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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:
- 1898 - Lizzie Arlington, née Stroud, becomes the first woman to play in organized baseball as she pitches for Reading in the Eastern League. Some claim she also pitched in Atlantic League exhibition games after being hired by Ed Barrow, the league’s president. (2)
- 1937 - In the first game of a doubleheader, Frank Demaree goes 6 for 7 (three doubles and three singles), helping the Cubs edge the Cardinals, 13-12, in 14 innings. The Californian adds two more singles in the second game — a 9-7 Chicago victory. (1,2)
- 1942 - Peanuts “Nyassas” Davis pitches and bats the Cincinnati Clowns to a 7-4 victory over the Baltimore Grays in the new Negro Major Baseball League. Davis’s receiver, Pepper Bassett, catches the last inning in a rocking chair. (2)
- 1966 - The Cubs give up on Ernie Broglio, releasing him outright to Tacoma (Pacific Coast League). (2)
- 1985 - At Wrigley Field, the first three hitters in the Cubs’ announced batting order are Billy Hatcher, Davey Lopes and Ryne Sandberg. After Hatcher walks, Lopes takes a strike before someone in the Cubs’ dugout sees that the lineup card submitted to the umpire has Sandberg listed second and Lopes third. Sandberg then finishes the at-bat (during which Hatcher is picked off) and singles. Lopes, hitting in his proper turn, doubles Sandberg home. All for naught as the Giants beat them, 12-6. (2)
- 1991 - In a unanimous vote, final approval is given by baseball owners for the Rockies and the Marlins to join the National League in 1993. (2)
- 1992 - Umpire Bill Hohn ejects an Atlanta Braves fan from the Braves-Cubs game for making obscene gestures. The gestures might have been meant for the Braves, who are shut out, 8-0. Greg Maddux goes seven innings for the win over John Smoltz, giving up three runs. The other five come off Juan Berenguer, who lasts a third of an inning. Chicago gets homers from Kal Daniels, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace. (2)
- 2002 - The Cubs fire manager Don Baylor and hire Bruce Kimm in his place. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Pat Wright, Ward Miller, Buck Freeman, Dave Lemonds, Gary Matthews, Rich Gossage HOF*, Tim Worrell, Bo Porter.
Today in history:
- 1643 - 1st recorded tornado in US (Essex County, Massachusetts).
- 1811 - Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: seven provinces declare themselves independent of Spain.
- 1935 - FDR signs US National Labor Relations Act, effective the next day.
- 1937 - Spam, the luncheon meat, is first introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation.
- 1971 - 26th amendment to the US constitution certified (reduces voting age to 18).
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.