Baseball history unpacked, May 24

... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s long and colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along as we review select clips from the big motion picture of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history.

Today in baseball history:

• 1880 - Troy City rookie Roger Connor hits his first major league home run‚ off Boston’s Tommy Bond. He adds a triple and two singles as the Trojans beat the Red Caps‚ 8-1. When Connor retires in 1897, he will have 136 homers‚ a record that will stand until Babe Ruth breaks it in 1921. (3)
• 1898 - The highest run total of the season is scored in a 15-13 Oriole defeat of the Orphans in Chicago. The pitchers yield 36 hits‚ 10 walks‚ two wild pitches‚ and three hit batsmen. Pitcher Clark Griffith of Chicago‚ ejected from the game‚ spews obscene language at umpire Tom Lynch‚ who threatens him with the Board of Discipline. Sporting Life notes “the only witness appears to be catcher Frank Bowerman of Baltimore‚ who is hardly likely to testify against Griffith.” (3)
• 1909 - Under new manager Roger Bresnahan‚ the Cardinals finally beat Christy Mathewson after losing to the Giants’ ace 24 consecutive times. Matty allows just six hits to his former battery mate’s squad‚ but the Giants score once off John Lush to lose‚ 3-1. (1,3)
• 1918 - A day after Secretary of War Newton D. Baker issues the work-or-fight edict, American League president Ban Johnson announces that the circuit would cease operation for the duration of WW I. The team’s owners defy their once-formidable leader, having their teams play until Labor Day. (1)
• 1935 - At Crosley Field, The Cincinnati Reds host the Philadelphia Phillies in the first major league night game, winning, 2-1, before 25,000 fans. On the initiative of Larry MacPhail, Florida Man Franklin D. Roosevelt throws the switch at the White House to turn on the lights. The Reds will play seven night games, one each against the other National League teams. The Phils’ Lou Chiozza is the first batter as the Reds’ Paul Derringer outduels Joe Bowman‚ though the Reds are outhit‚ 6 to 4. (1,3)
• 1952 - Jimmy Piersall and New York’s Billy Martin first exchange insults before a game in Boston‚ then exchange punches in the tunnel under the stands. It takes coaches Bill Dickey and Oscar Melillo‚ along with starter Ellis Kinder‚ to break up the fight. Piersall goes to the clubhouse to change his bloody shirt and gets into another brawl with teammate Mickey McDermott. He sits as Ellis Kinder stops the Yanks‚ 5-2. (3)
• 1957- In his first two major league at-bats‚ Cubs rookie Frank Ernaga hits a solo home run in the second inning and follows with a run-scoring triple in the fourth‚ both against Warren Spahn. The Cubs beat the Braves, 5-1, at Wrigley Field. Ernaga is the second National League rookie to debut with a triple and homer; he will add just one more homer to his major league career total. (1,3)
• 1969 - For the first time since the start of the season, a span of forty-one games, Don Kessinger does not reach base. The Cubs Gold Glove shortstop grounds out four times and hits into a fly-ball double play in his last at-bat during Chicago’s 7-5 loss to the Padres at San Diego Stadium. Padres rookie 2B John Sipin debuts with a pair of triples‚ only the fourth player to do so. They are the only triples of his 68-game career. Sipin bangs his three-baggers in the 1st and 4th innings‚ off Ken Holtzman. (1,3,4)
• 1988 - The Chicago Cubs play a daytime doubleheader at Wrigley Field. The Chicago White Sox play a night game at Comiskey Park marking a rare opportunity to see 3 non-overlapping major league games in Chicago on the same day. (3)
• 2000 - Sixteen Dodger players and three coaches are handed suspensions for going into the stands during a fight with fans at Wrigley Field on May 16th. The 19 suspensions are believed to be the most ever stemming from one incident. The suspensions total 60 games for the players and 24 games for the coaches. All 19 individuals are also assessed fines. (1,3)
• 2001 - Cincinnati is finally shut out when Cubs’ starter Jon Lieber one-hits the Reds on 79 pitches, 3-0. The span of 208 of games without being blanked establishes a new National League record, with the 1931-33 Yankees (308) and the 1978-79 Milwaukee Brewers (212) being the only teams with longer streaks. (1,3)

Cubs birthdays: George Flynn, Jack Pfiester, Al Shealy.

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!