Baseball history unpacked, May 23

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 and change 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:

• 1890 - Chicago’s 10-8‚ 10-inning win at Philadelphia is thrown out by National League directors when umpire Jack McQuaid admits he made an error in not allowing Philadelphia to send OF Bill Gray in as a substitute during the game. (2)
• 1904 - Chicago’s Jake Weimer and Christy Mathewson duel for 11 innings before the game is a called a 1-1 tie. Umpire Bob Emslie calls the game at the West Side Grounds so the Giants can catch a train for New York. Matty allows 6 hits‚ one less than Weimer. Box score. (2)
• 1915 - The Chicago Tribune announces a contest with an unusual prize: the three winners will join one of Chicago’s three major league teams - the Cubs, the White Sox and the Whales of the Federal League - for a road trip at the end of the season. The contest is open to all local amateur players under the age of 21 and will help launch the major league careers of Henry Rasmussen and Charlie Pechous. (2)
• 1926 - Hack Wilson smacks a 5th-inning home run‚ a rare blast off the Wrigley Field scoreboard‚ situated at ground level‚ to start a rout of the Braves. The Cubs score 7 runs in the 8th inning to win, 14-8. Sparky Adams contributes 4 hits for Chicago. Later that night‚ Wilson and a few others are arrested at a friend’s apartment for drinking beer in violation of the Prohibition Act. The scoreboard will be moved to the left field corner in 1937‚ before one will be built atop the newly-built bleachers. Box score. (1,2)
• 1938 - The Cubs’ Bill Lee tops the Bees‚ 4-1‚ as the Bees score their only tally in the 4th when pitcher Lou Fette drives in the run. This is the only run that Lee will allow in 47 straight innings going back to the 19th‚ when he tossed a shutout. He will shut out Pirates‚ 5-0‚ on May 27th‚ the Reds‚ 3-0 on May 30th‚ and the Bees‚ 4-0‚ on June 3rd. Box score. (2)
• 1962 - At Chicago‚ Ernie Banks makes his debut in left field and goes 1 for 4 with no errors. But the Cubs lose‚ 2-1‚ in 10 innings to the Phillies. Box score. (2)
• 1980 - Five hours after the midnight deadline, Major League players and owners avert a strike by announcing a new four-year basic agreement. The new deal raises the minimum salary from $21,000 to $30,000 and increases the clubs’ contributions to the players’ pension fund, but the major issue of free agent compensation remains unresolved. (1,2)
• 1987 - At Wrigley Field‚ the Cubs outlast the Braves to win‚ 7-6‚ in 16 innings. Ryne Sandberg greets new reliever Jim Acker with a single and Jerry Mumphrey doubles him home. Dale Murphy is 2 for 3 and is walked 5 times for the second time in his career. Teammate Ozzie Virgil strikes out 5 times. The Braves garner 14 walks - 6 off winning pitcher Jamie Moyer‚ who allows no runs in 4⅓ innings - and strand 17 runners. Box score. (2)
• 1995 - Pitchers Kevin Foster of the Chicago Cubs and Marvin Freeman of the Colorado Rockies each hit home runs off each other in a 7-6 Chicago victory at Coors Field. Foster and Freeman became just the tenth duo in the 20th century to hit and throw homers against each other. Box score. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Algie McBride, Duke Brett, Augie Galan, Ricky Gutierrez. Also notable: Zack Wheat HOF.

Today in world history:

• 1430 - Joan of Arc is captured at Compiegne and sold to the English.
• 1576 - Tycho Brahe given Hveen Island to build Uraniborg Observatory.
• 1701 - Captain William Kidd is hanged in London after being convicted of piracy and the murder of William Moore.
• 1785 - Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals.
• 1873 - Canada’s North West Mounted Police Force forms (it didn’t get the “Royal” until 1904).
• 1934 - American outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow - Bonnie and Clyde - are killed by police in an ambush near Sailes, Louisiana.

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. 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!