Baseball history unpacked, April 27

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:

• 1944 - Jim Tobin of the Braves pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers at Boston, winning 2-0. He also hit a homer. (1,2)
• 1968 - Tom Phoebus of the Baltimore Orioles pitches a 6-0 no hitter against the visiting Boston Red Sox. Third baseman Brooks Robinson drives in three runs and makes a great catch to rob Rico Petrocelli of a hit in the eighth inning. (2)
• 1971 - Curt Flood jumps the Washington Senators after 13 games and departs for Denmark, ending his playing career. Flood batted .293 and won seven Gold Glove Awards during his 15-year major league tenure. He will continue his antitrust suit, which will eventually reach the Supreme Court. (1,2)
• 1973 - Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals pitches his first of two career no-hitters with a 3-0 victory over Detroit. It is the first Royals no-hitter and the first at Tiger Stadium since Virgil Trucks did it in 1952. Busby also becomes the first no-hit game pitcher not to bat after the American League’s introduction of the designated hitter rule. (2)
• 1994 - Scott Erickson of the Minnesota Twins, who allowed the most hits in the majors last season, pitches the first no-hitter in his team’s 27-year history as Minnesota beats the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-0. (2)
• 1996 - Barry Bonds becomes only the fourth player in major league history to amass 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases when he homers in the third inning in the San Francisco Giants’ 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins. His father, Bobby Bonds, along with godfather Willie Mays and Andre Dawson are the only other players to reach 300-300. (1,2)
• 2003 - Kevin Millwood pitches a no-hitter to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants, 1-0. Millwood strikes out 10 and walks three. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Rogers Hornsby HOF, Joey Gathright, Michael Rucker**. Also notable: Enos Slaughter HOF.

Today in world history:

• 1667 -- Blind and impoverished, English poet John Milton sells the copyright of “Paradise Lost” for £10.
• 1773 - British Parliament passes Tea Act (Boston won’t like this).
• 1933 - Karl Jansky reports reception of cosmic radio signal in Washington, D.C.
• 1983 - Nolan Ryan becomes strikeout king (3,509), passing Walter Johnson.

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. ** 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. 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!