Baseball history unpacked, June 3

The 43-19 simCubs prevailed over the 19-43 simOrioles 7-4. Anthony Rizzo cracked his team-leading 18th to seal the deal in the eighth inning and a sacrifice fly in the ninth enabled Craig Kimbrel to get the save as Kyle Hendricks won his eighth and Kohl Stewart continued to lose.

Plenty of highlights as the Cubs get ready to play the second of two games at simWrigley. After the game I’ll be running the draft, which I’ll put up at the Media Center as a video, and Brandon Palmer will explain our objectives in his Friday interview.

Alex Cobb (3-5, 5.43) will face Ryan Yarbrough (7-3, 4.06). Al will have more about that in the game post (at 2:30 p.m. 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 too, 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:

• 1888 - The first publication of Ernest L. Thayer’s poem Casey at the Bat appears in the San Francisco Examiner. The work is originally published under the pen name ‘Phin’ because the poet feels embarrassed by what he considers to be bad verse and decides to keep his identity a secret until others come forward to claim the work to be their own. (1,3)
• 1902 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike O’Neill hits the first pinch grand slam ever in the majors, against the Boston Beaneaters. The hurler’s ninth-inning blast off Beaneater Togie Pittinger proves to be the difference in the Redbirds’ 11-9 victory over Boston at South End Grounds. (1,3)
• 1911 - Chicago Cubs slugger Frank Schulte hits a grand slam off Rube Marquard to beat the New York Giants, 8-4. Schulte will slam four this season, a record tied by Babe Ruth in 1919 and topped by Ernie Banks’ five in 1955. (3)
• 1914 - The court of appeals awards $3,500 to Charles A. Edling, a lawyer hit in the nose with a foul ball that broke through a wire netting while he was attending a Kansas City Blues game at Association Park in 1911. The legal ruling states if the American Association team “had kept their eye on the ball with the accuracy that they contend Edling should have exhibited, they would have attained a higher place in the pennant race.” (1)
• 1932 - Tony Lazzeri blasts a grand slam to complete his natural cycle, with his four hits accomplished in sequential order: single, double, triple, home run. Yankee teammate Lou Gehrig’s four home runs in the same game and the announcement of long-time Giants manager John McGraw’s retirement on the same day overshadows the second baseman’s rare and fantastic feat. (1)
• 1953 - Congress cites the research of New York City librarian Robert Henderson in proving that Alexander Cartwright founded baseball and not Abner Doubleday. His 1947 book Bat, Ball and Bishop documents Cartwright’s contributions to the origins of the game of baseball. (2)
• 1971 - Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs pitches his second career no-hitter, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0. Holtzman scores the only run, in the third inning. (2,3)

Box score.

• 1978 - The Braves and the Cubs tie a major league record, using 14 hurlers in a single game. Each team uses seven pitchers when Chicago beats Atlanta at Wrigley Field, 8-6. (1)

Box score.

• 1987 - Three players hit grand slams in the Cubs’ 22-7 rout of the Astros at Wrigley Field. Chicago’s Keith Moreland and Brian Dayett go deep with the bases loaded, and Billy Hatcher adds one for Houston. (1)

Box score.

• 2003 - Slugger Sammy Sosa is ejected from the game during the first inning after he shatters his bat and the broken remains expose cork. The Cub outfielder will be suspended by major league baseball for eight games (reduced to seven after an appeal) for his offense. (1)

• Cubs birthdays: John Dobbs, Robert Machado, Steve Smyth, Jose Molina, Munenori Kawasaki.

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, and please ... drive home safely.