Baseball history unpacked, July 2

... 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. Don’t be afraid to click the links, as that subtext will add perspective.

Today in baseball history:

• 1869 -The Forest Citys, a team that includes unpaid amateur players who do not want compensation to remain ‘pure,’ play the first professional baseball game in Cleveland, losing to the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 25-6, in front of 2,000 spectators at Case Commons. The club will continue to play next season and become a charter member of the National Association Professional Baseball Players in 1871. (1)
• 1903 - Pitcher Jack Doscher, making his debut with the Chicago Cubs, is the first son of a former major league player to also play in the majors. Father Herm was a third baseman before the turn of the century. Jack loses today at Philadelphia, 7-2, and will end the season with the Brooklyn Superbas. (2,3)
• 1934 - At Wrigley Field with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning, veteran ump Bill Klem’s delayed call of the infield fly rule leads to the Cardinals’ successful protest of their game against the Cubs, with the team trailing by four runs. The game resumes from the point-of-protest, on July 31, with St. Louis losing 7-1. (1,3)
• 1951 - Bill Veeck gets the necessary 75 percent of outstanding stock on the last day of his option to buy the St. Louis Browns from Bill and Charlie DeWitt. (2,3)
• 1956 - NBC pays $16.25 million for the Television and radio rights to the All-Star Game and the World Series. The players’ pension fund will get 60 percent of the revenues. (3)
• 1963 - In one of baseball’s most memorable pitching duels, Giants’ right-hander Juan Marichal and the Braves’ southpaw Warren Spahn both hurl 15 scoreless innings before Willie Mays ends the marathon contest with a homer off Spahn in the bottom of the 16th, giving San Francisco a 1-0 win. (1)
• 1967 - After Cubs’ 4-1 victory over the Reds, many of the patrons stay at Wrigley Field, awaiting the outcome of the Cards/Mets game that, thanks to a New York victory, results with the Cubs in being in first place by half of a game. The enthusiastic fans refuse to leave the ‘Friendly Confines’ until the flags above the scoreboard reflect the home team’s current position at the top of the standings, a task usually done the next day. In front of a crowd of 40,646, Ferguson Jenkins (11-5) pitches the Cubs into a first-place tie with St. Louis by defeating Cincinnati, 4-1. The Cubs have won 17 of 19 games. (1)
• 1977 - The Cubs commit five errors in one inning, a feat that will not occur again until 2017 when the Mariners accomplish the dubious deed. Chicago’s first-frame woes, which includes two misplays each by second baseman Manny Trillo and pitcher Bill Bonham, and one by left fielder Gene Clines, lead to four Cardinals runs en route to a 10–3 loss to the Cardinals before a packed house at Busch Stadium. (1,3,4)
• 1979 - Don Kessinger (46-60) is fired midseason as the player-manager of the White Sox and will be replaced by rookie skipper Tony La Russa, who had been managing the club’s Triple-A Iowa Oaks in the American Association. During his eight-year tenure with Chicago, La Russa will compile a 522-510 record, with his team winning the AL West title in 1983. (1,3,4)
• 1999 - Umpire Tom Hallion is suspended for three games for his actions during an argument with Colorado catcher Jeff Reed and coach Milt May on June 26th. The dispute began when Rockies pitcher Mike DeJean complained to third base umpire Terry Tata about a check-swing call while walking to his dugout, and home plate ump Hallion told him to get in the dugout. Hallion bumped Reed and May during the ensuing dispute. Officials cannot recall another suspension of an umpire for an on-field dispute. In 1990, National League president Bill White was prepared to suspend umpire Joe West for slamming Philadelphia pitcher Dennis Cook to the field, but commissioner Fay Vincent intervened and no discipline was imposed. (1,3)
• 2000 - At Shea Stadium, Gregory Sweeney is arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after he throws a ball which Braves reliever John Rocker had tossed into the stands back onto the field. A few days later, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown exonerates the 26-year-old Brooklyn man, concluding the Mets fan had no criminal intent and was doing nothing more than following a baseball tradition of returning an unsolicited and unwanted souvenir. (1)
• 2009 - Derrek Lee collects a career-high 7 RBI, thanks to a grand slam and a three-run homer, leading Chicago to a 9-5 win over Milwaukee. (3)
• 2013 - Homer Bailey of the Reds throws the first no-hitter of the season, defeating the Giants, 3-0; Bailey also pitched the last no-hitter of 2012. He strikes out nine while only a seventh-inning walk to Gregor Blanco keeps him from a perfect game. 1B Joey Votto makes a heads-up play to save the bid, however: one batter after Blanco’s walk, he fields a soft liner off the bat of Buster Posey, but realizes he has no play at first base, as Bailey is late in coming to cover; instead he throws to third base, where Todd Frazier tags out Blanco, turning Posey’s potential hit into a fielder’s choice. (1,3)
• 2013 - The Orioles acquire P Scott Feldman from the Cubs in return for pitchers Pedro Strop and Jake Arrieta in the first significant trade since the start of the season. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Len Madden, So Taguchi, Jermaine Van Buren, Angel Pagan.

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.