A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content, Babe Ruth’s last game, Memorable retirements, historically-great games and other stories. Lou Gehrig’s* Day.
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.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly.
Today in baseball history:
- 1894 – Ed Stein pitches a seven-inning no-hitter, as the Brooklyn Grooms beat the Chicago Colts, 1-0. The previous day, Brooklyn held Chicago to one hit in a 5-0 shutout. (2)
- 1925 – 21-year-old Lou Gehrig starts a game for the New York Yankees when regular first baseman Wally Pipp is hit in the head during batting practice and complains of a headache – in fact a concussion. Gehrig, who had appeared as a pinch-hitter in the previous day’s game, collects three hits in five at-bats, helping the Yankees to an 8-5 victory over the Washington Senators. Gehrig will go on to play in a major league record 2,130 consecutive games, a record since broken by Cal Ripken with a streak of 2,632. (2)
- 1935 – Babe Ruth of the Boston Braves announces his retirement from baseball. Struggling with a .181 batting average at the time, he retires with 714 home runs, by far the most in major league history. Ruth will gain election to the Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class next year. (1,2)
- 1941 – Lou Gehrig dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the age of 37 in New York. From that time on, the illness will be known in North America primarily as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” Gehrig saw his major league record of 2,130 consecutive games played end because of the disease. It was on this day exactly 16 years ago that he broke into the Yankees’ starting line-up. (1,2)
- 1957 – Chicago Cubs pitcher Moe Drabowsky ties a National League record by hitting four Cincinnati batters in the Cubs’ 6-4 loss to the Redlegs. This will not be done again in the NL until this day in 1996. (2)
- 1986 – Rod Carew announces his retirement from baseball at the age of 40. Carew leaves the game with a .328 career batting average compiled over 19 major league seasons. A former Minnesota Twins and California Angels infielder, Carew will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1991 and the American League batting title will be renamed the “Rod Carew Award” in his honor. (2)
- 1990 – Seattle’s Randy Johnson, at six feet, 10 inches the tallest pitcher in major-league history, pitches the first no-hitter in Seattle Mariners history, a 2-0 win over the Detroit Tigers at the Kingdome. Johnson strikes out eight and walks six. (1,2)
- 1996 – Houston Astros pitcher Darryl Kile ties a major league record by hitting four St. Louis Cardinals batters. Kyle also becomes the first National League pitcher to do it since Moe Drabowsky accomplished the feat pitching for the Cubs on this day 39 years ago. (2)
- 2001 – At Miller Park, the red-hot Chicago Cubs extend their winning streak to 12 games, beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-4. Matt Stairs hits a three-run home run, while Sammy Sosa and Rondell White add two-run homers, all off Paul Rigdon. Kevin Tapani is the winning pitcher. It is the longest winning streak for the Cubs since they won 15 games in 1936. (2)
- 2010 – Ken Griffey Jr. announces his retirement after 22 seasons in the major leagues. Hitting only .184 in part-time duty for the Mariners, he leaves with 630 career home runs and six seasons of 40 or more homers. Most of his career was spent with Seattle and the Cincinnati Reds and he will gain election to the Hall of Fame, by near unanimous vote, in 2016. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Larry Jackson, Lee Gregory, Neifi Pérez, Steve Rain, Caleb Kilian.
Today in history:
- 1615 – First Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France.
- 1835 – P. T. Barnum & his circus begin 1st tour of US.
- 1875 – Alexander Graham Bell makes first sound transmission.
- 1883 – Chicago’s elevated train system, the “L”, opens to traffic.
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.
- (6) — Wikipedia.
- (7) — The British Museum.
- 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. We are trying to set the record as straight as possible, but it isn’t brain surgery. We take it seriously, but there are limits