Baseball history unpacked, August 12

... 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:

• 1876 - Chicago’s versatile Cal McVey has the unusual distinction of both pitching and catching in a 5-0 win over Cincinnati. The win goes to starter Al Spalding‚ his 10th straight win over the Reds. (3)
• 1880 - After 21 consecutive victories at home‚ Chicago suffers its first defeat at Lake Front Park this season‚ losing to Providence, 6-4. The White Stockings had not lost a National League game at home since August 25‚ 1879. (3)
• 1895 - Heavyweight boxing champion Jim Corbett‚ a good ballplayer and a great gate attraction‚ plays 1B for the Scranton team in an Eastern League victory over Buffalo. Corbett collects two singles and knocks in two runs. His brother Joe‚ who will become a major league pitcher‚ plays SS. The champ will appear another three dozen times in minor league games. (3)
• 1909 - Umpire Tim Hurst is dropped by the American League following an investigation into the spitting incident in the August 3rd game between the Athletics and White Sox. His replacement is Mike Thompson, a former Georgetown University football player who has been a well-known football referee. Thompson tried to join the National League umpiring staff last year but the roster was filled. (3)
• 1912 - Chicago Cubs owner Charles Murphy hints that the Cards and other clubs go easy against John McGraw’s Giants. Later Phils owner Horace Fogel‚ a former Giants manager whose ownership of the Phils is seen as a front for Murphy and financial backer Charles Raft of Cincinnati, OH, echoes the accusation and charges National League umpires with favoring the Giants. It will lead to Fogel’s being expelled from the NL. (3)
• 1934 - In St. Louis, the Cubs sweep the Deans‚ winning 7-2 against Paul‚ and 6-4 over Dizzy. Big Jim Weaver wins the opener and Pat Malone is the victor in the nightcap. (3)
• 1953 - At Wrigley Field‚ Andy Seminick belts a grand slam in the top of the ninth to break a 6-6 tie and give the Reds a 10-6 win over the Cubs. (3)
• 1965 - Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club‚ Inc. applies for a National League franchise. The nonprofit group has been formed to find a replacement team for the soon-to-be-departing Braves. (3)
• 1970 - Judge Irving Ben Cooper rules against Curt Flood in his antitrust suit. Cooper says “Decisions of the Supreme Court are not lightly overruled... We find no general or widespread disregard of the extremely important position the player occupies... Clearly the preponderance of credible proof does not favor elimination of the reserve clause.” However the judge says changes in the reserve clause should be made through negotiation, but denies Flood damages. Flood will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but in vain. (2,3)
• 1976 - The Directors of the new American League franchise in Toronto announce the team will be known as the Blue Jays. The selection comes from a list of ten names presented by a 14-member jury that garnered their nominations from the 4,000 suggestions and 30,000 entries submitted in a “Name the Team” contest held by the club. (1)
• 1994 - Major League Baseball players go on strike. For the first time in 90 years, the World Series will not be held. It’s the eighth, and worst, work stoppage in 22 years. The 232-day player strike will lead to the cancellation of the World Series and the delayed opening of the 1995 season. (2,3)
• 2011 - Dan Uggla extends his Atlanta-record hitting streak to 32 games as he belts a pair of solo homers off the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano for a 10-4 Braves win. Zambrano gives up a career-high five home runs, as he is tagged for eight runs in 4⅓ innings. After giving up Uggla’s second homer and another by Freddie Freeman back-to-back, he throws two brushback pitches at Chipper Jones and is ejected by home plate umpire Tim Timmons. The long-time Cubs ace then cleans out his locker and leaves the ballpark, not informing manager Mike Quade or anyone else whether he is in fact retiring. The Cubs will place him on the disqualified list tomorrow. Before the game, the Braves officially retire uniform number 6, worn by long-time manager Bobby Cox who retired after last season. (3)
• 2018 - David Bote hits a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam, the first Cub player to accomplish the feat since Earl Averill’s blast in 1959, when he delivers Ryan Madson’s 2-2 pitch over the center-field wall in a nationally televised Sunday Night Baseball game. The 25-year-old infielder’s sayonara slam, a walk-off round-tripper with the bases loaded and the home team down by three runs, gives Chicago a 4-3 victory over the Nationals in front of a frenzied crowd at Wrigley Field. (1)

Cubs birthdays: Don Hurst, Charlie Gassaway, Bob Buhl, Ellis Burton, Dave Pavlas, Matt Clement, Ian Happ.

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.