Baseball history unpacked, April 26

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:

• 1901 - After two days of rain at Columbia Park, 10,547 fans witness the Philadelphia Athletics of Connie Mack make the their American League debut, losing to the visiting Washington Senators, 5-1. (2)
• 1905 - Chicago Cubs outfielder Jack McCarthy throws out three runners at home plate, each time completing a double play, during a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCarthy becomes only the second outfielder in major league history to record three double plays in a single game. (1,2) George van Haltren was reportedly the first but I cannot confirm.
• 1914 - Three players hit their first career homer for the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League: Duke Kenworthy, Art Kruger and John Potts all go deep in a feat that will not be matched until June 24, 2017, by the Oakland A’s. The Packers defeat the Chicago Chi-Feds, 12-4 at Weeghman Park. (2)
• 1941 - Wrigley Field becomes the first ballpark to install an organ to entertain fans, with Roy Nelson manning the keyboard. But Nelson’s successful pregame serenade doesn’t help the Chicago Cubs as they fall to pitcher Max Lanier and the rival St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2.
• 1997 - Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs breaks the major league record for most home runs by a second baseman as Chicago beats Pittsburgh, 7-6. His 267th career home run surpasses the old mark set by Joe Morgan from 1965 to 1984. Sandberg hit the first five home runs of his career as a third baseman before moving over to second. (1,2)
• 2002 - Odalis Perez is perfect for six innings as the Dodgers beat the Cubs, 10-0, at Wrigley Field, but he winds up with a one-hitter after speedy Corey Patterson beats out a bad-hop infield single leading off the 7th. Perez faces the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout. (2)
• 2009 - In St. Louis, birthday boy Kosuke Fukudome of the Cubs homers and drives in five runs in Chicago’s 10-3 win over St. Louis. The Japanese right fielder, who lost his starting job late in 2008 because of a prolonged hitting slump, is now batting .371 on the year. (2)
• 2016 - Chicago is on top of the baseball world today as the White Sox are the first major league team to 15 wins this year when they beat the Blue Jays, 10-1, behind Chris Sale’s fifth win in as many starts. They are then joined by the Cubs who improve to 15-5 with a 4-3 win over the Brewers. For the Cubs, it’s their best start since 1907, when they had begun the season by going 16-4 on their way to a World Series win. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Fritz Clausen, Irv Higginbotham, Hack Wilson HOF, Ron Northey, Bob Zick, Curt Wilkerson, Kosuke Fukudome.

Today in history:

• 1514 - Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn.
• 1954 ”Seven Samurai”, Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, is released.
• 1986 - World’s worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR explodes, 31 die, radioactive contamination reaches much of Western Europe.
• 1995 - Baseball season begins after lengthy strike.

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.