Baseball history unpacked, September 14

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:

• 1872 - An unusual play highlights the Athletics-Boston match in Philadelphia. With the Athletics leading 4-1 in the seventh inning, and runners on first and second, Fergy Malone pops up to shortstop George Wright. Wright catches the ball in his hat and then throws the ball to third base, after which it is thrown to second base. Wright claims a double play has been completed, as a batter cannot be retired with a “hat catch,” and thus runners Cap Anson and Bob Reach are forced out. The umpire finally gives Malone another at bat, declaring nobody out. The Athletics win 6-4. (1)
• 1900 - At the Polo Grounds, the Giants pull off the first triple play of the 20th century. With Chicago’s Johnny Kling behind the plate, Jack Doyle, George Davis and Kid Gleason do the deed. It will be 10 years before another trifecta is pulled off in the National League. (2)
• 1905 - Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers engage in a fist fight on the field during an exhibition game in Washington, IN, because Evers took a taxi to the park, leaving his teammates in the hotel lobby. The pair will not speak to each for thirty-three years. (1,2)
• 1907 - At the West Side Grounds, Chicago beats the visiting Reds, 12-5. The Cubs collect 19 hits to the Reds’ 10 hits - all 29 are singles. (2)
• 1913 - In front of the largest crowd of the season (22,000), Cubs hurler Larry Cheney hurls a 14-hit shutout against the visiting Giants, defeating them 7-0 while setting a major-league record for most hits allowed in a nine-inning whitewashing. Milt Gaston of Washington will duplicate the feat on July 10, 1928. Cheney wins his 20th over Rube Marquard, also seeking his 20th. (1,2)
• 1953 - Johnny Klippstein of the Cubs stops Duke Snider’s hitting streak at 27 consecutive games, the longest in the National League this year. The Cubs win, 3-1, for their 10th win in a row. (2)
• 1961 - The Cardinals and Cubs set a National League record by using 72 players in a doubleheader (more than 18 innings). St. Louis leads the way with 37 players and wins twice, 8-7 and then 6-5 in 11 innings. Ken Boyer climaxes a 7-for-11 day by cycling in the nitecap, completing it by belting his 22nd home run of the year in the 11th inning. The Cards have won all 11 games with the Cubs at Busch Stadium this year. (2)
• 1982 - Richie Hebner and Bill Madlock hit grand slams to lead the Pirates to a 15-5 rout of the Cubs. (2)
• 1994 - The remainder of the baseball season is canceled by acting commissioner Bud Selig after 34 days of the players’ strike. There will be no World Series for the first time since 1904.
• 2008 - Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs pitches a no-hitter against the Houston Astros, winning 5-0 at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. The game was shifted from Houston to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike. It is the first no-hitter pitched at a neutral site in modern major league history, although the crowd is composed almost exclusively of Cubs fans who have made the short trip from Chicago. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Reggie Richter, Nick Allen, John Bottarini, Jim Fanning. Also notable: Kid Nichols HOF.

Today in world history:

• 1716 - 1st lighthouse in American colonies lit at Boston Harbor.
• 1752 - Britain and the British Empire (including the American colonies) adopt the Gregorian Calendar (no Sept 3 - Sept 13).
• 1899 - Henry Bliss becomes 1st automobile fatality in the US (NY).
• 1938 - Graf Zeppelin II, world’s largest airship, makes its maiden flight.
• 1956 - IBM introduces the RAMAC 305, 1st commercial computer with a hard drive that uses magnetic disk storage, weighs over a ton.
• 1973 - US President Richard Nixon signed into law a measure lifting pro football’s blackout.

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.