A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content, gathered from reputable sources. Happy birthday, Alex Burnett! Bill Madlock and Tyler Houston had big days, 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:
- 1872 - The National Association holds a special meeting, resolving that, because some teams have dropped out of the race, nine games will be played between contending teams this season instead of five. 1872 winter meetings. (1,3)
- 1879 - Syracuse’s Harry McCormick hits a home run in the first and then makes it stand up by beating Boston’s Tommy Bond 1-0. This will be the only time in Major League history that a pitcher wins a 1-0 game with a first-inning home run. (1,2,3)
- 1900 - Gus Weyhing is released by the Cardinals but does not get the ten days’ pay he is entitled to. He gets a deputy sheriff to seize the St. Louis share of the gate at Brooklyn, but it comes to less than the $100 he’s claiming. Weyhing will pitch briefly in 1901 before calling it quits, the last gloveless pitcher in the majors. (2)
- 1930 - Phils pitchers continue their consistently dismal performance, giving up five home runs to the Cubs in a 16-2 pasting. Hack Wilson has three of the homers, while Gabby Hartnett and winning pitcher Pat Malone add the other two. (2)
- 1942 - Clyde McCullough hits three consecutive home runs, but the Chicago Cubs lose, 4-3, to the Philadelphia Phillies. (2)
- 1975 - Bill Madlock goes 6 for 6 during the Cubs’ 10-inning, 9-8 loss to the Mets. (2)
- 1984 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces that free agent pitcher Vida Blue will be suspended for the remainder of the season as a result of his conviction on cocaine possession charges last November. (1,2)
- 1987 - Catfish Hunter, Billy Williams, and Ray Dandridge are inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
- 1996 - The Cubs defeat the Rockies, 17-4, as catcher Tyler Houston leads the way with a single, double, homer, and six RBIs. Sammy Sosa has his National League-leading 34th homer. (2)
- 2009 - With a 5-2 win over the Reds, the Cubs move into first place in the tight NL Central race. Rich Harden, who had not won at Wrigley Field since August 24th last year, is the winner. (2)
- 2010 - Matt Garza pitches the first no-hitter in the history of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise, blanking the Tigers, 5-0. He is helped by a great over-the-shoulder catch by Ben Zobrist in the 3rd inning. The only baserunner is Brennan Boesch, who draws a second-inning walk but is erased in a double play. Matt Joyce hits a 6th-inning grand slam for the Rays, the first hit allowed by Detroit’s Max Scherzer. Tampa Bay had been no-hit twice this season - by Dallas Braden and Edwin Jackson - and has now featured in three of this year’s five no-nos. (2)
- 2013 - The Yankees repatriate OF Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs, in return for minor league P Corey Black. Soriano plays DH and bats clean-up in tonight’s game against the Rays, but goes 0-for-5 as the Yankees lose, 10 6. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Phil Powers, Hoyt Wilhelm HOF, Lou Jackson, José Bautista, Brandon Morrow, Alex Burnett*.
- 1267 - Inquisition forms in Rome under Pope Clement IV.
- 1533 - Francisco Pizarro orders the death of the last Sapa Inca Emperor, Atahualpa.
- 1948 - ”Babe Ruth Story” premieres, Babe Ruth’s last public appearance.
- 2014 - The Chinese government suspends a Shanghai meat dealer and makes arrests after the company sold out-of-date meat to fast food chains, including McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
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. We are trying to set the record as straight as possible. But it isn’t brain surgery.
Also, the ‘history’ segment is highly edited for space and interest. Of course a great many other things happened on those days. We try to follow up on the interesting or unfamiliar ones.
And everything is subject to editorial oui.
Thanks for reading.
