Baseball history unpacked, April 5

... 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 snapshots from the big picture of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history.

Today in baseball history:

• 1913 - In an exhibition game, 25,000 fans watch the Brooklyn Superbas play their first game in Ebbets Field. Brooklyn beats the Yankees, 3-2, with Dodgers outfielder Casey Stengel hitting the park’s first home run, an inside-the-parker. (3)
• 1934 - Babe Ruth, sponsored by Quaker Oats, agrees to do a weekly show on NBC radio. The Sultan of Swat’s broadcast salary for the 13-week series will be $4000 more than his reported Yankee contract of $35,000. (1,4)
• 1972 - For the first time in Major League Baseball history, the regular season fails to open due to the player strike which started on April 1st. 86 games will be lost before the labor dispute is settled. (1,3)
• 1979 - Baltimore manager Earl Weaver wins his 1,000th game as a skipper. (2,4)
• 2010 - Jason Heyward becomes the eleventh Braves player in franchise history to homer in his first major league at-bat. The much-touted 20-year-old rookie, with the hometown fans chanting, “Let’s go, Heyward!”, hits a three-run homer in the first inning off Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano at Turner Field. (1)

• 2016 - For the first time in more than six decades, the Cubs and White Sox start the same season with two victories and no losses. The last time both Chicago teams were undefeated after two games occurred in 1951, two seasons before Ernie Banks played his rookie year. (1)

Cubs birthdays: Chuck Lauer, Jimmie Schaffer, Don Prince, Ron Campbell, Greg Smith, Ross Gload, Jorge De La Rosa, Ian Stewart, Steve Clevenger.

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.

Thanks for reading!

There is a very active baseball history community and there are many facets to their views. We strive for clarity. Please let us know (nicely) if you feel that an item is in error and we will address that issue to the originator(s), if at all possible.