Baseball history unpacked, September 17

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.

September 17 was a day for historical debuts, plus a couple of no-hitters, one of which has been called the ‘greatest game ever pitched’. Check it out below!

Today in baseball history:

• 1900 - Reds SS Tommy Corcoran, coaching at third base in a game at Philadelphia, uncovers a wire in the coaching box that leads across the OF to the Phils’ locker room. There, reserve C Morgan Murphy reads the opposing catcher’s signs and relays them to the Phils third base coach by a buzzer hidden in the dirt. (1,2) Here’s more from Redlegs Nation.
• 1906 - Playing as “Sullivan,” Columbia University junior Eddie Collins makes his debut at SS with the Athletics. He gets one hit off Ed Walsh and strikes out twice. Collins will play 25 years in the majors, bat .333, and become a member of the Hall of Fame. (1,2,3)
• 1912 - Charlie—aka Casey—Stengel makes an impressive major league debut, leading seventh-place Brooklyn to a surprising 7-3 win over the streaking Pirates. The likable outfielder from Kansas City collects four hits, a walk, a pair of stolen bases and two tie-breaking RBI (the second putting Brooklyn ahead to stay and saddling 24-game winner Claude Hendrix with his ninth and final defeat of 1912). (1,2)
• 1920 - The Tigers’ Bobby Veach and the Giants’ George Burns hit for the cycle, the first time it has happened twice on the same day. It will be 88 years until the feat is duplicated by Adrián Beltre and Stephen Drew. The Giants beat Pittsburgh in 10 innings, 4-3, as Burns adds a second double to his cycle. Detroit, behind Veach’s 6 for 6, outlasts Boston in 12 innings, despite 20 BoSox batters receiving walks. Eight Tigers walk. Veach is the first Tiger to hit for the cycle. (2)
• 1939 - Ted Williams hits a home run off Thornton Lee, one of 31 homers he will hit in his rookie season. Williams will homer off Thornton’s son, Don Lee, 21 years later. (1,2)
• 1941 - In front of only 3,585 fans in St. Louis, 20-year-old Stan Musial makes his major league debut against the Braves going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Musial, who started the season in the Western Association (Class C), will hit .426 in 12 games. (1,2)
• 1947 - Jackie Robinson is named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News two weeks before the season is over. At the year’s end, he will have hit .297, led the league in stolen bases and sacrifices. He will have 14 bunt hits, and in a game against the Cubs in June, he scored from first base on a sacrifice. (1,2)
• 1953 - The Cubs’ Ernie Banks goes 0 for 3 and makes an error in his first major league game, as the Phillies win, 16-4. He becomes the first black player for the Cubs. (2)
• 1955 - Future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson goes 2 for 4 in his first game as the O’s top the Senators, 3-1. (1,2)
• 1968 - Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants pitched a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals for a 1-0 victory. (1) He beat Bob Gibson. (3)
• 1996 - Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers and beat the Colorado Rockies in Denver, 9-0. Nomo walked four and struck out eight. (1,3)
• 2019 - The Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski makes the first appearance of his career at Fenway Park, the ballpark his grandfather Carl Yastrzemski called home for 23 seasons, and hits a homer. The game goes 15 innings and features a record-tying 24 pitchers before the Giants end up 7-6 winners over the Red Sox. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Frank Schulte, Earl Webb, Jim Woods, Thad Bosley, Dan Haren. Also notable: Orlando Cepeda HOF.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (3) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.

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