Baseball history unpacked, June 21

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:

• 1890 - Silver King pitches the only no-hitter in the history of the Players League in a losing cause. King’s Chicago Pirates lose at home on errors to the Brooklyn Wonders, 1-0. Because his team chooses to bat first, he does not pitch the 9th inning. (2)
• 1907 - The Cubs top the Cardinals, 2-0, as C Johnny Kling throws out all four would-be St. Louis base stealers. Three-Finger Brown wins his 10th straight game. (2) Box score.
• 1916 - Rube Foster of the Red Sox no-hits the Yankees 2-0, for the first no-hitter in Fenway Park, beating Bob Shawkey. Harry Hooper leads the offense with three hits. Red Sox president Joseph Lannin hands Rube a $100 bonus and each of his Sox teammates receive a gold-handled pocket knife engraved with the date. (2)
• 1939 - The New York Yankees announce Lou Gehrig’s retirement, based on the report that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The 36-year-old star will remain with the team as captain. (1,2)
• 1964 - On Father’s Day at Shea Stadium, Jim Bunning fans 10, drives in two runs, and pitches the first perfect game (excluding Don Larsen’s 1956 World Series effort and Harvey Haddix’s 1959 extra-inning loss) since Charlie Robertson’s on April 30, 1922. Philadelphia beats the Mets, 6-0. Bunning also becomes the first pitcher to win no-hitters in both leagues, and Gus Triandos becomes the first catcher to catch a no-hitter in each league. Bunning throws just 90 pitches in winning his second no-hitter. The next time Bunning faces the Mets he will shut them out. The Mets don’t fare much better in the nightcap as 18-year-old rookie Rick Wise wins his first game and gives up just three hits for an 8-2 win. The Phils increase their National League lead to two games over the Giants. (1,2)
• 1968 - It’s been a bad week for the Cubs, but they end their scoreless streak at 48 innings, tying a major league mark set in 1906, beating the Reds, 3-2, behind Joe Niekro. George Culver is the losing pitcher, allowing the Cubs’ first score in the third inning when he gives up a walk with the sacks full. The five straight shutout losses also tie a league mark. The streak started on June 15th, the final eight innings of a loss to Atlanta and continued with the following games: a 1-0 loss to Phil Niekro in 11 innings; a 1-0 loss to the Cards’ Nellie Briles; a 4-0 one-hitter tossed by Steve Carlton and a 1-0 loss to Bob Gibson. During the drought, Fergie Jenkins allows one run in 18 innings but is charged with a loss and a no-decision. (2). Here’s Al’s article on this topic from its 50th anniversary in 2018.
• 2008 - In a match-up of two first-place Chicago teams, the Cubs top the Sox in interleague play. In a nine-run fourth, the Cubs hit four homers — a three-run shot by Aramis Ramirez, one blast by Mike Fontenot and two by Jim Edmonds. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Matt Kilroy, Jackie Collum, Rick Sutcliffe*, Jeff Baker.

Today in history:

• 1788 - US Constitution comes into effect when New Hampshire is the ninth state to ratify it.
• 1893 - Firt Ferris wheel opens at Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
• 1945 - US defeat Japanese forces on Okinawa.
• 1946 - Bill Veeck buys MLB’s Cleveland Indians for $2.2 million.

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.