Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and baseball history

Baseball history unpacked, October 7

#1’s natal anniversary, and other stories. Lots of video.

By Duane Pesice@moderan13 Oct 7, 2019, 6:00am CDT

... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you 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. The embedded links often point to articles that pertain to the scenes, such as reproductions of period newspapers, images, and/or other such material as is often found in the wild.

Today in baseball history:

1935 - In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, the Tigers win their first World Series in franchise history when Goose Goslin singles home Mickey Cochrane to give the team a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Cubs. Tommy Bridges goes the distance, giving up 12 hits, to get the Navin Field victory. (1,3)

Box score.

1984 - In a game that will be best remembered for Cubs first baseman Leon Durham’s seventh-inning error on an easy ground ball, the Padres win the NLCS when Tony Gwynn’s seventh inning two-run double breaks a 3-3 tie en route to a 6-3 victory at Jack Murphy Stadium. Chicago had a 2-0 game advantage as well as a 3-0 lead in the decisive Game 5 but was unable to end their thirty-nine year World Series appearance drought. (1)

Box score.

1989 - A very tough loss for the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLDS. At Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the lead changes hands multiple times until the Cubs take the lead in the top of the 7th on Ryne Sandberg’s sacrifice fly scoring Greg Maddux (pinch running for Rick Sutcliffe). In the bottom of the inning, Robbie Thompson’s 2-run home run off Les Lancaster to give the Giants a 5-4 they will hold onto to win Game 3. Giants lead Series 2 games to 1. (6)

Box score.

2015 - Jake Arrieta pitches a 5-hit CG shutout as #Cubs advance to NLDS 4-0 over Pirates in Pittsburgh. His 11 strikeouts ties the team record (Kerry Wood, 1998). Dexter Fowler & Kyle Schwarber are the hitting stars of the game as both homer in the game. Fowler scores 3 runs and Schwarber has 3 RBI. (6)

Box score.

2016 - Johnny Cueto for the Giants and Jon Lester for the Cubs lock up in a scoreless pitchers’ duel until the bottom of the 8th, when Javier Baez hits a solo homer. Aroldis Chapman comes out to pitch the 9th, and while Buster Posey comes close to tying the game with a drive to the left-field wall, the Giants fail to score and go down, 1-0. (3)

Box score.

2017 - In Game 2 of the NLDS, Chicago has 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th, thanks to a solo homer by Willson Contreras and a two-run shot by Anthony Rizzo, both off Gio Gonzalez, but Washington explodes for 5 runs against Carl Edwards and Mike Montgomery to take a 6-3 win and even the series at one apiece. In the fateful inning, Bryce Harper hits a two-run shot and Ryan Zimmerman another good for 3 runs as all the scoring comes on long balls (Anthony Rendon had homered in the 1st for Washington’s other run). (3)

Box score.