Baseball history unpacked, June 16

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:

• 1887 - A huge brawl breaks out in the ninth inning of a game between the Browns and Orioles in Baltimore, MD when Curt Welch bowls over Orioles 2B Bill Greenwood in the ninth inning with the score tied, 8-8. Thousands of spectators run on to the field, clamoring for Welch’s arrest - or worse. Police have to intervene, and the game is called. Welch is whisked away to safety while Browns pitcher Dave Foutz, a Baltimore native, speaks to the crowd to calm them slightly. However, another mob gathers at the train station, preventing Welch from leaving town. He will be forced to attend a court hearing the next day, where Greenwood pleads in his favor, stating that the play was nothing out of the ordinary in a baseball context, although some of the Orioles’ fans would like to see criminal charges laid. Wisely, the Browns will keep Welch out of the next day’s game to ease tensions. (2)
• 1909 - Jim Thorpe makes his baseball pitching debut for the Rocky Mount Railroaders (Eastern Carolina League) with a 4-2 win over the Raleigh Red Birds. It is the professional play in this year that will later cause him to lose his Olympic gold medals won in the 1912 Olympics (thus violating the amateur status rules). In 1983, thirty years after his death, his medals will be restored by the International Olympic Committee. (1,2)
• 1916 - Salida Tom Hughes of the Boston Braves pitches a 2-0 no-hitter over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Braves Field. On August 30, 1910 Hughes had pitched no-hit ball for nine innings against the Cleveland Naps, only to allow a hit in the 10th inning and then lose the game in the 11th. (2)
• 1978 - Tom Seaver pitches the only no-hitter of his brilliant career. Seaver strikes out three and walks three as the Cincinnati Reds defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, at Riverfront Stadium. Seaver had barely missed pitching no-hitters on three previous occasions, losing the bid each time in the ninth inning. (1,2)
• 1995 - Florida Marlins outfielder Andre Dawson hits his 400th National League home run, and 429th of his career, in Florida’s 2-1 victory over the Phillies. (2)
• 2014 - Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, winner of eight National League batting titles, passes away from cancer of the salivary gland at 54, likely a result of his long-time use of smokeless tobacco. He spent his entire 20-season major league career with the San Diego Padres and is the only player to have been a member of their two World Series teams, in 1984 and 1998. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Pete O’Brien, Jack Rowan, Fritz Mollwitz, Ken Johnson, Joe Decker, Calvin Schiraldi, Jose Nieves, Kerry Wood*,

Today in history:

• 1755 - British capture Fort Beauséjour, expel Acadians.
• 1832 - Battle of Kellogg’s Grove, Illinois - Illinois militia fight small force of Native Americans.
• 1980 - Musical comedy film “The Blues Brothers”, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and directed by John Landis, premieres in Chicago, Illinois.

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.