Baseball history unpacked, May 25

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:

• 1899 - Deacon Phillippe of the Louisville Colonels throws a no-hitter against the New York Giants, walking two and striking out one in a 7-0 win over Ed Doheny. (2)
• 1922 - After being thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single, New York’s Babe Ruth throws dirt in the face of umpire George Hildebrand and then goes after a fan. Ruth is ejected, and eventually fined $500 and suspended one game by American League president Ban Johnson. (2)
• 1951 - Willie Mays debuts for the New York Giants, striking out in the first inning against Bubba Church. Mays goes 0-for-5, but makes three good plays in the field. (2)
• 1982 -Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs fans Garry Templeton of the Padres for the 3,000th strikeout of his career. Jenkins is the 7th player to reach the plateau, but loses the game, 2-1. Box score. (1,2)
• 1984 - The Boston Red Sox trade Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Bill Buckner, who had been benched in Chicago in favor of Leon Durham but will immediately become Boston’s starting first baseman. (1,2)
• 2009 - The Pirates beat the Cubs, 10-8. Freddy Sanchez goes 6-for-6 with four runs, three RBI, a double and a homer, the first Pirate in 19 years to have six hits in a game. Jason Jaramillo and Andy LaRoche each go 3-for-5. The Bucs, fresh off an interleague series with the White Sox, become the first team in major league history to play consecutive series against the Cubs and White Sox in Chicago. Box score. (2)
• 2021 - By working home plate in a game between the Cardinals and White Sox, Joe West sets a new career record with 5,376 games as an umpire, passing Bill Klem, whose last game was in 1941. He already held the record for most seasons worked, as this year is his 44th (Klem and Bruce Froemming had 37), but Klem’s record of having been the home plate umpire for 3,548 games is untouchable. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Bob Wicker, Jim Marshall, Angel Echevarria, Todd Walker, Randall Simon, Scott Hairston, Brad Snyder, Neil Ramirez*. Also notable: Martín Dihigo HOF.

Today in world history:

• 1720 - The Ship “Le Grand St Antoine” reaches Marseille, bringing Europe’s last major plague outbreak. Kills around 100,000.
• 1837 - The Patriots of Lower Canada (Quebec) rebel against the British for freedom.
• 1945 - Arthur C. Clarke proposes relay satellites in geosynchronous orbit.

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!