... 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:
- 1909 - President Taft attends a Cubs-Giants game in Chicago and players are introduced to him before the game. Giants ace Christy Mathewson then outdeals Chicago ace Three Finger Brown, 2-1, with each allowing seven hits. Taft downs popcorn and lemonade during the match, according to the Chicago Tribune. (3)
- 1923 - The Cubs lose, 10-6, to the Giants in Chicago, despite the hitting of Hack Miller who collects three doubles and a triple. A riot occurs in the eighth inning when umpire Charlie Moran makes an out call at second base on Sparky Adams, Moran is pelted by hundreds of pop bottles. Judge Landis, in attendance at the game, shakes his cane at the angry mob, and play is held up for 15 minutes. John McGraw and the umpires need a police escort at the conclusion. (3)
- 1942 - The Phillies, bowing to the Cubs in the nightcap of a twin bill, 4-1, become the first major league team to have five consecutive 100-loss seasons. From 1938 to the end of this season, the team will compile a 227-532 (.299) record under three different managers. (1)
- 1966 - Bob Gibson notches his 20th victory of the season when he goes the distance to beat Chicago at Wrigley Field, 3-1. The Cardinal right-hander will become the first pitcher in more than forty years to have consecutive 20-win seasons for a second-division team. (1)
- 1968 - American League President Joe Cronin fires umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine. The men in blue claim the dismissals are due to their efforts organizing a union. Cronin claims incompetence. (1)
This backfired spectacularly: “The day after the regular season, just two weeks after the dismissals, the remaining major-league umpires met in Chicago. The NL umpires voted unanimously to admit the AL umps into their group.” (4)
SABR’s Mark Armour has more on Salerno and Valentine.
- 1972 - Glenn Beckert goes 0-for-6 in the Cubs’ 18-5 victory over the Mets at Wrigley Field, leaving 12 men on base to set a new major league mark. The Chicago second baseman leaves the bases loaded in the first and seventh, strands two runners twice when he bats two times in the team’s seven-run third and fails to plate other teammates in the fifth and seventh, the first of his two plate appearances in the frame. (1)
- 1975 - Rennie Stennett ties a major league mark established in 1892 with his 7-for-7 performance in a nine-inning game. The Pirates’ second baseman gets two hits in one inning twice, the first and fifth frames, in the Bucs’ 22-0 rout of the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the most one-sided shutout since 1900. (1)
- 1992 - The Cubs blow out the Phils, 14-9, to give Greg Maddux his 18th win. Maddux gives up three earned runs in six innings. Led by Andre Dawson’s four hits, the first four hitters collect 11 hits and 11 ribbies for the Cubs. Dave Hollins homers for the Phils, while Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Rick Wilkins go deep for Chicago. Mark Grace makes an error, ending his streak of 102 errorless games at 1B; his streak began after two errors on May 18th vs. the Dodgers. (3)
- 1998 - In front of 49,891 patrons at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium, Sammy Sosa ties Mark McGwire by hitting his record-setting 63rd home run. The 434-foot eighth inning two-out blast off Brian Boehringer is a tie-breaking grand slam, with ‘Slammin’ Sammy collecting all six RBIs when the Cubs beat the Padres, 6-3. (1)
- 2000 - With a sixth-inning blast in a 7-6 loss to the hometown Cardinals, Cub outfielder Sammy Sosa joins Mark McGwire (1997-99) as the only major leaguer to hit 50 home runs three straight seasons. Babe Ruth had three 50+ homer seasons, but did not accomplish the feat in consecutive years. (1)
- 2014 - The Cubs’ Jake Arrieta throws a one-hitter in shutting out the Reds, 7-0. Brandon Phillips’ two-out double in the eighth is the only blemish as Arrieta strikes out 13. (3)
- Cubs birthdays: Gus McGinnis, George McConnell, Vito Valentinetti, Hector Torres, Gary Ross, Mike Garman, Mel Hall, Mark Parent. Also notable: Robin Yount HOF, Tim Raines HOF.
SimNews:
The simCubs won their sixth in a row and 104th of the year behind Ryan Yarbrough (18-4), who allowed four runs on two homers before departing in the 6th inning. Willson Contreras hit two out and drove in five to lead the way to a 9-4 victory. Ten games remain.
Kyle Hendricks will have a chance to win his 18th as the Cubs play the Pirates in the third of a four-game series. The game will ‘air’ at one p.m. CT. 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 vet each item as much as time allows. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source. Thanks for reading!