Baseball history unpacked, August 24

... 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:

• 1894 - Chicago catcher Pop Schriver becomes the first player to catch a ball dropped from the top of the Washington Monument. (2)
• 1903 - The Cubs split with the Giants at the Polo Grounds, beating Joe McGinnity, 7-3, in the opener. Iron Joe is not helped by eight Giant errors, including five by SS Charlie Babb. The nitecap is called after Chicago’s at-bats in the 7th with the score 8-1. Christy Mathewson picks up the victory for New York over Jock Menefee. (3)
• 1904 - In Chicago, Christy Mathewson blanks the Cubs on three hits and the Giants defeat Buttons Briggs, 3-0. The second game is called after 10 innings with the score 2-2. Chicago fans show their feelings towards the Giants by tossing bottles onto the field. RF George Browne is hit on the leg and is almost hit in the head while chasing a fly ball. John McGraw tells ump Bob Emslie that he will not allow his team to continue play until all the broken glass is cleared, and by the time that occurs it is too dark to continue play. (3)
• 1905 - At Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl, Ed Reulbach goes the distance when the Cubs defeat the Phillies in 20 innings, 2-1. The 22-year-old right-handed rookie will finish the season with an 18-14 record (.563), along with an ERA of 1.42. (1)
• 1930 - New York’s Fred Lindstrom has his 24-game hitting streak stopped as the Giants lose to the Cubs, 3-2. The game is tied 2-all in the bottom of the 9th, when the Cubs load the bases with two out. With the count 0 and 2, Danny Taylor the runner on 3rd, races safely home as surprised Giant reliever Joe Heving watches and then completes his deliberate windup with a wide pitch. (3)
• 1971 - At Wrigley Field, Ernie Banks hits the final home run of his career in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to Cincinnati. Mr. Cub’s 512th round-tripper, tying him for seventh place on the all-time list with Eddie Mathews, comes in the fourth frame off right-hander Jim McGlothlin, a two-out solo shot to left field that ties the score at 3-3. (1)
• 1983 - Cubs Chuck Rainey is one out away from a no-hitter when the Reds’ Eddie Milner singles to center on the first pitch. Rainey settles for a 3-0 one-hitter, his first complete game of the season. For Milner, this is the third of five instances in which he will collect his team’s only hit in a game, a major league mark he’ll share with Cesar Tovar. (3)
• 1989 - After weeks of legal wrangling, Commissioner Bart Giamatti permanently bans Pete Rose from baseball for his alleged gambling on major league games. Although the five-page document signed by both parties includes no formal findings, Giamatti says that he considers Rose’s acceptance of the ban to be a no-contest plea to the charges. Coach Tommy Helms is named Rose’s interim replacement as Cincinnati manager. (3)
• 1996 - Cubs minor leaguer Kerry Wood of Daytona combines on his second no-hitter, a 3-0 win over Vero Beach. Wood goes eight innings; he pitched seven innings of no-hit ball on July 28 against Tampa. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Lou Hardie, Frank Quinn, Art Williams, Jimmy Cooney, Frank Secory, Butch Benton, Dean Wilkins, Kurt Miller. Also notable: Harry Hooper HOF, Cal Ripken Jr. HOF.

SimNews:

Kyle Schwarber and Paul DeJong both clouted two home runs each, but DeJong had help from Enrique Hernandez, who also whacked a homer, and Yu Darvish’s good pitching effort went to waste as the stinkin’ Cardinals prevailed in ten innings.

Monday is a day off for the simCubs. They’ll return Tuesday for the beginning of a three-game series against the Mets in Flushing Meadows. We’ll have lineups and starting pitchers and standings and leaderboards in Tuesday’s edition. 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!

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