Baseball history unpacked, August 28

... 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:

• 1950 - At Wrigley Field, Hank Sauer socks three consecutive home runs off Curt Simmons, as the Cubs edge the Phillies 7-5 in game 1. Sauer will connect for three homers off Simmons once more, in 1952. (3)

Box score.

• 1971 - The Cubs honor their longtime fan favorite with ‘Ron Santo Day’ at Wrigley Field. With 34,988 there to honor the veteran third baseman, he goes 1-for-3 and scores a run, but it isn’t enough when Atlanta spoils the special day, beating Ferguson Jenkins and the hometown team, 4-3. (1)

Box score.

• 1990 - Ryne Sandberg becomes the first second baseman to hit 30 home runs in consecutive seasons when he homers to deep left field off Bill Gullickson leading off the fourth inning in the Cubs’ 5-2 victory over Houston at the Astrodome. ‘Ryno’ will finish the season with 40 round-trippers, the most in the National League. (1)

Box score.

• 2001 - Alex Rodriguez becomes the ninth player, and the second shortstop, in major league history to hit 40 home runs in four consecutive seasons. The first shortstop to reach the plateau was Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks, who accomplished the feat from 1957-60 for the Cubs. (1)
• 2008 - The Cubs game against the Phillies at Wrigley Field becomes the first contest to be played with the use of video replay available to umpires to review calls in regards to fair or foul home runs, balls in or out of the ballpark, and fan interference determinations. The new technology, which doesn’t need to be employed in any of the three ballparks going online today, will be used by all major league clubs starting tomorrow. (1)

Box score.

• 2012 - Starlin Castro agrees to a seven-year contract extension with the Cubs, which includes a club option for an eighth season in 2020. The 22 year-old shortstop, already a two-time All-Star, became the youngest player in National League history to lead the circuit in hits when he collected 207 last season. (1)
• Cubs birthdays: Dode Paskert, Charlie Grimm, Jeff Cross, Cliff Aberson, Johnny Pramesa, Billy Cowan, Dick LeMay, Darren Lewis, Shane Andrews, Randy Wells.

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.