Baseball history unpacked, August 10

The simCubs were victorious in the Sunday afternoon contest. SimRyan Yarbrough was awesome, pitching eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball until yielding to pinch-hitter Nico Hoerner in the top of the ninth, at which point Brad Wieck took over and pitched an uneventful inning to close things out. simKris Bryant provided all the runs the Cubs would need with a first-inning bomb. Javy tried to emulate but Christian Yelich nabbed his long drive up against the left-field wall. Jason Heyward made sure of the win with a run-scoring double and a two-run drive to right-center. A good time was had by all.

Hopefully the Cubs get back on the field soon. If not, the simCubs will stand ready and will air every scheduled game day at 3 p.m. CT.

You can watch any other game and catch the highlights at the BCB Media Center, where most news is good news, commercial-free, 24/7.

... 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*.

Today in baseball history:

• 1905 - In a great pitching duel, New York ace Christy Mathewson allows three Chicago hits, while the Giants manage just four off Cub Ed Reulbach. New York tallies an unearned run in the 6th for the game’s only score. (3)
• 1912 - In a game at Boston, Chicago star Johnny Evers pushes umpire Bill Finneran after the latter challenges Evers, Heinie Zimmerman, and Frank Chance to fight him under the stands after the game. Evers will be suspended for five days. Red Downs will fill in at 2B for Chicago. (3)
• 1919 - More than 28,00 crowd Wrigley Field to watch Grover Cleveland Alexander shut the Giants out, 2-0. (3)
• 1930 - Before 45,000 fans, the Cubs sweep two from the Boston Braves at Wrigley Field to move a game back of Brooklyn. Hack Wilson drives home seven runs on three homers, the last his 39th, to back up Charlie Root’s three-hit shutout in the opener. The Cubs win, 6-0, beating Bob Smith. Pat Malone completes the sweep. twirling a 5-hitter to beat Bruce Cunningham, 11-1, in the nitecap. (3)
• 1971 - Sixteen baseball researchers at Cooperstown form the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), with founder Robert Davids as president. (2,3)
• 2001 - The Cubs lost Miguel Cairo and Gary Matthews, Jr. to waiver claims by St. Louis and Pittsburgh respectively. (3)
• 2002 - Sammy Sosa hits three home runs in consecutive at-bats in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, tying a Cubs’ record with nine RBIs, established by Heinie Zimmerman in 1911. With his sixth career three-homer game performance, the Chicago right fielder also ties the major league record set by Johnny Mize and becomes only the fifth player in big league history to homer in three straight innings. (1)
• 2009 - Troy Tulowitzki collects five hits, completing the cycle with a three-bagger in the seventh inning of the Rockies’ 11-5 victory over the Cubs at Coors Field. The Colorado shortstop is the fifth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat, and the sixth major leaguer this season to have a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. (1,3)
• Cubs birthdays: Larry Corcoran, Elmer Jacobs, Bob Porterfield, Jimmy McMath.

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.