Baseball history unpacked, July 6

That was maybe the ugliest game of the year. The simCubs were thoroughly outplayed by the simRays to the degree that Al opined that this three-game sequence reminded him of the bad streak in 2016. And if we have the same outcome, we’ll take it.

Here’s the final score, which indicates that it’s no accident that the Rays are in contention in the AL East:

But all is not lost, ersatz Cubs fans. Our team is still 63-28, 12 games in first place, and heading toward the All-Star break with a lot of steam. Here are the standings, as of Monday night:

And of course our team is well-represented on the leaderboards:

No game today — The simCubs and simChiSox play tomorrow. Al will have more about the game in the game post at 2:30 p.m. CT Tuesday. 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:

• 1919 - William Veeck, former sportswriter, replaces Fred Mitchell as Cubs president, but Mitchell remains manager for Chicago. (2,3)
• 1930 - Bill Veeck Sr’s very popular Ladies’ Day promotion at Wrigley Field reaches new heights when more than 30,000 female fans attend the Cubs’ doubleheader against Cincinnati. An over-capacity crowd packs the small ballpark, with thousands of others, including late-arriving regular paying patrons, who are unable to gain admission into the North Side venue. (1)
• 1932 - Cubs SS Billy Jurges is shot twice in his Chicago hotel room by a spurned girlfriend, Violet Popovich Valli. In a scuffle for the gun, Jurges is hit in the shoulder and hand. Jurges fails to prosecute, and Valli will be signed to a 22-week contract to sing in local nightclubs and theaters. She is billed as “Violet (What I Did for Love) Valli - the Most Talked About Girl in Chicago.” (2,3)
• 1933 - At Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the first ever All-Star Game is played. Babe Ruth’s two-run home run Bill Hallahan proves to be the difference when the American League defeats the Senior Circuit, 4-2. John McGraw comes out of retirement to manage the NL squad. (1,3)
• 1941 - A center field monument dedicated to Lou Gehrig is unveiled by the Yankees. The memorial is a tribute by his teammates of their beloved captain who died last month of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). (1,3)
• 1949 - Walker Cooper goes 6-for-7, helping the Reds rout the Cubs at Crosley Field, 23-4. The 34-year-old Cincinnati catcher, who was acquired in a trade with the Giants last month, collects three home runs and three singles, scores five runs, and drives in ten runs. (1)
• 1956 - Ford Frick inaugurates the Cy Young Award, to honor the outstanding pitcher each year. The BBWAA will do the voting. Only one pitcher will be honored each year until 1967, when a pitcher will be selected in each league. (3)
• 1958 - Cubs pitchers Dick Drott and Don Elston combine on a one-hit, 6-2 win over the Dodgers. Jim Gilliam’s single in the seventh is the only Los Angeles safety. (3)
• 1970 - At Wrigley Field, it’s all Ron Santo today. Ron’s two-run homer in the opener gives the Cubs a 3-2 win over the Expos. In the nitecap, Santo drives in another eight runs on two homers and a bases-loaded walk as the Cubs win, 14-2. (1,3)
• 1977 - After 1,887 plate appearances without a home run from the start of his career, Cubs outfielder Greg Gross finally goes deep when he homers off Don Stanhouse, a three-run shot to left field with two outs in the sixth-inning, in the team’s 8-6 victory over the Expos at Wrigley Field. The 24-year-old’s homerless drought establishes a new major league record, far surpassing runner-up Duane Kuiper, who recorded his first round-tripper needing 355 fewer trips to the plate to accomplish the feat. Stanhouse also homered himself, a grand slam off of Bill Bonham for his only major-league home run. (1)

Box score.

• 1980 - Cub relief pitchers hold the Pirates hitless for 12⅔ innings but it goes for naught in a 5-4, 20-inning loss. Cliff Johnson’s two-out homer in the 9th off Bert Blyleven ties it for Chicago. Jim Bibby (11-1) takes the win. (3)
• 1992 - Using his ‘in the best interest of baseball’ power, commissioner Fay Vincent mandates the National League be realigned next season, forcing teams to be more geographically correct in their respective divisions. The realignment, which was approved by 12 of the 14 NL owners in March, but blocked by Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago franchise, will send the Cubs and the Cardinals to the West Division, with the Braves and Reds moving to the East. (1)
• 2001 - Playing in the 101st different park since 1876, the Cubs beat the Tigers in Comerica Park, 15-8. The Cubs win for the first time in Detroit in 56 years, dating back to Game 3 of the 1945 World Series when Claude Passeau threw a 3-0 shutout in Briggs Stadium. Cubs DH Roosevelt Brown gets five hits in the game, including a double and home run. (1,3)
• Cubs birthdays: Frank Kellert, Lance Johnson.

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. A note: The history of baseball necessarily reflects certain political realities. My official view is centrist, regardless of my personal feelings or failings. Thanks for reading!