A wildly popular Cubs-centric look at baseball’s past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along as we review select scenes from the rich tapestry of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history.
Today in baseball history:
- 1903 - The Cubs split with the Giants at the Polo Grounds, beating Joe McGinnity, 7 - 3, in the opener. Iron Joe is not helped by eight Giant errors, including five by SS Charlie Babb. The nightcap is called after Chicago’s at-bats in the 7th with the score 8 - 1. Christy Mathewson picks up the victory for New York over Jock Menefee. (3)
- 1905 - At Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl, Ed Reulbach goes the distance when the Cubs defeat the Phillies in 20 innings, 2-1. The 22 year-old right-handed rookie will finish the season with an 18-14 record (.563), along with an ERA of 1.42. (1)
- 1951 - In another of Bill Veeck’s legendary PR stunts, “Fans Managers’ Night,” a thousand fans behind the Browns dugout are given yes and no placards to vote on decisions by the Browns coaches. The fans coach the Browns to a 5-3 win over Philadelphia. (2)
Box score. The Cubs lost that day, 1-0, with Ralph Branca getting the complete-game W over Paul Minner. Jackie Robinson drove in the winning run, which was unearned with Pee Wee Reese having reached third on a error, in the first inning.
- 1963 - The Little League World Series is televised for the first time. With ABC’s Wide World of Sports providing coverage of the championship game, Grenada Hills (CA) beats Stratford (CT), 2-1. (1)
Here’s a neat bracket for that year.
The 1963 Little League World Series was the 17th Little League World Series. The teams were Monterrey, Nuevo León, Izmir (the only Turkish team through 2013), Granada Hills, CA, Stratford, CT, Duluth, MN(the first Minnesota-based entry), North Houston, TX and Valleyfield, QC. Stratford had a 0.32 ERA for the Series. In the finale, though, they lost 2-1 to Granada Hills, which scored the winner in the bottom of the 7th. David Sehnem (13 K, 2 H, 1 UER) outdueled John Slosar. C Ken Kinsman went 2 for 2 with a home run for Granada Hills. — (3)
- 1971 - At Wrigley Field, Ernie Banks hits the final home run of his career in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to Cincinnati. Mr. Cub’s 512th round-tripper, tying him for seventh-place on the all-time list with fellow Hall-of-Famer Eddie Mathews, comes in the fourth frame off right-hander Jim McGlothlin, a two-out solo shot to left field that ties the score at 3-3. (1)
Box score. Fergie Jenkins lost his tenth against twenty victories, giving up four earned runs in seven innings. Phil Regan finished, but there was no win to vulture that day.
- 1983 - The Cubs’ Chuck Rainey is one out away from a no-hitter when the Reds’ Eddie Milner singles to center on the first pitch. Rainey settles for a 3-0 one-hitter, his first complete game of the season. For Milner, this is the third of five instances in which he will collect his team’s only hit in a game, a major league mark he’ll share with Cesar Tovar. (3)
Box score. Mario Soto also went the distance for the losing side.
1989 - “In the absence of a hearing and therefore in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I am confronted by the factual record of the Dowd report, and on the basis of that, yes, I have concluded that he bet on baseball.” - A. BARTLETT GIAMATTI, commissioner commenting on Pete Rose’s lifetime banishment.
”Regardless of what the commissioner said today, I did not bet on baseball.” - PETE ROSE, defending himself at Riverfront Stadium news conference.
Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, stating he believed that Pete Rose had bet on games, including those of the team he managed, announces an agreement that bans Mr. Rose permanently from baseball. The five-page agreement, signed by the commissioner and the Reds manager, does not indicate the suspension is specifically for betting on baseball games and does not include language that Rose wagered bets on games. (1)
- Cubs birthdays: Lou Hardie, Frank Quinn, Art Williams, Jimmy Cooney, Beryl Richmond, Frank Secory, Dean Wilkins, Kurt Miller. Also notable: Harry Hooper, Cal Ripken Jr. (HoF)
Sources:
- (1) — The National Pastime.
- (2) — Today in Baseball History.
- (3) — Baseball Reference.
- (4) — Society for American Baseball Research.
Please note that lines may have been corrected for spelling and/or grammarical errata. Thanks for playing along.