Baseball history unpacked, July 15

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 various narratives to follow as they unfold 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:

• 1901 - Christy Mathewson, 22 years old, of the New York Giants pitches a no-hitter, blanking the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-0, at League Park. Matty saves his own no-hitter in the 6th when an Otto Krueger hit caroms off 1B John Ganzel’s glove to Mathewson, who throws back to first base for a 3-1-3 putout. (1,2)
• 1932 - In the second game of a doubleheader, Satchel Paige pitches the first no-hitter in Greenlee Field as the Pittsburgh Crawfords defeat the New York Black Yankees, 6-0. Three Hall of Famers support Paige: Oscar Charleston at first base, Judy Johnson at third, and Josh Gibson in left field. Ted Radcliffe, who pitched in the first game, is behind the plate for Paige’s gem. (2)
• 1939 - A disputed call on a fly ball down the LF foul line at the Polo Grounds touches off a melee in which New York Giants Billy Jurges and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other. Both will be fined $150 and suspended for 10 days. National League President Ford Frick announces that two-foot screens are to be installed inside all foul poles to prevent future arguments. The American League will eventually also adopt the rule. The Giants lose, 8-4, to the Cincinnati Reds, and will add another eight in a row to take them out of contention. (2)
• 1948 - The Boston Braves stop the host Chicago Cubs, 2-1, behind Johnny Sain, then battle to a 1-1 tie in 13 innings in the nightcap. Alvin Dark’s hitting streak of 23 games is stopped in the opener, but he has two hits and scores the run in the second game. Bob Rush pitches all 13 innings for the Bruins. (2)
• 1952 - Johnny Vander Meer, 38, of the Beaumont Roughnecks in the Texas League pitches a no-hitter. In 1938 he pitched two consecutive major league no-hitters, still a record. (2)
• 1973 - Before 41,411 in Detroit, California Angels ace Nolan Ryan hurls his second no-hitter of the season in taming the Detroit Tigers, 6-0. Ryan fans 17 batters, the most ever in a nine-inning no-hitter, including eight straight, but only one over the last two innings. Nolan’s arm stiffens while watching his team rally for five runs in the top of the eighth. With two outs in the ninth, Norm Cash, who struck out his three other times at bat, comes to bat wielding a piano leg. Umpire Ron Luciano points out the illegality and Cash then pops out using a regulation bat. Ryan’s eight strikeouts in a row ties the American League record he set last year. Jim Perry of the Tigers becomes the only starting pitcher to be on the losing end of three no-hitters with today’s loss to Ryan. Perry was the losing pitcher in no-hitters thrown by Vida Blue on September 21, 1970 and by Steve Busby on April 27th of this year. (2)
• 1979 - The Geneva Cubs score 15 runs in the ninth inning to cap a 29-4 romp over the Utica Blue Jays in a New York-Pennsylvania League game. Scott Fletcher paces the attack with two singles, four doubles, a home run, and eight RBI. (2)
• 2021 - In what many observers describe as the start of a fire sale following a big tumble since the beginning of June, the Cubs trade OF Joc Pederson to the Braves in return for a minor league prospect, 1B Bryce Ball. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Bubbles Hargrave, Bob Will, Chris Denorfia.

Today in world history:

• 1381 - John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hung, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England.
• 1741 - Alexei Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska.
• 1799 - The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign.
• 1869 - Margarine is patented by Hippolye Méga-Mouriès for use by French Navy.
• 1876 - Baseball’s first official no-hitter: George Bradley of the St Louis Brown Stockings no-hits the Hartford Dark Blues, 2-0.
• 1954 - 1st commercial jet transport plane built in US tested (Boeing 707).

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.

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Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.

Thank you for your cooperation. And thanks for reading!