Baseball history unpacked, February 22

... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a 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:

• 1889 - Italy’s King Humbert is among the fans who witness the Chicagos beat the All-Americans, 3-2, outside of Rome at the Villa Borghese. Originally billed as the Spalding’s Australian Baseball Tour, the trip expands to include contests in Europe, much to the surprise of the captive players aboard ship en route to the Land Down Under. (1)
• 1945 - At the major league meetings, the owners cancel the 1945 All-Star Game scheduled to be played at Boston’s Fenway Park on July 10th. Even after the cancellation, schedule-makers leave the dates of July 9, 10 and 11 open in case circumstances change, permitting the game. In place of the All-Star Game, eight simultaneous games pitting the National League vs. the American League are to be played. Seven are played, with the eighth being cancelled. Also approved is a rule change stating that a player needs 400 at bats to qualify for a batting title. (3)
• 2000 - A Florida Department of Corrections report says New York Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry tested positive for cocaine on January 19th. (3)
• 2017 - Major League Baseball adopts a significant rule change, as part of a strategy to speed up the game: a pitcher will no longer need to throw four pitches deliberately outside the strike zone in order to issue an intentional walk, but instead the defensive team’s manager will simply need to signal his intention to the home plate umpire, who will immediately direct the batter to advance to first base. However, given that there is on average one intentional walk every 2.5 games, the change is expected to have only a minimal impact on playing time. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Steve Barber, Eric Yelding, Brian Duensing. Also notable: Ryne Duren, Sparky Anderson HOF.

Common 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.