Baseball history unpacked, June 17

... 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:

• 1915 - Cubs right-hander reliever George Washington ‘Zip’ Zabel, called into the game with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, throws 18⅓ innings of the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Robins at Chicago’s West Side Park. ‘Zip,’ establishing the major league record for the longest relief stint in one game, beats Brooklyn starter Jeff Pfeffer, who tosses a 19-inning complete-game. (1)

Box score.

• 1962 - In a play that is emblematic of the struggling Mets, first baseman Marv Throneberry’s apparent first-inning triple becomes an out on an appeal play for missing second base in an 8-7 loss to the Cubs at the Polo Grounds. When New York manager Casey Stengel questions the call, he is told by the umpire, according to legend, “Don’t bother arguing, Casey, he missed first base, too.” (1)

Box score.

• 1970 - At Candlestick Park, Willie Mays (615) and Ernie Banks (504) both homer in the Cubs’ 6-1 victory over the Giants. It is the first time in baseball history two players with 500 career home runs have gone deep in the same game. (1)

Box score.

• 1971 - Don Kessinger goes 6-for-6, stroking five singles and a double. The Cubs leadoff hitter’s perfect performance at the plate contributes to the team’s 7-6 ten-inning victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. (1,3)

Box score.

• 1987 - Dick Howser dies at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. He led the Royals to their first World Championship in 1985, but was forced to give up managing during the 1986 season because of a brain tumor. His uniform number, 10, will be retired by the club on July 3. (2,3)
• 1993 - Baseball owners vote overwhelmingly, 26-2, in favor of expanding the playoffs for the first time since 1969. The new system, beginning in 1994, will double the number of teams that qualify for postseason play to eight by realigning each league to three divisions and adding two wild-card teams. (1)
• Cubs birthdays: Phil Douglas, Zeb Terry, Pete Elko.

Sources:

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

Thanks for reading.