Baseball history unpacked, July 19

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 - In Chicago, Jack Taylor allows 10 hits to the Giants, but is unscored on until the ninth. The Orphans paste Christy Mathewson for 12 hits to win, 5-2. Chicago has now won three in a row over the visiting New Yorkers, and will take the next two games in the series as well. (2)
• 1909 - 1909 - With two men on base, Cleveland shortstop Neal Ball catches Amby McConnell’s line drive, gets Heinie Wagner at second, and then tags Jake Stahl completing the first modern major league unassisted triple play in a 6-1 win over the Red Sox. Cleveland wins behind Cy Young, but Boston wins the nitecap, 3-2. (1,2)
• 1911 - Former circus acrobat Walter Carlisle completes an unassisted triple play for the Vernon Tigers of the Pacific Coast League. With the score tied at 3-3 in the sixth inning, and men on first and second base, he makes a spectacular diving catch of a short fly by batter Roy Akin, touches second, and runs to first to retire both runners. Vernon wins, 5-4, with the speedy English-born Carlisle pulling off the only unassisted triple play ever accomplished by an outfielder in organized baseball. (2)
• 1916 - At Chicago, the Giants edge the Cubs, 8-6, as New York CF Benny Kauff tags out two runners at second base for a double play. With one out the Cubs load the bases. Giant catcher Bill Rariden throws to second and catches the runner, Les Mann, off. In the rundown, the runner on third breaks for home and scores when the Giants fumble. But the ball is recovered and the throw to Kauff covering second gets the runner sliding back. Kauff then looks up and tags the runner trying to advance from first base to end the inning. (2).
• 1933 - For the first time, brothers on opposite teams homer in the same game. Red Sox C Rick Ferrell hits his home run off brother Wes of Cleveland. Wes hits his off Hank Johnson in the third inning. He will wind up his career with 38 homers in 548 games. Rick will hit only 28 in 1,884 games. (1,2)
• 1957 - Testifying before the Celler committee, Pacific Coast League President Leslie O’Connor holds that 90 percent of all good ballplayers are monopolized through the farm teams. He adds that the major leagues may control as many as 1,098 players. (2)
• 1966 - At Chicago, Cub Byron Browne strikes out five times against Reds starter Jim Maloney. The Reds finally win, 3-2, in 18 innings, with Joe Nuxhall victorious over Fergie Jenkins. Don Pavletich belts a homer in the 18th inning off Jenkins. In tomorrow’s Reds win over the Cubs, Browne will strike out another three times to set a National League record for two games on his way to leading the NL in strikeouts with 143. (2)
• 1974 - Cleveland’s Dick Bosman no-hits Oakland, 4-0. He has no one but himself to blame for not picking up a rare perfect game. His throwing error in the fourth puts the A’s only runner on base. The two clubs combine to set an American League record with only two runners left on base. (2)
• 1988 - In the top of the ninth at Wrigley Field, Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe picks Brett Butler off first base unassisted. With Jose Uribe at second, Butler wanders too far off the bag and the Cubs pitcher nabs him for the out. But Sutcliffe loses, 3-1, to Rick Reuschel. (2)
• 1997 - The Cubs sweep two from the visiting Rockies, 7-0 and 6-5, to hand Colorado its 15th loss in 16 games. Steve Trachsel tosses seven shutout innings in the opener for the win, and the Cubs score the winning run in the nitecap on Mark Grace’s sacrifice fly. The Rocks have 13 hits in the nitecap, but strand 14 runners. Larry Walker is 0 for 9 for the afternoon, dropping his average 10 points to .392. (2)
• 2000 - Chicago Cubs general manager Ed Lynch resigns. His job will be taken over by team president Andy MacPhail. (2)
• 2018 - The only game played today features the Cubs hosting the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. The Cubs win, 9-6, handing interim Cards manager Mike Shildt his first loss as a skipper. Jason Heyward, who ended the first half very hot, has three hits and two RBI, Victor Caratini scores three times and Ian Happ adds a two-run homer. Pedro Strop picks up the save after the Cubs place closer Brandon Morrow on the disabled list before the game. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Bob Pettit, Mark Koenig, Phil Cavarretta*, Marcelino Solis, Phil Coke, Yan Gomes,

Today in history:

• 1595 - Astronomer Johannes Kepler has an epiphany and develops his theory of the geometrical basis of the universe while teaching in Graz.
• 1969 - Apollo 11 goes into Moon orbit.

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.