Baseball history unpacked, May 12

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:

• 1910 - Chief Bender of the Philadelphia Athletics pitches a 4-0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Naps. Bender, who misses a perfect game by issuing a walk, will compile a 23-5 record during the season. (2)
• 1932 - Carey Selph of the Chicago White Sox collects his ninth strikeout of the season. But it won’t happen again. Selph will go another 89 games without striking out, to set a major league record, hitting .283 in 396 at-bats in his second and last season. Selph’s record will last until 1958, when Nellie Fox sets a new mark with 98 consecutive games whitout striking out. (1,2)
• 1955 - Toothpick Sam Jones of the Chicago Cubs becomes the first black pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter and he does it in the hardest way. In the 9th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jones walks the bases full and then strikes out Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente and Frank Thomas in a row to preserve his 4-0 victory. It is also the first no-hitter at Wrigley Field in the last 38 years. Unfortunately only 2,918 fans are on hand to witness the double milestone. (2)
• 1956 - Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 3-0 no-hitter against the New York Giants. Erskine strikes out three and walks two. His masterpiece at Ebbets Field is the second no-hitter of his career. His first came in 1952 against the Chicago Cubs. (2)
• 1970 - Ernie Banks hits his 500th career home run off Pat Jarvis in the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over Atlanta at Wrigley Field. It is also his 1,600th career RBI. The ball, after it bounces back onto the field, is retrieved by Braves left fielder Rico Carty, who gives it to Banks. Carty, meanwhile, hits safely in his 30th consecutive game. (1,2)

• 1971 - Heinie Manush dies in Sarasota, Florida, at the age of 69. Manush won the American League batting championship in 1926, and twice led the league in hits. A lifetime .330 hitter, Manush gained induction to the Hall of Fame in 1964. (2)
• 2001 - A.J. Burnett pitches an unlikely no-hitter, overcoming nine bases on balls to lead the Marlins over San Diego, 3-0. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Harry Truby, Casey Hageman, Alex McCarthy, Hank Borowy, Norm Gigon, Mark Clark, Blake Lalli. Also notable: Yogi Berra HOF.

Today in history:

• 1057 - The Ostromir Gospel, now the oldest surviving Russian manuscript is recorded completed by its scribe Deacon Grigory.
• 1551 - San Marcos University in Lima, Peru, opens (oldest continuously operating university in the Americas).
• 1701 - Drenthe adopts Gregorian calendar (yesterday is 4/29/1701).
• 1938 - Sandoz Labs begins manufacturing LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide).
• 1984 South African prisoner Nelson Mandela sees his wife Winnie Mandela for the 1st time in 22 years.
• 2008 - Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people.

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.