A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content. Happy birthday to Joe Mather, Swish Nicholson has a big power day, and other stories.
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:
- 1890 – Harry Stovey of Boston’s Players League club becomes the first Major League player to reach 100 career home runs. (1,2,3)
- 1917 – The Cubs sweep a doubleheader with Brooklyn on two shutouts. Grover Alexander wins the opener, 3-0, and Phil Douglas shuffles in to take the nightcap, 6-0. (2)
- 1922 – Cubs 1B Ray Grimes homers in Chicago’s 4-1 win over the Robins, giving him at least one RBI in 17 consecutive games, a major league record. He’ll fail to drive in a run on the 25th against Boston. (2)
- 1944 – Cub Bill Nicholson hits four homers in a doubleheader, including three consecutive shots in the second game. The Cubs win the first game, 7-4, but the Giants prevail in the nightcap, 12-10. Nicholson is walked intentionally with the bases loaded in the 7th inning of the second game. Nicholson hit six home runs within 48 hours (one two nights ago, one yesterday, and the four today). (2)
- 1963 – At Wrigley Field, Jim Maloney pitches a one-hitter as the Reds edge the Cubs, 1-0. Ellis Burton’s single in the 1st inning is the only hit for Chicago. (2)
- 1970 – At Wrigley Field, Milt Pappas shuts out the Reds in a Cubs 1-0 win. It is the only shutout of the year against the Reds, tying the National League record. Jim McGlothlin takes the loss. (2)
- 1978 – Reggie Jackson returns to the team and the Yankees win their fifth straight, 3-1, over the White Sox. At the Chicago airport, Billy Martin, reacting to reporters’ questions about Jackson and George Steinbrenner, replies: “The two deserve each other. One’s a born liar; the other’s convicted.” The remarks will cost Billy his job. The next day, Martin resigns under pressure, giving way to Bob Lemon after a one-game interim by Dick Howser. (1,2)
- 1979 – At Wrigley Field, the Reds and Cubs complete a game suspended on May 10th because the Cubs had to catch a plane. That contest was tied 7-7 after nine innings. Both teams score in the 11th and the Cubs win in the 18th on a run-scoring single by Steve Ontiveros. The Cubs then win the regularly-scheduled game, 2-1, with Willie Hernandez getting the victory. (2)
- 1991 – During an 8-5 Chicago win, Cincinnati P Rob Dibble throws a ball at Cubs OF Doug Dascenzo as Dascenzo runs to first base. Dibble is fined by the league office, but not suspended. Cubs OF Andre Dawson bumps umpire Joe West and will be suspended for one game and fined $1,000. (1,2)
- 2017 – The Cubs defeat the Cardinals, 5-3, thanks to a two-run homer by Willson Contreras off Michael Wacha in the sixth, to clinch a first-place tie with the Brewers in the NL Central. Kyle Schwarber also homers for Chicago, while Randal Grichuk and Paul DeJong hit solo shots off Jose Quintana, who wins his second straight start since being acquired by the Cubs in a mid-season trade. Milwaukee has blown a 5½-game lead since the All-Star break, while the Cubs had not been in first since June 6th. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Ginger Beaumont, Ed Holley, Ival Goodman, Chuck Crim, Nomar Garciaparra, Joe Mather*. Also notable: Don Drysdale HOF.
Today in history:
- 1579 – Francis Drake departs San Francisco to cross the Pacific Ocean.
- 1777 – Polish military leader Casimir Pulaski arrives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to volunteer in the Continental Army cavalry.
- 1829 – William Austin Burt patents America’s first typewriter, the typographer.
- 1866 – Cincinnati Baseball Club (Red Stockings) forms.
- 1886 – American civilian Steve Brodie allegedly survives a 135-foot plunge from the Brooklyn Bridge.
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.
Things are as near to the truth as we can get them. Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, so that we can correct the record, if need be.
That said, this is for fun, and there are limits. Thanks for reading.