Baseball history unpacked, September 20

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 20 was a day for no-hitters — six in all (tied for the record). Check it out below!

Today in baseball history:

• 1882 - Larry Corcoran of the Chicago White Stockings no-hits the Worcester Ruby Legs, winning 5-0. (2,3)

Chris Cwik has a great writeup of Corcoran, who threw three no-hitters in his career.

• 1902 - Chicago’s Jim ‘Nixey’ Callahan tossed the White Sox’s first no-hitter, beating Detroit 2-0. (1,2)
• 1907 - Nick Maddox of the Pittsburgh Pirates no-hits the Brooklyn Superbas, 2-1. At the age of 20 years and ten months, Maddox becomes (and still is) the youngest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues. (2,3)
• 1908 - Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox threw his second career no-hitter for a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. (1,2)
• 1924 - Pete ‘Grover’ Alexander won his 300th game as the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Giants 7-3 in 12 innings. (1,2,3)
• 1932 - The Cubs clinch the National League pennant when they beat Pittsburgh, 5-2, thanks to Kiki Cuyler’s seventh-inning bases-loaded triple. The Wrigley Field contest features rookie second baseman Billy Herman’s 200th hit of the season. (2,3)
• 1951 - The owners elect National League President Ford Frick as the third baseball commissioner for a seven-year term at $65,000 per annum. (2)
• 1953 - Second baseman Gene Baker, the other half of the Kansas City Monarchs double play duo along with shortstop Ernie Banks, joins his former Negro League teammate making his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs. Ernie hits his first major league home run against Gerry Staley, but the St. Louis Cardinals win, 11-6. In 1961, the second baseman will be named manager of the minor league Batavia, New York team, becoming the first black manager in organized baseball. (1,2,3)
• 1958 - Recently-acquired Orioles knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm pitches a 1-0 no-hitter against the New York Yankees at Memorial Stadium, with the only run coming on a home run by battery mate Gus Triandos. It will be the last time in the 20th century the Yankees will fail to get a hit in a game. (1,2)
• 1969 - Bob Moose of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches a 4-0 no-hitter against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. (1,2)
• 1998 - Cal Ripken, Jr. takes himself out of the starting lineup and does not play in the Baltimore Orioles’ loss to the New York Yankees, ending his consecutive games played streak at 2,632. After nearly 16 years, Ripken says he decided the time was right to end the streak, which began on May 30, 1982. (1,2)
• 2008 - The Cubs clinch, taking the NL Central with a 5-4 win over the Cardinals. It is their first time to repeat in the postseason since 1908. Ted Lilly gets his 16th win and Kerry Wood his 32nd save. (2)

• 2009 - The Cubs suspend OF Milton Bradley for the remainder of the season one day after he criticized the team in an interview with a suburban newspaper. GM Jim Hendry explains that the penalty is for conduct detrimental to the team and lack of respect for its fans. It is only the latest in a long series of brushes with authority for the fiery outfielder. The Cubs then go on to beat St. Louis, 6-3, in 11 innings at Busch Stadium, thanks to a two-run homer by Jake Fox. (2)
• 2014 - At Wrigley Field, Chris Coghlan leads off the game with a home run and wins it for Cubs with a two-run home run in the eighth inning as Cubs defeat the Dodgers 8-7. (5)

Box score.

Cubs birthdays: Larry Schlafly, Zeke Bonura, Randy Kramer, Cory Abbott.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — 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 be aware that we are trying to make the historical record as represented by our main sources coherent and as accurate as is possible. No item is posted here without corroboration. Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources, so that we can address them to the originators. BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed thenationalpastime from our sourcing list, as there have been multiple complaints about their content and they do not respond to attempts to communicate.

Thank you for your cooperation.