Baseball history unpacked, October 4

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:

• 1906 - The Chicago Cubs win their 116th game of 152 played for a winning percentage (.763) that has not been matched since. (1,2)
• 1919 - Chicago White Sox pitcher Ed Cicotte makes two errors in one inning of Game 4 of the World Series to give the Cincinnati Reds the only runs of the game. He walks none and gives up five hits, including three by his mound opponent, Jimmy Ring, and Cincinnati wins, 2-0. The Reds lead the Series three games to one. (2)
• 1922 - For the first time, the entire World Series will be broadcast over the radio. Writer Grantland Rice does the announcing of the New York Giants-New York Yankees Series for station WJZ, in Newark, NJ, whose signal is relayed to WGY in Schenectady, NY. (1,2)
• 1925 - Harry Heilmann gets six hits in Detroit’s doubleheader sweep over the Browns, 10-4 and 11-6, to edge out teammate Ty Cobb for the batting crown, .393 to .389. Cobb bats over .300 for the 20th time. In the second game, fans see the unusual spectacle of two managers, both famous hitters, pitch against each other in the season finale. George Sisler of the Browns and Ty Cobb of Detroit both pitch in relief for the two clubs. Cobb is perfect in his one inning, while Sisler holds Detroit scoreless in two. (1,2)
• 1944 - The only all-St. Louis World Series opens with the Browns, as the visiting team, beating the Cardinals on George McQuinn’s home run, 2-1. Denny Galehouse is the winning pitcher and Mort Cooper the loser despite allowing just two hits. (2)
• 1969 - Major League Baseball holds its first league championship games. In the National League Championship Series, the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 9-5, and the Baltimore Orioles defeat the Minnesota Twins, 4-3, in the American League Championship Series. (2)
• 1989 - Will Clark goes 4 for 4 with six RBI and two home runs on four hits, including the first National League Championship Series grand slam since 1977, to lead the Giants to an 11-3 win over the Cubs in Game 1 of the NLCS. (1,2)

Cubs birthdays: Ossie France, Jim Gardner, Bob Rhoads, Bob Kelly, Tony La Russa HOF, Lary Sorensen, Billy Hatcher, Mike Walker, Bobby Scales*.

Today in history:

• 1582 - Last Julian calendar day in Spain, Portugal and pontifical states. To sync to the Gregorian calendar, 10 days are skipped and the next date is Oct 15.
• 1675 - Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens patents the pocket watch.
• 1824 - Mexico becomes a republic.
• 1883 - The Orient Express departs on its first official journey from Paris to Istanbul.
• 1910 - Portugal becomes a republic, King Manuel II flees to England.
• 1940 - Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini confer at Brenner Pass in the Alps.

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.