Baseball history unpacked, March 30

... 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*. Beware of rabbit holes.

The simCubs won the rubber game of the series, with Bryzzo coming up big. Anthony Rizzo homered in the seventh to break a 10-10 tie and Kris Bryant drove the final nail in the coffin in the ninth as the North Siders escaped from Wrigley North ahead 2-1 in the season series between the two clubs and give the Cubs a share of first place.

The hits came early and often as Milwaukee fashioned 5-0 and 10-5 leads before Cub bats evened up and then pulled away like Billy “White Shoes’ Johnson. Ex-Brewer Jeremy Jeffress got the win and former Cub David Phelps took the loss, with Craig Kimbrel nailing down the victory for the save.

The simCubs have their home opener today against the Pirates. Al will be posting the gamepage at 2:30 Central. See you there!

Today in baseball history:

• 1948 - Murry Dickson of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the first pitcher to throw a nine-inning no-hitter in spring training history. Prior to Dickson, two no-hitters had taken place in the spring, but both were shared by more than one pitcher. (3)
• 1966 - Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers end their dual holdout. Both pitchers had stayed away from camp for 32 days, threatening retirement in an effort to acquire pay raises. Koufax signs for $120,000; Drysdale settles for $105,000. (1,2,3)
• 1979 - Major League Baseball umpires meet in Chicago, IL and vote 50-2 to reject new offers from the American and National leagues. They will be on strike when the season starts in a few days. (2,3)
• 1992 - The White Sox trade Sammy Sosa and pitcher Ken Patterson to the crosstown rival Cubs in exchange for 32 year-old All-Star slugger George Bell, who plays two seasons for his new team before retiring. Sosa will pass Ernie Banks as the franchise’s all-time home run leader, going deep 545 times during his 13-year tenure with the North Siders. (1)
• 1993 - After 43 years, Peanuts character Charlie Brown finally hits a home run, a game-winning round-tripper batting against his nemesis Royanne Hobbs. Almost ten percent of the nearly 18,000 Peanuts strips created by Charles Schulz focused on baseball. (1)

• 1995 - New York Southern District judge Sonia Sotomayor, after careful consideration of the case, rules that the owners’ use of replacement players is in good faith regarding the negotiation for a new collective bargaining agreement, resulting in the players returning to work under the terms of the expired agreement. The future Supreme Court Justice’s decision ends the 232-day work stoppage, but the fans show their displeasure about the loss of last season and the cancellation of the World Series by not immediately supporting their local teams when the games resume in late April. (1)
• 2000 - At the Tokyo Dome, the New York Mets defeat the Chicago Cubs in 11 innings, 5 - 1, on Benny Agbayani’s pinch-hit grand slam. Rey Ordóñez commits an error in the game, ending his major league record streak of 101 consecutive errorless games at shortstop. With a swipe of second base, Rickey Henderson joins Ted Williams as the only major league players to steal a base in four different decades. (3)
• 2015 - As had been rumored, the Cubs announce that they have sent top prospect Kris Bryant to their minor league camp, even though he has had an outstanding spring training. Agent Scott Boras expresses outrage, claiming the move is motivated by financial and not baseball reasons, while the Players’ Association threatens some form or retaliation. However, Major League Baseball reminds everyone that teams have the sole right to determine which players end up on their roster, as confirmed under the Basic Agreement. Bryant will be called up on April 17th and will end up winning the Rookie of the Year Award. (3)
• Cubs birthdays: Tom Burns, George Van Haltren, Herman Bronkie, Ed Sicking, Ripper Collins.

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 try to vet each item. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source.

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