Baseball history unpacked, June 1

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:

• 1925 - Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees pinch-hits for Pee Wee Wanninger, beginning his streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games. The next day, first baseman Wally Pipp shows up with the after-effects of a concussion, and Gehrig takes over. (1,2)
• 1937 - Bill Dietrich of the Chicago White Sox pitches a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns in an 8-0 win. (2)
• 1943 - Rip Sewell of the Pirates throws his dew-drop ball in a game. Sewell loops the ball 18 to 20 feet high on its way to the strike zone. Later it is called a blooper or eephus ball. The pitch is more than a gag, and Sewell is on his way to a 20-win season. (1,2)
• 1975 - The California Angels’ Nolan Ryan’s 100th career victory is a memorable one as he beats the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0, and ties Sandy Koufax’s big league mark by pitching his fourth no-hitter. (2)
• 2012 - Johan Santana throws the first no-hitter in the 50-year history of the New York Mets when he defeats the Cardinals, 8-0. He walks five and needs 134 pitches to complete the game; he is helped by a great catch by Mike Baxter, who crashes into the fence at full speed and hurts himself in snagging Yadier Molina’s line drive in the seventh. The Mets had played 8,120 games before their first no-hitter, while there had been 131 MLB no-hitters since they debuted. (2)

Cubs birthdays: George Decker, Bill Eagan, Harry McChesney, Joel Newkirk, Jim McKnight, Randy Hundley*, Carlos Zambrano.

Today in world history:

• 4000 BC - Approximate domestication of the horse in the Eurasian steppes near Dereivka, central Ukraine (hypothesis only).
• 1215 - Peking [Beijing], then a city of over one million, under control of Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured and looted for a month by the Mongols under Genghis Khan.
• 1495 - First written record of Scotch Whisky appears in Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, Friar John Cor is the distiller.
• 1792 - Kentucky admitted as 15th US state.
• 1796 - Tennessee admitted as 16th US state.
• 1951 - International Cheese treaty signed.

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!