Baseball history unpacked, August 11

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.

Going to stop here for a minute to acknowledge my dad, who passed 8/11/1999. He was a huge Cubs and Sammy Sosa fan whose favorite player all-time was Phil Cavarretta.

If you can be the first to tell us where the cover image was shot, you win 10,000 BCB bucks, legally tender nowhere on earth but desirable nonetheless, like a no-prize.

Today in baseball history:

• 1881 - In the most one-sided game of the National League season‚ Chicago trounces Detroit‚ 17-0. Fred Goldsmith pitches for Chicago against Frank Mountain‚ and Silver Flint is 5 for 5. He also catches his ninth straight game without a passed ball. (2)
• 1883 - Frederick Thayer‚ the inventor of the catcher’s mask‚ and George Wright sue the Spalding Brothers Company for copyright infringement. The two will eventually win their case in 1886, obtaining royalties from the sporting goods business. (2)
• 1896 - Cincinnati suffers its first shutout of the season in a 6-0 setback to Chicago. (2)
• 1907 - Ed Karger of the Cardinals throws a perfect game against the Boston Doves in the second game of a doubleheader, shortened to seven innings by prior agreement. Just enough to win. The first place Cubs beat the visiting Phillies twice by scores of 1-0. Orval Overall and Jack Pfiester apply the calcimine. (2)
• 1930 - The Cubs displace Brooklyn for the league lead‚ completing a four-game sweep with the Braves. Cubs P Bud Teachout wins the final game‚ 4-3‚ in 10 innings. (2)
• 1941 - At Sportsman’s Park‚ a first in Cubs history occurs in the fifth inning when Phil Cavarretta‚ Stan Hack‚ and Bill Nicholson hit consecutive homers. It’s not enough as the Cards win, 7-5‚ but it’s a costly victory as they lose Enos Slaughter for the season. Chasing a line drive‚ Enos tries to avoid colliding with teammate Terry Moore and he hits the RF wall, breaking his collarbone. (2)
• 1945 - Chicago’s Claude Passeau limits the Braves to two hits - both coming with two out in the 8th - as the Cubs win‚ 8-0. The Cubs score six in the ninth after starter Bob Logan is lifted. (2)
• 1948 - At Brooklyn‚ Chicago’s Johnny Schmitz goes 11 innings to beat the Dodgers‚ 4-2. Schmitz scores the winning run‚ coming home on an Eddie Waitkus double. (2)
• 1966 - At Wrigley Field‚ the Cubs down Houston‚ 9-8‚ in 11 innings. The Cubs are led by C Randy Hundley who hits for the cycle and drives in three runs. Houston is ahead 8-5 at the end of seven innings in the nitecap when the game is suspended on account of darkness. It will be completed on August 26th‚ with Houston winning‚ 9-8. (1,2)
• 1976 - At Wrigley Field‚ the Cubs take a 10-1 lead after three innings‚ only to lose to the Reds‚ 13-10. Cincy scores two runs in the sixth‚ four in the seventh, helped by a Johnny Bench three-run homer‚ one in the eighth, and two runs in the ninth. Ken Griffey’s two-run homer in the 9th ties the game. The Reds continue scoring with three in the 10th off Bill Bonham to hand the win to Pat Zachry. (2)
• 1986 - The Cubs parade a record ten pitchers in a 17-inning, 10-8 loss to the Pirates. Pittsburgh uses seven hurlers. The game is the continuation of a contest that started on April 20th but was suspended because of darkness. Barry Jones‚ the winning pitcher, who strikes out the side‚ and Barry Bonds‚ who hits the game-winning RBI‚ were in the minors when the game started. Loser Frank DiPino started the season with Houston. (2)
• 1991 - Wilson Alvarez, pitching his first game for the White Sox and second major league game ever, no-hits the Orioles, 7-0. (1,2)
• 2003 - The Astros down the Cubs‚ 3-1. Chicago’s Kerry Wood becomes the youngest pitcher in history to reach the 1‚000 strikeout mark‚ doing so in 134 games. Roger Clemens achieved the feat in 143 contests. (2)
• 2022 - The Cubs win the second annual Field of Dreams Game, played in a temporary ballpark near Dyersville, IA, next to the site where the eponymous movie was shot, 4-2 over the Reds. Nick Madrigal leads the way, going 3 for 5 as both teams wear retro uniforms for the occasion. Before the game, Ken Griffey Sr. sets the tone by playing a friendly game of catch with his son, Junior, soon joined by a group of kids and then legendary players from both teams in a scene straight out of the iconic movie. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Pete Knisely, Karl Adams, Bobo Newsom, Bob Scheffing, Andrew Lorraine, Brendon Little*.

Today in history:

• 3114 BC - The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins.
• 355 - Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.
• 1858 - First ascent of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland.
• 1945 - Allies refuse Japan’s offer to surrender on the condition that Emperor Hirohito retains his status.
• 1966 - The Beatles arrive in Chicago, Illinois for their third (and final) US tour.

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.