A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content. Happy birthday, Mick Kelleher*! Dawson enters the Hall 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:
- 1902 – At Chicago, the Reds’ Cy Seymour sets a major-league record by hitting four sacrifice flies in a 6-1 win over the Chicago Orphans. Seymour will be tied but never topped. (2)
- 1914 – At Boston, the Cubs belt Otto Hess for a 5-4 win. Boston is now 12 back of the Giants, winners of six straight. (2)
- 1930 – The A’s pull off triple steals twice in one game against the Indians. Al Simmons, Bing Miller, and Dib Williams are the base thieves in the first inning, and Mickey Cochrane, Simmons, and Jimmie Foxx steal together in the fourth. This is the only time in Major League history that this has occurred. (1,2)
- 1941 – Forty-one-year-old Lefty Grove wins his 300th game as the Boston Red Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians, 10-6, before a Fenway Park Ladies Day crowd of 16,000. Though he will make six more starts, this will be Grove’s last career win. (1,2)
- 1956 – Pittsburgh’s right fielder Roberto Clemente hits Cubs reliever Jim Brosnan’s first pitch off the cage surrounding the base of Forbes Field’s left field light tower, just to the right of the scoreboard, then circles the bases just in time to become the first big league player in the post-Deadball Era to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam, turning a three-run 9th-inning deficit into a dramatic win. It is Clemente’s first career grand slam. (2)
- 1960 – The Reds spot the Cubs a 5-0 lead after six innings, then come back to win, 6-5, at Wrigley Field. (2)
- 1972 – Cubs GM John Holland announces that Leo Durocher has stepped down as manager in favor of Whitey Lockman. Leo contends he was not fired, but has “stepped aside.” The Astros will hire Durocher in late August to replace Harry Walker. (2)
- 1980 – The Cubs fire manager Preston Gomez and replace him with Joey Amalfitano. Chicago is 38-52, last in the National League East. (2)
- 2010 – In a ceremony held in Cooperstown, NY, outfielder Andre Dawson, manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey are inducted into the Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech, Dawson urges the election of former teammates Tim Raines and Lee Smith. (2)
Cubs birthdays: John Tener, Mick Kelleher*, José Martínez. Also notable: Billy Wagner HOF.
Today in History:
- 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops.
- 1814 – English engineer George Stephenson introduces his first steam locomotive, a traveling engine designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway.
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.