in the ninth, and if
the score were still tied,
then they would replay the
entire game the next day.
Bottom of the 9th. The
Score is still tied. The dark
skies are rolling over the
stadium as the game is
coming to an end. With a
0-2 count, Gabby smacks
the ball up into the
darkness, landing in the
left-center bleachers. The
crowed exploded with
cheers, rushing down to
the field as they wait for
Gabby to hit home base
for his walk off homerun
This win brought them into first place to clinch the
pennant title three days later. This hit is come to be
known as the “Homer in the Glomin”
On December 3, he signed with
the New York Giants to be a
coach-player

After playing in the major

league for 19 years, he finally
retired at the age of 40.
 But why does this man matter to me?
Well, in 1929 he had his first son, Charles “Bud”, and 6 years
later he had his daughter Sheila Ann Hornoff. Bud got married,
and had my grandmother Jane Massman, and Jane had my mom,
Joanne. 30 Years later, my mom had me, Mikayla. Cubbie blood
flows through our veins. Because of Fred, so many of our family
tree loves not only watching the game but playing it as well.