Baseball history unpacked, April 22

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 deep dives into various narratives that we can observe as they expand 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. Perfectly useful information, largely unread. Enjoy!

Today in baseball history:

• 1876 - In the first National League game ever played, Joe Borden of the Boston Red Caps beats the hometown Philadelphia Athletics team, 6-5. (1,2)
• 1898 - On the same day, Ted Breitenstein of the Cincinnati Reds and Jay Hughes of the Baltimore Orioles each pitch no-hit ball games. Breitenstein’s gem is against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11 - 0, and Hughes over the Boston Beaneaters, 8-0. (1,2)
• 1906 - A new baseball rule puts the umpire in sole charge of all game balls. The home team manager previously had some say as to when a new ball was introduced. (1,2)
• 1914 - At age 19, Babe Ruth plays his first professional game as a pitcher, as he throws a six-hit, 6 - 0 shutout for the Baltimore Orioles over the Buffalo Bisons. The second batter Ruth faces is Joe McCarthy, the manager he will play for 17 years later with the Yankees. Ruth is 2 for 4 at the plate in addition to his great pitching. (1,2)
• 1914 - In Federal League action, the Chicago Chi-Feds host the Kansas City Packers at newly-built Weegham Park, on Chicago’s North Side. With two home runs by Art Wilson, and a five-hitter by Claude Hendrix, the Chi-Feds coast to a 9 - 1 win before a crowd of 21,000. The name of the stadium will change to Cubs Park in time for opening day, 1920, and will be renamed “Wrigley Field” in 1926. (2)
• 1915 - Pinstripes first appeared on the New York Yankees uniforms. (1,2)
• 1934 - Lon Warneke of the Chicago Cubs pitches his second consecutive one-hitter, beating the St. Louis Cardinals and Dizzy Dean, 15-2, at Sportsman’s Park. (2)
• 1975 - Billy Williams of the Oakland A’s becomes the first player to collect the only hit for his team in five games, having the team’s only two hits in a 2-1 loss against Fergie Jenkins of the Rangers. Williams also had the only hits while playing for the Chicago Cubs on September 24, 1961; July 5, 1966; September 5, 1969; and July 25, 1970. César Tovar and Eddie Milner will later join Williams as the only other players to achieve this particular feat. (2)
• 1993 - Chris Bosio pitches a no-hitter to give the Seattle Mariners a 7-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Bosio walks the first two batters he faces, then finishes the game by retiring the last 27 Red Sox in a row. He strikes out four in his 97-pitch gem. (2)
• 2020 - The Commissioner issues his findings in his investigation into allegations of sign-stealing by the 2018 Boston Red Sox, in the wake of a similar investigation into the illicit doings of the 2017 Houston Astros. While the investigation reveals that the Red Sox’s scheme was more limited in scope than the Astros’, it was still illegal, and the person responsible for the team’s video room is issued a one-year suspension, while the team must forfeit its second-round selection in the 2020 amateur draft. While there is no additional punishment for manager Alex Cora, already handed a one-year suspension for his role with the Astros, his dismissal last January is made permanent by the team and his successor, Ron Roenicke, who had initially been appointed on an interim basis, has his title confirmed. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Bob Smith, Taylor Douthit, Fabian Kowalik, Terry Francona, Mickey Morandini (pictured).

Today in world history:

• 1056 - Supernova Crab nebula last seen by the naked eye.
• 1692 - Edward Bishop is jailed for proposing flogging as a cure for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
• 1934 - US Division of Investigation (later the FBI) under Melvin Purvis botch an operation to capture the John Dillinger Gang at Little Bohemia Lodge, Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. with 2 dead and 4 injured.
• 1969 - 1st human eye transplant performed.
• 2016 - Paris Agreement on climate change signed in New York binding 195 nations to an increase in the global average temperature to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.

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.

And thanks to JohnW53 and our other reader for additional wisdom.

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.

Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.

Thank you for your cooperation. And thanks for reading!