Baseball history unpacked, December 25

... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a lighthearted 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*. Beware of rabbit holes.

Today in baseball history:

• 1862 - A crowd of 40,000 watches two teams of imprisoned Union Army soldiers play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Civil War historians are debating the actual size of the crowd. (2,3)
• 1888 - The first indoor baseball game ever played takes place at the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, on the Pennsylvania State Fair Buildings and Grounds located at Broad Street & Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia, the Downtowners beat the Uptowners in the first sanctioned indoor baseball game ever played, 6 - 1, before a crowd of 2,000. (1,3)
• 1940 - South Side Park, the first home of the Chicago White Sox, burns down. (3)
• 1957 - With the backing of United States Representatives Kenneth Keating and Emanuel Celler, the minor league executives urge that Major League Baseball compensate them for infringement on their territorial rights. (3)
• 1989 - Billy Martin, former infielder and five-time manager of the Yankees, dies in a one-car accident at the age of 61. (2)
• Cubs birthdays: Barry McCormick, Herb Hunter, Allen Elliott, Greek George, Dick Manville, Chris Krug, Manny Trillo, Scott Bullett, Tarrik Brock. Also notable: Pud Galvin (HoF), Nellie Fox (HoF), Rickey Henderson (HoF).

Sources:

• (1) — The National Pastime.
• (2) — Today in Baseball History.
• (3) — Baseball Reference.
• (4) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (5) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (6) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.

*We try to vet each item. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source.

Thanks for reading. Happy holidays.