Baseball history unpacked, September 10

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. Don’t be afraid to click the links for ‘inside baseball’ on the entries, which change from year to year as we re-examine the subjects.

Today in baseball history:

• 1881 - At Haymakers’ Grounds, future Hall of Fame first baseman Roger Connor becomes the first major leaguer to hit a grand slam, giving the Troy Trojans a 7-4 walk-off victory over the Worcester Ruby Legs. The 23-year-old Waterbury, CT native’s sayonara slam, a home run which wins a game when a team is down by three runs in the bottom of the final inning, comes with two outs. (1,3,4)
• 1914 - The Braves suspend shortstop Johnny Evers for three days after he swears at umpire Mal Eason. The Boston captain, previously banned by the league on several occasions this season, claims he talked to the ball and not to the arbitrator. (1,4)
• 1919 -Cleveland’s Ray Caldwell, struck by lightning two weeks earlier, no-hits his former teammates the Yankees, 3-0, at the Polo Grounds. The right-handed spitballer, released by the Red Sox in July, finishes the season winning five of six starts for the team, with an ERA of 1.71. (1,3)
• 1961 - At Chicago, the Phillies score seven in the seventh, including Don Demeter’s grand slam, and notch six more in the eighth to beat the Cubs, 14-6. There is some solace for the Cubs as they introduce a pair of gems: Ken Hubbs debuts with two hits and two runs and Lou Brock has one hit, one run and a pair of errors. (3)
• 1967 - In the first game of a doubleheader at White Sox Park, Chicago right-hander Joe Horlen no-hits the visiting Tigers, 6-0. Detroit also goes scoreless in the nightcap when Cisco Carlos blanks the team, 4-0. (1,3)
• 1969 - The Cubs drop a 6-2 decision to the Phillies, and drop to 2nd place, one game back of New York. (3)
• 1989 - Cubs rookie Steve Wilson strikes out 10 batters in five innings, and relievers add eight more to help beat the Cards 4-1. Fellow rookie Dwight Smith contributes a two-run home run. Chicago leads St. Louis by 2½ games and Montreal by four. (3)
• 2007 - Troy Tulowitzki homers off of Kyle Lohse. It is his 20th home run of the season and gives him the record for National League rookie shortstops. Ernie Banks had held the record with 19 for 53 years. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Mike Lynch, Kid Durbin, Marty Krug, High Pockets Kelly HOF, Joe Kraemer, Chad Hermansen, Kameron Loe. Also notable: Randy Johnson HOF.

SABR feature on cover boy George Kelly. Identify the figures on the right and left of High Pockets Kelly in the feature image for 10,000 BCB points.

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, in order to correct the ‘permanent record’. It would really help if you provided a source. Thank you, and thanks for reading!