Baseball history unpacked, July 14

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:

• 1914 - The Chicago Cubs pound New York Giants reliever Christy Mathewson for six runs in six innings, but New York does worse damage to Larry Cheney and Jimmy Lavender, and wins, 12 - 8. Bob Bescher has a home run, the 1,000th Giant home run. New York leads the National League by 4½ games. (2)
• 1940 - In the aftermath of the beanball wars, Spalding advertises a batting helmet with ear flaps in The Sporting News. Players express no interest, but next year the Brooklyn Dodgers will introduce a cap liner, which some batters start to use. (2)
• 1956 - Boston Red Sox lefty Mel Parnell pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, winning 4-0. It is only Parnell’s third win against two losses and is the sixth straight loss for second-place Chicago. The no-hitter is the first for the Red Sox since 1923. Parnell will go 4-4 before a torn muscle in his pitching arm ends his career as the Red Sox’s winningest southpaw. (1,2)
• 1969 - At Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs top the New York Mets, 1-0, to give Bill Hands (11-7) the win over Tom Seaver (14-4). Billy Williams singles home the winner, boosting the Cubs lead to 5½ games. After the last out, Ron Santo jumps up and clicks his heels, igniting a roar from the crowd. The Mets think it’s bush. (2)

• 1972 - In a major league first, the plate umpire and the catcher in a game are brothers. Bill Haller is the ump and Tom Haller is the Detroit Tigers catcher during a game with the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City wins, 1-0. (1,2)
• 1995 - Ramon Martinez threw the first no-hitter of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 7-0. Martinez was perfect for 7⅓ innings before walking Tommy Gregg.
• 1997 - In the longest night game at Wrigley Field, 5 hours, 19 minutes, Ricky Gutierrez singles home the go-ahead run in the 15th to give the Houston Astros a 9-7 win over the Chicago Cubs. (2)
• 1999 - In an ill-conceived move, umpires union chief Richie Phillips announces that 57 umpires will resign on September 2nd. Among other things, the umps reportedly are upset at the three-day suspension Tom Hallion received for bumping Rockies C Jeff Reed on July 2nd.(2)
• 2012 - Ryan Dempster ties the Cubs’ franchise record by extending his scoreless streak to 33 innings in defeating the Diamondbacks, 4-1. Dempster tosses six scoreless frames before leaving. The 33 innings matched the team record set by Ken Holtzman in 1969. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Art Nichols, Jiggs Parrott, Julio Bonetti, Steve Stone*, Chuck Rainey, Derrick May, Jack Leathersich.

Today in history:

• 1077 - Bayeux Tapestry likely first goes on display to decorate the nave during the consecration of Notre-Dame of Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, Normandy [1]
• 1789 - Bastille Day - the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France’s national day).
• 1877 - General strike brings US railroad to a standstill.

• 1914 - American engineer Robert Goddard is granted the first patent for liquid-fueled rocket design.

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.