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... 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:
- 1910 - Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Jack Coombs wins his third game of the World Series, beating the Chicago Cubs, 7-2, as the Athletics take the championship in five games. Eddie Collins helps Coombs with three hits, including two doubles. (1,3)
- 1920 - The Chicago grand jury indictment adds the names of former featherweight boxing champ Abe Attell and baseball players Hal Chase and Bill Burns as go-betweens in the 1919 World Series scandal. Ed Cicotte, Joe Jackson, Lefty Williams and Happy Felsch sign confessions, which they will later recant. (2,3)
This is of course in reference to the ‘Black Sox’ scandal. SABR debunks some common misconceptions. They have a committee to investigate. Bill Lamb expands.
- 1935 - Gabby Hartnett is selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America as the National League MVP, with Dizzy Dean the runner-up. (3)
Hartnett hit .344 that year, with 13 HR and 91 RBI.
- 1974 - The Cubs trade sweet-swinging Billy Williams, a fixture at Wrigley Field for 16 years, to the Oakland Athletics for second baseman Manny Trillo and pitchers Darold Knowles and Bob Locker. (2,3)
This was a bittersweet kind of thing. Billy was long past his prime and would get a chance to be in the postseason, though. “I was very excited to go to Oakland because they were a great team,” Williams said. “We knew we were going back to the World Series, but it just didn’t happen.” Trillo stayed for quite a while. Knowles and Locker, not so much.
- 1984 - Rick Sutcliffe, who was 16-1 for the Cubs after arriving from Cleveland two days before the June 15 trading deadline, is a unanimous choice as National League Cy Young Award winner. (2,3)
Pete Grathoff (Kansas City Star*): Rick Sutcliffe shares story of how his life has come full circle at Kauffman Stadium.
- 2019 - The Cubs hire former C David Ross, one of the heroes of the World Series in 2016, to succeed Joe Maddon as the team’s manager. (3)
Ross was actually introduced on October 28 (we’ll have more on that day) — here’s his press conference:
- Cubs birthdays: Mike Sullivan, Solly Drake, John Lackey, Felix Doubront. Also notable: Jim Bunning 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 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!