Baseball history unpacked, September 9

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:

• 1914 - George Davis of the Boston Braves pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. (1,2)
• 1918 - In Game 4 of the World Series, Babe Ruth bats in two runs on a triple in the fourth and pitches seven scoreless innings before the Cubs tie it in the eighth, ending Ruth’s World Series record of 29⅔ scoreless innings. Phil Douglas relieves Lefty Tyler for Chicago in the last of the eighth and throws away the game, first by a wild pitch, then with an error. Ruth is the winning pitcher, but Carl Mays relieves with two on and no out in the 9th. (1,2)
• 1928 - At age 37, Yankee P Urban Shocker dies of pneumonia in Denver, CO, where he had gone for his health. Only now does it become known that he had suffered from an enlarged heart and was unable to sleep lying down for two years. Shocker, who never had a losing season, was 18-6 in 1927 but appeared in only one game in 1928. (2)
• 1945 - Dick Fowler of the Philadelphia Athletics pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns. (1,2)
• 1948 - At the Polo Grounds, Dodger Rex Barney no-hits the Giants, 2-0. (2)
• 1965 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched his fourth no-hitter, a perfect game, against the Chicago Cubs. Koufax fanned 14 in the 1-0 victory while Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley allowed only one hit - a double by Lou Johnson. (1,2)
• 1975 - The Cubs’ Bill Madlock suffers an “incomplete fracture” of his right thumb when hit by a Bruce Kison pitch in a 6-5 win over the Pirates. (2)
• 1989 - The Cubs’ Luis Salazar singles in the tying run in the eighth, then doubles in the winner in the 10th to give Chicago a 3-2 win over St. Louis. The Cubs now lead the Cards by 1½ games. Yesterday, the Cubs blew a 7-2 lead to lose 9-8 to the Cards. (2)
• 1993 - The major leagues vote to divide each league into three divisions, and add another round of postseason featuring one wild card team in each league. The measure passes by a 27-1 vote with Texas, one of two teams other than the new expansion teams never to go to the postseason by the old setup, as the lone dissenter. (1,2)
• 2014 - Cubs 3B prospect Kris Bryant is named the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year after leading the minor leagues with 43 homers and a .661 slugging percentage between the Double-A Tennessee Smokies and Triple-A Iowa Cubs. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Abner Dalrymple, Frank Chance HOF, Ed Mickelson, Earl Averill, Jerry Mumphrey, Todd Zeile, Edwin Jackson, Michael Bowden, Billy Hamilton. Also notable: Frankie Frisch HOF, Waite Hoyt HOF.

Today in world history:

• 1513 - Battle of Flodden: English forces defeat the Scots near Branxton in Northumberland and kill King James IV of Scotland, the last monarch in Great Britain to be killed in battle.
• 1753 - 1st steam engine arrives in north American colonies.
• 1839 - English scientist and astronomer John Herschel takes 1st glass plate photograph.
• 1850 - California is admitted as the thirty-first state of the Union.

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.