Baseball history unpacked, June 21

... 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:

• 1890 - Silver King pitches the only no-hitter in the history of the Players League in a losing cause. King’s Chicago Pirates lose at home on errors to the Brooklyn Wonders, 1 - 0. Because his team chooses to bat first, he does not pitch the 9th inning. (3)
• 1907 - The Cubs top the Cardinals, 2 - 0, as C Johnny Kling throws out all four would-be St. Louis base stealers. Three-Finger Brown wins his 10th straight game. (3)
• 1952 - The Harrisburg Senators sign softball shortstop standout Eleanor Engle, but the 24-year-old stenographer will never take the field when National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues president George Trautman bans the signing of women. Commissioner Ford Frick will go one step further by formally prohibiting females from professional baseball, using the ruling to prevent teams from using women players as a publicity stunt. (1)
• 1960 - Richie Ashburn plays his first game in Philadelphia since being traded to the Cubs in the offseason. ‘Whitey,’ a fan favorite during his dozen years with the Phillies, strikes out looking to start his 1-for-6 day in an extra-inning loss to his former team at Shibe Park. (1)

Box score.

• 1968 - It’s been a bad week for the Cubs, but they end their scoreless streak at 48 innings, tying a major league mark set in 1906, beating the Reds, 3 - 2, behind Joe Niekro. George Culver is the losing pitcher, allowing the Cubs’ first score in the 3rd inning when he gives up a walk with the sacks full. The five straight shutout losses also tie a league mark. The streak started on June 15th, the final eight innings of a loss to Atlanta and continued with the following games: a 1 - 0 loss to Phil Niekro in 11 innings; a 1 - 0 loss to the Cards’ Nellie Briles; a 4 - 0 one-hitter tossed by Steve Carlton and a 1 - 0 loss to Bob Gibson. During the drought, Fergie Jenkins allows one run in 18 innings but is charged with a loss and a no-decision.

Box score.

• 2008 - In a match-up of two first-place Chicago teams, the Cubs top the Sox in interleague play. In a 9-run 4th, the Cubs gets 4 homers - a three-run shot by Aramis Ramirez, one blast by Mike Fontenot and two by Jim Edmonds. (3)

Box score.

• Cubs birthdays: Matt Kilroy, Jackie Collum, Rick Sutcliffe, Donovan Osborne, Jeff Baker. Also notable: Red Barron.

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.