Baseball history unpacked, October 19

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. We also include Cubs’ player birthdays and a bit of world history, for context.

Today in baseball history:

• 1913 - The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox, fortified with other players, start their world tour in Cincinnati. After a 31-game tour to Seattle, they will head for the Philippines, Australia, China and Japan. (2)
• 1949 - The Chicago White Sox make one of the best trades in franchise history when they acquire future Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox for backup catcher Joe Tipton. Fox will win the American League MVP in 1959. (2)
• 1981 - In Game 5 of the NLCS, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday hits a 9th-inning home run off Steve Rogers to give the Dodgers a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos and the National League pennant after a great pitching duel between Fernando Valenzuela and Ray Burris. The win sends the Dodgers to the World Series against the New York Yankees. This game will later become known in baseball lore as “Blue Monday”. (2)
• 2016 - The Cubs tie the NLCS at two wins apiece with a 10-2 beating of the Dodgers as they tee off on two rookie pitchers, Julio Urias and Ross Stripling. Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo both end long hitting droughts with homers. (2)

• 2017 - The Dodgers are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1988 with an 11-1 win over the Cubs in Game 5 of the NLCS. They chase José Quintana in the third inning, before Kiké Hernandez delivers the killer blow with a grand slam against Hector Rondon, his second homer of the game, which extends the lead to 7-0. Hernandez adds a third homer in the 9th to complete a great day. Chicago scores its only run on a solo homer by Kris Bryant off Clayton Kershaw, who picks up the win with six strong innings. Justin Turner and Chris Taylor share the NLCS MVP Award. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Mordecai Brown HOF, Bob O’Farrell, Vic Roznovsky, Mike Perez, Dave Veres, Lance Dickson, Daniel Descalso, Cory Mazzoni.

Today in world history:

• 439 - The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa.
• 1216 - King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry III.
• 1781 - British forces under General Charles Cornwallis sign terms of surrender to George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown at 2 p.m., ending the US Revolutionary War.
• 1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armée begin their retreat from Moscow numbering just 100,000 (started campaign with 500,000).
• 1957 - Montreal Canadien Maurice “Rocket” Richard, becomes the first NHLer to score 500 goals.

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.
• For world history.

*pictured.

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.

Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.