Baseball history unpacked, October 19

... 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*.

Today in baseball history:

• 1923 - Citing the unsavory characters associated with the sport, American League president Ban Johnson persuades AL owners to prohibit boxing matches in their parks. The National League declines to go along with it. (3)
• 1932 - The BBWAA MVP awards are announced, with Jimmie Foxx winning in the AL and Chuck Klein in the NL. (2)
• 1978 - The Chicago White Sox fire Larry Doby, the second black manager in major league history, and name veteran shortstop Don Kessinger as player-manager. (1,3)
• 2010 - The Cubs select Mike Quade, Lou Piniella’s interim replacement who guided the team to a 24-13 record during the last six weeks of the season, as the franchise’s newest manager. Triple-A Iowa skipper and Hall of Fame icon Ryne Sandberg, a finalist in the selection process, was thought to be the front-runner for the position. (1)
• 2016 - The Cubs tie the NLCS at two wins apiece with a 10-2 beating of the Dodgers as they tee off on two rookie pitchers, Julio Urias and Ross Stripling. Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo both end long hitting droughts with homers. (3)

• 2017 - The Dodgers are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1988 with an 11-1 win over the Cubs in Game 5 of the NLCS. They chase José Quintana in the third inning, before Kiké Hernandez delivers the killer blow with a grand slam against Hector Rondon, his second homer of the game, which extends the lead to 7-0. Hernandez adds a third homer in the ninth to complete a great day. Chicago scores its only run on a solo homer by Kris Bryant off Clayton Kershaw, who picks up the win with six strong innings. Justin Turner and Chris Taylor share the NLCS MVP Award. (3)
• Cubs birthdays: Mordecai Brown HOF, Bob O’Farrell, Vic Roznovsky, Brock Davis, Mike Perez, Dave Veres, Lance Dickson, Daniel Descalso, Cory Mazzoni.

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 vet each item as much as time allows. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source. Thanks for reading! Happy birthday to Cub fan and Bud Man Jeff Parker.