Baseball history unpacked, October 25

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.

Today in baseball history:

• 1943 - Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher signs his 1944 contract, which calls for a base salary of $20,000 plus $5,000 for every 100,000 fans over 600,000.
• 1955 - Baseball great Branch Rickey steps down as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and moves into an advisory role. Joe L. Brown, son of actor Joe E. Brown, replaces him. (1,2)
• 1965 - Leo Durocher becomes manager of the Chicago Cubs, replacing Lou Klein. (2)
• 1973 - The Chicago Cubs trade six-time 20-game winner Ferguson Jenkins* to the Texas Rangers for third baseman Bill Madlock and utility man Vic Harris. (1,2).
• 1986 - Down to their last out at Shea Stadium, the New York Mets rally for three runs with two outs in the 10th inning against the Boston Red Sox to win 6-5 and push the World Series to a decisive seventh game. The tie-breaking run scores on Boston first baseman Bill Buckner’s error on Mookie Wilson’s grounder that passes between his legs. (2)
• 2016 - Cleveland wins Game 1 of the World Series, 6-0 over the Cubs, who are making their first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1945. Corey Kluber pitches six scoreless innings during which he strikes out nine, while the Indians score twice off Jon Lester in the bottom of the first, on a dribbler by José Ramírez that travels barely 20 feet, and when Brandon Guyer is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Roberto Perez later homers twice to put the game away. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Jack Doyle, Vic Aldridge, Russ Meyer, Bobby Thomson, Pete Mikkelsen, Mike Harkey, Terrell Lowery, Alberto Cabrera, Tyler Payne. Also notable: Pedro Martinez HOF.

Today in history:

• 1415 - Battle of Agincourt: Henry V’s forces defeat larger French army, and the longbow defeats the armored knight (Azincourt, France).
• 1616 - Dutch East India Company ship “The Eendracht” is the European ship to discover Dirk-Hartog Island, Australia.
• 1854 - The infamous “Charge of the Light Brigade” during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War results in over 100 killed.
• 1968 - Chicago recognizes Jean Baptiste Pointe de Sable as its first settler.

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.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources if you have differences with a posted factoid, so that we can address that to the originators and provide clarity if not ‘truth’. Nothing is posted here without at least one instance of corroboration (this also includes the history bullets). Thanks for reading, and thanks also for your cooperation.