Baseball history unpacked, May 19

... 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:

• 1910 - Cy Young wins the 500th game of his career as the Cleveland Naps beat the Washington Senators, 5-4, in 11 innings. He is the only pitcher in major league history to ever reach this milestone. (2,3)
• 1915 - Pirates player-manager Fred Clarke files for the patent for flip-down sunglasses designed to for use in the outfield. In addition to the sunglasses, which he believes are “good for motorists, too,” the future Hall of Famer also creates and will be issued patents for a sliding pad and a mechanical method of positioning the tarpaulin. (1,4)
• 1933 - For the first time in major league history, brothers on opposite teams hit home runs in the same game. Boston Red Sox catcher Rick Ferrell homers off his brother Wes Ferrell in the 2nd inning, but the Cleveland Indians pitcher returns the favor as he homers in the 3rd on a pitch called by his sibling. It is the only time that the Ferrell brothers homer in the same game. (1,3)
• 1962 - Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the National League career hits leader. The 41-year-old has a ninth-inning single for his 3,431st hit and moves past Honus Wagner. St. Louis beats the Dodgers, 8-1. (1)
• 1970 - The lawsuit filed by former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Curt Flood against Major League Baseball begins its hearing in federal court. Judge Irving Ben Cooper presides over the case, which will reach the Supreme Court and result in the upholding of baseball’s reserve clause. (3)
• 1970 - Ray Schalk dies in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 77. An excellent defensive catcher, Schalk played in the 1917 and 1919 World Series for the Chicago White Sox. In 1955, he gained induction into the Hall of Fame. (3)
• 1979 - After a bitter strike, the major league umpires return to work when the MLUA and MLB agree on a contract allowing umps to have in-season vacations, the institution of a 401(k) plan, increases in salaries, pensions, and per diems, and a return to merit-based assignments for post-season games. During the six-week work stoppage, amateur arbiters replaced the men in blue. (1)
• 2001 - Reversing its original decision, MLB’s official statistician, the Elias Sports Bureau, will now list Randy Johnson’s 20 strikeouts as tying a record. Although the game went into extra innings, Johnson’s nine-inning performance will be noted along with the Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeouts outings in the 2002 record book. (1,3)
• 2002 - Cubs’ first baseman Fred McGriff’s two-run homer at Miller Park ties Ellis Burks’ record of homering in 40 different major league parks. The ‘Crime Dog’s’ eighth-inning blast knots the score 3-3 in an eventual 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Brewers, snapping Chicago’s nine-game losing streak. (1)
• 2008 - Jon Lester, diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma two seasons ago, no-hits the Royals, 7-0, becoming only the third lefty in franchise history to throw a no-no at Fenway Park. The 24 year-old’s batterymate, Jason Varitek, also makes the record books for being the first backstop to catch four no-hitters in the majors. (1)

Cubs birthdays: Ed Hutchinson, Pop Williams, Curt Simmons, Luis Salazar, Fritzie Connally, Turk Wendell, Scott McClain, Josh Paul.

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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.

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.

Thanks for reading!