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Baseball history unpacked, October 20

A thrice-weekly look at #Cubs and #MLB history. RIP Eric Cooper.

Photo by: 2019 Diamond Images via Getty Images

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:

Box score.

  • 2015 - The Mets beat the Cubs, 5-2, to take a three games to none lead in the NLCS. Daniel Murphy homers in his fifth consecutive postseason game, tying a major league record, while Jacob deGrom overcomes a rocky 1st inning to pick up his third win of the playoffs. (2)
  • 2019 - Umpire Eric Cooper*, a veteran of 24 major league seasons, passes away from a heart attack at age 52, only a few days after working the Division Series between the Yankees and Twins. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Marty Sullivan, Skel Roach, Jigger Statz, Leon Brinkopf, Jose Veras. Also notable: Mickey Mantle HOF, Juan Marichal HOF.

*Our cover model.

Common sources:

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.

Thank you for your cooperation.