Baseball history unpacked, August 7

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 - Ban Johnson suspends Baltimore 1B Burt Hart for striking umpire John Haskell yesterday, stating: “This is the first time a player in the American League has struck an umpire, and it is an offense that cannot be overlooked.” The 31-year-old Hart will never play again. (2)
• 1906 - On John McGraw’s orders, umpire James Johnstone is refused admittance to the Polo Grounds, and the ump, standing outside the ballpark, forfeits the match to the Cubs. McGraw insists the game go on with a player from each team umpiring. McGraw picks reserve Sammy Strang, but Cubs manager Frank Chance refuses to go along, pointing out the game has already been forfeited. National League President Harry Pulliam will uphold Johnstone’s decision the next day. (2)
• 1907 - Senator hurler Walter Johnson wins his first major league game beating the Naps, 7-2. The “Big Train” will tally 416 victories during his 21-year career. (1,2)
• 1911 - The match-up between Three Finger Brown and Christy Mathewson is something less than a pitching duel as Chicago bangs out 10 hits, including two singles, a double and a triple by Joe Tinker. Tinker also adds a steal of home. The Giants collect 13 hits, but Chicago wins the game, 8-6. (2)
• 1915 - In Chicago, the White Sox top the Senators, 6-2. Relieving for losing pitcher Jim Shaw is future Hall of Famer Sam Rice, who will pitch only eight more times before going to the outfield for two decades. Playing RF in the game for Washington is Walter Johnson, filling in for the injured Danny Moeller. (2)
• 1952 - Umpire Bill McGowan is suspended indefinitely by the American League. In a game in St. Louis, McGowan had thrown out Tiger P Billy Hoeft, who had been heckling him from the dugout. When St. Louis writers, who have had a stormy relationship over the years with the veteran McGowan, ask him to identify the player, the umpire refuses, then adds an obscene gesture. The writers’ complaint results in a suspension. (2)
• 1956 - The largest crowd in minor league history, 57,000, saw 51-year-old Satchel Paige of Miami beat Columbus in an International League game played in the Orange Bowl. (1)
• 1984 - The Cubs sweep a pair from the visiting Mets, winning 8-6 and 8-4. Rick Sutcliffe (9-1) beats Ron Darling (10-5) in the opener, benefiting from a six-run fifth inning. Keith Moreland hits a three-run home run and Ron Cey a two-run shot in the fifth. A five-run fourth in the second game propels Chicago to the win for reliever Tim Stoddard. Lee Smith notches his 25th save. (2)
• 2004 - Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux* enters the history books with his 300th career win in Chicago’s 8-4 triumph vs. San Francisco at SBC Park.
• Cubs birthdays: Adonis Terry, Don Larsen, Marc Pisciotta.
• Also notable: Bill McKechnie HOF, Mike Trout.

Today in history:

• 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great.
• 1573 - Francis Drake’s fleet returns to Plymouth after a year spent raiding for Spanish treasure.
• 1606 - Possible first performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, performed in the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace for King James I.
• 1882 - Hatfields of south West Virginia and McCoys of east Kentucky feud, 100 wounded or die.
• 1946 - 1st US commemorative coin of an African American, Booker T. Washington (half dollar).

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.