A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content. Happy birthday, Kerry Wood*! Mel Allen and Tony Gwynn pass, 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:
- 1884 – Due to inflammation in his right index finger, Larry Corcoran of the White Stockings pitches both left-handed and right-handed in a game against the Bisons. The natural right-hander hurls ambidextrously for four innings, alternating throwing arms, before moving to shortstop in Chicago’s 20-9 loss at Buffalo’s Olympic Park. (2)
- 1909 – Jim Thorpe makes his baseball pitching debut for the Rocky Mount Railroaders (Eastern Carolina League) with a 4-2 win over the Raleigh Red Birds. It is the professional play in this year that will later cause him to lose his Olympic gold medals won in the 1912 Olympics (thus violating the amateur status rules). In 1983, thirty years after his death, his medals will be restored by the International Olympic Committee. (1,2)
- 1961 – In his major league debut, 18-year-old Lew Krausse Jr., signed as an amateur free agent for $125,000 by A’s owner Charlie Finley, throws a three-hit shutout and collects two hits in Kansas City’s 4-0 victory over Los Angeles at Municipal Stadium. In 1932, the redheaded fireballer’s dad, Lew Krausse Sr., blanked the Red Sox in his final major league appearance, giving the father-son duo back-to-back shutouts twenty-nine years apart. (2)
- 1978 – Tom Seaver pitches the only no-hitter of his brilliant career. Seaver strikes out three and walks three as the Cincinnati Reds defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, at Riverfront Stadium. Seaver had barely missed pitching no-hitters on three previous occasions, losing the bid each time in the 9th inning. (1,2)
- 1993 – The 100th anniversary of Cracker Jack is celebrated with a party at Wrigley Field that includes distributing the candy-coated popcorn and peanut treat, that was introduced at the Chicago World Fair in 1893, free of charge to all of the fans attending the Cubs’ game against Florida. Sailor Jack, the company’s mascot, throws out the ceremonial first pitch. (2)
- 1995 – Florida Marlins outfielder Andre Dawson hits his 400th National League home run, and 429th of his career, in Florida’s 2-1 victory over the Phillies. (1,2)
- 1996 – Legendary broadcaster Mel Allen dies at the age of 83. In 1939, Allen started doing play-by-play for both the New York Yankees and New York Giants, and later narrated the long-running television show, This Week in Baseball. In 1978, Allen received the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. (2)
- 2013 – Seemingly asleep for eight innings, the Mets suddenly wake up in the bottom of the ninth as Carlos Marmol is trying to protect a 3-0 lead for the Cubs. Marlon Byrd starts off the inning with a solo homer, Lucas Duda draws a walk and John Buck singles. Omar Quintanilla bunts both runners into scoring position before Kirk Nieuwenhuis, hitting .097 for the season, connects for a walk-off three-run homer. Marmol is only pitching because closer Kevin Gregg, who has been perfect in 10 save opportunities so far, is unavailable after pitching in the Cubs’ last four games. (2)
- 2014 – Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, winner of eight National League batting titles, passes away from cancer of the salivary gland at 54, likely a result of his long-time use of smokeless tobacco. He spent his entire 20-season major league career with the San Diego Padres and is the only player to have been a member of their two World Series teams, in 1984 and 1998. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Pete O’Brien, Jack Rowan, Fritz Mollwitz, Ken Johnson, Joe Decker, Calvin Schiraldi, José Nieves, Kerry Wood*
Today in history:
- 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, imprisoned in Lochleven Castle, Scotland.
- 1755 – British capture strategic Fort Beauséjour, eastern Canada, expelling the Acadians and renaming it Fort Cumberland.
- 1779 – Spain declares war on Great Britain in support of France and the USA, starting the Great Siege of Gibraltar which goes on to last three years, seven months and two weeks.
- 1896 – Temperature hits 127° F at Fort Mojave, California.
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