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On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. Don’t be afraid to click the links for ‘inside baseball’ on the entries, which change from year to year as we re-examine the subjects.
Today in baseball history:
- 1910 - The Philadelphia Athletics pound the Chicago Cubs, 9-3, for a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Eddie Collins collects three hits, including two doubles and two stolen bases. (1,2)
- 1932 - The Baseball Writers Association of America MVP awards are announced, with Jimmie Foxx winning in the American League and Chuck Klein in the National League. (2)
- 1950 - Connie Mack, at age 87, retires as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics after 50 years, and Jimmy Dykes is named to replace him. Mack, together with Ben Shibe, founded the Athletics in 1901. (1,2)
- 1960 - Instituting a mandatory retirement age of 65, New York Yankees co-owners Dan Topping and Del Webb relieve manager Casey Stengel of his duties. He posted a 1,149-696 record for the Yankees, including 10 American League pennants and seven World Championships. (1,2)
- 1967 - The American League owners grant Charlie Finley permission to move the Kansas City Athletics to Oakland, California, in time for the start of the 1968 season. Kansas City is promised a new team by 1971, but when Senator Stuart Symington and Kansas City Mayor Ilus Davis threaten action against the move, AL President Joe Cronin reopens talks. The expansion deadline is moved forward to 1969, and will award new franchises to Kansas City and Seattle. (1,2)
- 1977 - Reggie Jackson becomes known as “Mr. October” when he hits three consecutive home runs in Game 6 of the World Series. Jackson leads the Yankees to an 8-4 victory and the World Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jackson’s three shots come on the first pitch off Burt Hooton, Elias Sosa and Charlie Hough. He drives in five runs and earns Series MVP honors. (2)
- 2015 - In Game 2 of the NLCS, the Mets get to Jake Arrieta with three 1st-inning runs, one on a double by David Wright, and two on a homer by Daniel Murphy, to win, 4-1, over the Cubs. Rookie Noah Syndergaard is the winner. (2)
- 2016 - Rich Hill pitches 6 scoreless innings to lead Los Angeles to its second consecutive shutout win over the Cubs, 6-0, in Game 3 of the NLCS. Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner hit homers off Jake Arrieta to lead the offense. (2)
- 2017 - The Cubs avoid elimination by winning Game 4 of the NLCS, 3-2, over the Dodgers. All five runs are the result of solo homers: for Chicago, a monster blast that travels almost 500 feet by Willson Contreras, and two by Javier Baez, all against Alex Wood, and replies by Clay Bellinger and Justin Turner for Los Angeles. Jake Arrieta is the winner and Wade Davis gets credit for the save. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Cliff Carroll, Walt Wilmot, Hans Lobert, Sumpter Clarke, Don Young (cover boy), Allen Ripley. Also notable: Candy Cummings HOF.
Don’s not really hurt. Neat SABR article. The lowdown.
Common sources:
- (1) — Today in Baseball History.
- (2) — Baseball Reference.
- (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
- (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
- (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
There is a very active baseball history community and there are many facets to their views. We strive for clarity. Please be aware that we are trying to make the historical record as represented by our main sources coherent and as accurate as is possible. No item is posted here without corroboration. Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources, so that we can address them to the originators. BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed thenationalpastime from our sourcing list, as there have been multiple complaints about their content and they do not respond to attempts to communicate.
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