Baseball history unpacked, August 10

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:

• 1905 - In a great pitching duel, New York ace Christy Mathewson allows three Chicago hits, while the Giants manage just four off Ed Reulbach. New York tallies an unearned run in the 6th for the game’s only score. (2)
• 1912 - In a game at Boston, Chicago star Johnny Evers pushes umpire Bill Finneran after the latter challenges Evers, Heinie Zimmerman, and Frank Chance to fight him under the stands after the game. Evers will be suspended for five days. Red Downs will fill in at 2B for Chicago. (2)
• 1919 - More than 28,00 crowd Wrigley Field to watch Grover Cleveland Alexander* shut the Giants out, 2-0. (2)
• 1930 - Before 45,000 fans, the Cubs sweep two from the Boston Braves at Wrigley Field to move a game back of Brooklyn. Hack Wilson drives home seven runs on three homers, the last his 39th, to back up Charlie Root’s three-hit shutout in the opener. The Cubs win, 6-0, beating Bob Smith. Pat Malone completes the sweep. twirling a five-hitter to beat Bruce Cunningham, 11-1, in the nitecap. (2)
• 1937 - Cubs 1B Ripper Collins fractures his right ankle sliding into home plate in a game with Pittsburgh. (2)
• 1966 - Chuck Dressen dies of a heart attack in Detroit, at age 67. He had managed the Tigers earlier in the season. (2)
• 1969 - Don Sutton breaks his 13-game losing streak to the Cubs with a 4-2 win at Los Angeles, but needs relief help to do it. Sutton tops Ken Holtzman, who handed Sutton his last four losses to Chicago. It is one short of the most consecutive losses by any pitcher to one club in major league history, and is the National League record for straight losses to a team from the start of a career. Sutton will close out his career with a record of 18-20 versus the Cubs. (2)
• 1971 - Sixteen baseball researchers at Cooperstown form the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), with founder Robert Davids as president. (1,2)
• 2001 - The Cubs claim Miguel Cairo and Gary Matthews, Jr. off waivers by St. Louis and Pittsburgh respectively. (2)
• 2002 - The Cubs wallop the Rockies, 15-1, as Sammy Sosa clouts three home runs and drives home nine runs. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Larry Corcoran, Elmer Jacobs, Bob Porterfield, Jimmy McMath. Also notable: Willie Wells HOF.

Today in world history:

• 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire. Destruction of Nineveh.
• 843 - Treaty of Verdun: Brothers Lotharius I, Louis the German & Charles the Bald divide France.
• 991 - Battle of Maldon: English, led by Bryhtnoth, confront a band of inland-raiding Vikings near Maldon in Essex. The English are defeated and the story is immortalized in a well-known poem.
• 1675 - King Charles II and John Flamsteed lay the foundation stone of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.
• 1792 - A large scale insurrection against the French monarchy occurs in Paris.
• 1821 - Missouri admitted as 24th US state.
• 1833 - Chicago incorporates as a village of about 200.

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.

Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.

Thank you for your cooperation. And thanks for reading!