Baseball history unpacked, September 15

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:

• 1902 - Chicago Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers, & Chance turn their first double play together in a 6-3 win over Cincinnati.
• 1904 - Beating the Beaneaters, 3-2, Giant hurler Hooks Wiltse runs his career record to 12-0. “Hooks”’ dozen consecutive victories establishes the record for the most wins at the start of a career for a starter. (1,2)
• 1915 - The Cubs edge the Braves, 1-0, behind Phil Douglas, with Lefty Tyler taking the tough loss. Tomorrow, the Cubs will win another 1-0 battle, but it will take them 12 innings to do it. (2)
• 1930 - The Cubs split a pair in Philadelphia when Lefty O’Doul pinch-hits a home run to beat the Cubs 12-11 in the first game. It is the second consecutive game in which O’Doul has produced a pinch-hit homer. In the second game of the day’s doubleheader, Hack Wilson hits his 50th dinger to pace the Cubs to a 6-4 win. (2)
• 1933 - The Giants sweep a pair from the Cubs at Wrigley Field, winning, 5-1 and 4-0. Reliever Hi Bell helps apply the whitewash in the second game, besting Lon Warneke. Starter Roy Parmelee is leading 3-0 when he hits Tuck Stainback on the arm, breaking it. He walks the bases full and Bell comes in. (2)
• 1946 - The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in five innings when the game was called because of gnats. The insects became such a problem for the players, umpires and fans that the game had to be stopped. (1,2)
• 1963 - All three Alou brothers - Felipe, Matty and Jesus - played in the outfield at the same time for the San Francisco Giants in a 13-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• 1970 - Ken Holtzman* wins his 15th, and the Cubs top the Cardinals, 5-3. Chicago moves into third place, just a game behind the first-place Mets and Pirates. (2)
• 2002 - The Cubs shut out the Reds, 6-0, as OF Sammy Sosa drives in his 100th run of the season on a three-run home run in the eighth inning. In doing so, he joins Mel Ott and Willie Mays as the only National League players to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Speed Martin, Vance Page, Jim Davis, Tom Simpson, Bob Lennon, Freddie Burdette, Charley Smith, Jason Hardtke. Also notable: Gaylord Perry HOF.

Today in history:

• 1600 - Battle of Sekigahara, rise of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.
• 1812 - French army under Napoleon Bonaparte reaches the Kremlin in Moscow.
• 1835 - HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin on board reaches the Galapagos Islands.
• 1916 - First use of tanks in warfare, “Little Willies” at Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the Battle of the Somme.
• 1928 - Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin while studying influenza.

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.