Baseball history unpacked, June 22

The Red Sox are taking the meatloaf on a road trip and the Cubs will have to claim it back by defeating the Cincinnati Reds at least two out of three in the upcoming series. Craig Kimbrel threw a meatball to Andrew Benintendi and that worthy got on top of it for a two-run, game-winning home run in the top of the ninth. Dan Winkler kept it there but the Cubs died on their swords with their boots on and will live to fight another day.

Confused? So are we. Argh. This was one that got away. Willson Contreras was 4 for 4 and looks to be heating up again. Javier Baez looks to be coming out of his slump instead of his shoes. Kris Bryant walloped a tremendous blast to left.

But alas and alack! ‘twas not to be, and the wastrels from Beantown escape their mots juste. Darn those Sox!

League Leaders and Standings in tomorrow’s Cub Tracks. The simCubs head to Cincinnati Tuesday. with more of their second-place bs. We should probably play a home game in their park to balance the karmic wheel. Things ain’t seemed right since then, as if the Cub Tracks Continuum had gone awry.

Or maybe it was the chili. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Al will have more about the game in the game post at 2:30 p.m. CT, and then I’ll post the actual URL to the stream at 3 p.m. CT. Or you can catch the game at the BCB Media Center and also catch past games and game videos, if you want the full #simCubs experience.

... 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 hand-picked scenes from the rich tapestry of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history*.

Today in baseball history:

• 1894 - The Colts beat the Pirates, 10-7, with Bill Dahlen collecting two hits and an RBI. (3)
• 1903 - At the Polo Grounds, a crowd of 19,000 is on hand for the twin bill with Chicago; Iron Joe McGinnity wins the opener, 5-4, in 10 innings, over Jack Taylor. But Chicago takes the nightcap, scoring six runs against Christy Mathewson in the ninth inning to enable Jock Menefee to pick up a win, 10-6. Matty gives up 13 hits and 10 runs in losing his fourth game of the year. (3)
• 1910 - Congressman John K. Tener, former Chicago White Stockings and Pittsburgh Alleghenies pitcher, wins the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania. He will be elected and will serve as president of the National League while governor.
• 1916 - Red Sox right-hander Rube Foster tosses a 2-0 no-hitter against the Highlanders. The no-no is the first one ever thrown in Fenway Park, the team’s home since 1912. (1)
• 1926 - The Cardinals pick up 39-year-old Grover Cleveland Alexander on waivers from the Cubs to help in the pennant chase. He’ll go 9-7 down the stretch. (2)
• 1932 - The N.L., at a meeting of club presidents, finally approves players wearing numbers. The A.L. had started in 1929. (2)
• 1951 - Donald L. Barnes, at the request of Browns’ owners William and Charles Dewitt, announces the sale of the controlling interest of the club to Bill Veeck, former owner of the Indians. The arrangement of the transaction ensures the new owner will keep the team in St. Louis, debunking the rumors of the shift of the franchise to Milwaukee. (1)
• 1952 - National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues president George Trautman bans the signing of women, preventing 24-year-old softball shortstop standout Eleanor Engle from playing with the Harrisburg Senators. Commissioner Ford Frick will go one step further by formally prohibiting females from professional baseball, using the ruling to prevent teams from using women players as a publicity stunt. (1)
• 1964 - On an unseasonably warm Father’s Day, Phillies’ hurler Jim Bunning becomes the first modern pitcher to toss a no-hitter in both leagues when he throws a perfect game to beat the Mets, 6-0. Gus Triandos also becomes the first catcher to handle a no-hitter in both leagues. (1)

• 1984 - Rick Monday, baseball’s first-ever first pick in the June free-agent draft (by the Kansas City A’s in 1965) is released by the Dodgers, ending a 19-year major league career. (3)
• 1985 - In his first major league at-bat, Curt Ford delivers a pinch single off Lee Smith to give St. Louis a 2-1 win over the Cubs and sole possession of first place in the National League East. Chicago, which had been clinging to first place, has now lost 11 in a row.
• 1998 - On Father’s Day, the New York Times publishes Michael Bouton’s open letter to the Yankees, asking the franchise to reconsider its long-time snub of his dad, Jim, the team’s former 21-game winner and controversial author of Ball Four. Thanks to his son’s efforts, Jim Bouton’s banishment from Yankee Stadium will end next month when the right-hander receives an invitation to return to the Bronx ballpark for the first time in nearly thirty years to participate in the team’s Old-Timers’ Day. Jim passed last July 10. (1)

• 2001 - At Wrigley Field, Milwaukee beats the Cubs and Kerry Wood, 2-1, snapping Chicago’s home win streak at 12 games, their longest win streak since 1936. It’s their first loss since May 18th. James Mouton’s infield single in the 9th drives home the winner. (2,3)

• 2009 - Donald Fehr announces his retirement as head of the Major League Baseball Players Association after 25 years. He was in charge during the 1994 strike and the relative labor peace that followed. His resignation will be effective in March 2010, when the union’s general counsel, Michael Weiner, will take over. (3)
• 2015 - Melissa Mayeux becomes the first female to be placed on the Major League Baseball’s international registration list, making her eligible to be signed by pro teams on July 2. The 16-year-old shortstop of the French U-18 junior national team campaigned successfully to abolish the country’s “no-girls-allowed” rule, so she could keep competing with the boys. (1)
• Cubs birthdays: Jim Asbell, Brant Brown, Willie Harris, Jason Motte. Also notable: Carl Hubbell 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!