Baseball history unpacked, May 28

... 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:

• 1892 - Jimmy Ryan collects five walks, helping the Chicago Colts defeat Amos Rusie and the New York Giants, 10-4. (3)
• 1930 - Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies makes his last major league appearance, giving up two hits and two runs in relief in the Boston Braves’ 5-1 victory. The Phillies release the 43-year-old veteran a few hours after the game. In a 20-season career, Alexander posted a 373-208 record with 2,198 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1938. (1,3)
• 1951 - After going 0 for 12 since his debut, Giants rookie Willie Mays gets his first hit, a 450-foot home run off Braves left-hander Warren Spahn. (3)
• 1969 - The day after he becomes a father, Randy Hundley hits a grand slam and a double, driving in five runs in Chicago’s 9-8 victory over the Giants at Candlestick Park. The eight-pound, four-ounce baby boy named Todd will follow in his dad’s footsteps, becoming a major league catcher, receiving for the Mets, Dodgers, and the Cubs. (1,4)
• 1982 - During an argument with the umpires, Durham Bulls skipper Bobby Dews throws second base into the stands and then takes off his jersey and powders under his arms with the rosin bag before kicking it into the air. (1)
• 2004 - Matt Clement becomes the twenty-first big league pitcher, and the first Cubs’ hurler in over a century, to hit three batters in one inning. The right-hander ties a major league record when he plunks Bobby Hill, Jason Kendall, and Craig Wilson in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss in the first game of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh at PNC Park. (1)
• 2006 - In an 11-inning slugfest at Wrigley Field, the Braves establish a new club record by hitting eight homers in a 13-12 win over the Cubs. Marcus Giles, Andruw Jones, Ryan Langerhans, Adam LaRoche (2), Brayan Pena, and Edgar Renteria (2) all go deep for Atlanta. (1,3)
• 2012 - The Cubs end a 12-game losing streak, their longest since 1997, with an 11- win over the Padres at Wrigley Field. Alfonso Soriano goes 3 for 4 with a homer and 3 RBI, his seventh-inning homer putting the Cubs ahead to stay against Alex Hinshaw; Ian Stewart, Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney also homer for Chicago, while David DeJesus hits a pair of triples. For their part, the Padres hit four long balls on a day when the wind is blowing towards the fences, with Chase Headley connecting twice, and Everth Cabrera and Will Venable once each. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Bobby Smith, Randy Martz, Tom Grant, Mike Maksudian, Craig Kimbrel.

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!