Baseball history unpacked, August 14

... 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:

• 1919 - In a total of two hours and seventeen minutes, the Robins and Cubs split a doubleheader. In the opener, the Cubs blank Brooklyn, 2-0, in one hour and 10 minutes and in the nightcap it takes the Dodgers one hour and 7 minutes to shut out Chicago, 1-0. (1,3)
• 1932 - Cardinals rookie Dizzy Dean fans six Cubs in a row, one less than the record, and wins, 2-1, in the 10th. (3)
• 1961 - In a 9-2 defeat to the Cubs’ Dick Ellsworth, the Phillies drop their seventeenth consecutive game and for the eleventh straight time the opposing pitcher throws a complete game against the team. The last-place club will finish the season with a 47-107 record, 46 games behind the league-leading Reds. (1,3)
• 1964 - Bo Belinsky is suspended by the Angels after attacking sportswriter Braven Dyer. Four days later Belinsky will be assigned to Hawaii (Pacific Coast League), then suspended for the season when he refuses to report.
• 2004 - The Florida State League’s Daytona Cubs will be forced to shift their home games into away contests as Hurricane Charley causes extensive damage to their historic ballpark, Jackie Robinson Stadium. The facility, which was built in 1914 and renamed for Jackie Robinson to commemorate the site where the future Hall of Famer and civil rights advocate played his first exhibition game with the Montreal Royals, was also damaged by Hurricane Donna (1966) and Hurricane Floyd (1999). (3)
• 2008 - With his 5-for-5 performance, including a single, double, triple, and homer, Mark Kotsay joins Albert Hall as the only Atlanta players to hit for the cycle. The outfielder’s offensive outburst isn’t enough, as the Cubs beat the Braves, 11-7, giving Chicago their first season sweep of the Braves in franchise history, which dates back to 1876. (1)
• 2009 - The Cubs jump to a 14-0 lead after two innings in crushing the Pirates, 17-2. The Cubs send 15 batters to the plate and score 10 runs in the 2nd inning in support of Randy Wells’ pitching. Derrek Lee drives in seven runs. (3)
• 2014 - At their quarterly meeting in Baltimore, MD, Major League Baseball owners choose MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred to succeed Bud Selig as Commissioner. While a number of rounds of voting are necessary, the final vote is 30-0 in favor of Manfred. He is slated to take over from Selig on January 15, 2015. (3)
• 2014 - As had been expected, the owners of rooftop terraces across the street from Wrigley Field file suit against the Chicago Cubs in an attempt to prevent the team from going ahead with renovations to the century-old ballpark which would cut down on their business. In the spring, the owners had failed to come to an agreement with Cubs principal Tom Ricketts, who decided to press ahead without their consent; the city of Chicago, IL and its Landmarks Commission are also named as defendants. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Art Phelan, Billy Myers, Tommy Shields, Scott Chiasson, Juan Pierre, Chris Valaika.

SimNews:

The 86-35 simCubs open a three-game series against 63-60 Toronto at 3 p.m. CT. Jon Lester (13-5) will face Shun Yamaguchi (9-9). The simCubs just keep on rolling — they have increased their lead since the All-Star Game and are the only team in baseball with more than 76 wins. This despite simKimbrel blowing two out of the last three save opportunities and several key players going through protracted slumps or power outages.

The playoff picture is getting pretty clear, as a glance at the current standings will tell you. The Cubs and Dodgers have strangleholds on their divisions, and Washington and Milwaukee are in place for the wild-card spots. The Nationals have a chance to unseat the Braves but it’s not a real good chance.

Lots of Cubs on the leaderboards. Javy has a chance to hit the 30/30 mark and KB is creeping up in a number of categories. Rizzo has been fading and will need a power surge here late in the year to compete for the home run title. The pitchers are 1,2,3. Cyle, Yarbrough, Lester. All game video and related material is available commercial-free, 24/7, at the BCB Media Center.

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!