Baseball history unpacked, April 8

Tuesday afternoon, The Cubs edged out the Pirates, outlasting them 5-4 as Craig Kimbrel turned in his third save. Yu Darvish is now 1-1.

No home runs for the Cubs. Jarrod Dyson hit a solo shot for the Pirates.

The highlights start at 1:59:27. Here they are:

The Cubs are still in first:

Al will have more information about today’s game, in the game post, at 2:30 pm CT for our 3 p.m. start. I’ll drop the specific URL to the contest in the game thread, but you can lurk at the BCB Media Center and catch it there as well. All past games and highlights reels are available there as well. I also make plenty of data available on my Twitter account, immediately pre- and post-game.

... 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.

Today in baseball history:

• 1909 - While at spring training, Hal Chase of the New York Highlanders contracts smallpox. The entire team is vaccinated and quarantined while traveling north. (3)
• 1922 - At Sportsman’s Park, the St. Louis Cardinals wear their new uniforms (two red birds on a bat with the words “Cardinals” across the front) for the first time in an exhibition contest with the St. Louis Browns. Browns pitcher Urban Shocker tops the Cardinals’ Willie Sherdel, 3-2, the same result as their matchup a week ago. (3)
• 1966 - At the Astrodome, the Astros and Dodgers play baseball’s first game on synthetic grass. Thanks to the Monsanto chemical company, who proposed using an experimental playing surface of nylon grass, the plan to play on an all-dirt field, necessitated by the need to paint the dome’s glass panes to reduce the glare which prevented natural grass from growing, was alleviated by the use of ‘AstroTurf.’ (1)

ChemGrass story.

• 1970 - As partial compensation for the loss of Curt Flood, who refuses to report to Philadelphia, the Cardinals send minor league prospect Willie Montanez to the Phillies. The former St. Louis outfielder takes exception to being traded without his consent, ultimately appealing his challenge of the reserve clause, unsuccessfully, to the U.S. Supreme Court. (1)
• 1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves blasts a historic home run at Fulton County Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth’s career all-time record. The 715th home run of Aaron’s career comes against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing and results in a game-delaying celebration. Aaron will finish his career with a total of 755 home runs. (1)

• 1975 - Frank Robinson makes his debut as major league baseball’s first black manager. Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a crowd of 56,204. As the player-manager of the Cleveland Indians, Frank Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat, helping Cleveland to a 5 - 3 victory over the New York Yankees. For Robinson, it is his eighth Opening Day home run, setting a major league record which will later be tied by Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn.(1,2,3)
• 1987 - Los Angeles Dodgers vice-president Al Campanis is fired after he made racist remarks on national TV two days earlier. Campanis suggested that blacks lacked the “necessities” to become managers or executives. (2,3)
• 2003 - At Wrigley Field, a few of the 29,138 patrons at the Cubs opener boo when the Canadian national anthem, “O’ Canada,” is performed before the game against the Expos. The Chicago fans reaction comes as a result of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” being booed before an Islanders-Canadiens hockey game in Montreal due to some of their fans’ opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq. (1)
• 2008 - An emotional Bill Buckner returns to Fenway Park for the first time in more than a decade to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox home opener. The beleaguered former Boston first baseman, best known for letting Mookie Wilson’s grounder roll between his legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, receives a heartfelt standing ovation from the stunned crowd as he slowly walks from left field to the pitcher’s mound. (1)

• 2010 - Randy Wells, one of the National League’s top rookie pitchers in 2009, picks up where he left off, pitching six shutout innings in leading the Cubs to their first win of the season, a 2 - 0 blanking of the Braves and fellow sophomore Tommy Hanson. Tyler Colvin and Marlon Byrd hit solo homers for the game’s only runs. (3)
• Cubs birthdays: John Peters, Henry Lynch, Kirby Higbe, Alex Gonzalez, Eric Patterson, Lendy Castillo. Also notable: Catfish Hunter HOF, Gary Carter 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 try to vet each item. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source.

Thanks for reading