A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content, gathered from reputable sources. Fred Merkle’s place in the lore, 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:
- 1845 – The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club is formed, and Alexander Cartwright’s 20 rules, presented on September 13th, are adopted. (2)
- 1905 – In Chicago, Christy Mathewson and Carl Lundgren hook up in a tight pitchers’ duel, decided in Chicago’s favor on a mental error by Giants 2B Bill Dahlen. With two on and two out in the fifth inning, Dahlen bobbles a grounder and touches second base as the runner arrives. Dahlen, thinking that he has the third out, rolls the ball to the mound. But ump Bob Emslie calls the runner safe. Johnny Evers, the runner on third base, alertly scores on the play for the game’s only run. The loss stops Matty’s win streak at 11 games. (2)
- 1907 – In Chicago, the Cubs clinch the pennant by beating the Phillies, 4-1. The game is washed out after 7 1/2 innings with Ed Reulbach winning in relief of Three Finger Brown. Chicago pulls off a triple play in the 5th inning to help seal the win. (2)
- 1908 – Giants P Christy Mathewson and Cubs P Three Finger Brown battle in what is perhaps the most controversial game ever played. The score is 1-1, with two outs in the last of the 9th when Fred Merkle’s* failure to touch second base after an apparent game-winning hit by Al Bridwell scoring Moose McCormick from third costs the Giants a 2-1 win; the umpire calls Merkle out and rules the game a tie. Merkle’s “boner” will eventually cost the Giants the flag. (1,2)
- 1914 – Grover Alexander coasts to a 9-4 win over the Cubs as Gavvy Cravath bangs two homers to lead the Phils’ offense. (2)
- 1915 – In Chicago, Phillies ace Grover Alexander wins his 30th, beating the Cubs, 5-1. (2)
- 1920 – The Chicago grand jury indictment adds the names of former featherweight boxing champ Abe Attell, Hal Chase, and Bill Burns as go-betweens in the World Series scandal. Confessions, later repudiated, are signed by Ed Cicotte, Joe Jackson, Lefty Williams, and Happy Felsch. (2)
- 1933 – The Cubs beat the Reds, 7-1, with Paul Derringer losing his 27th game for the last-place Reds, the most losses since George Bell in 1910. Gabby Hartnett hits a grand slam for the Cubs.
- 1959 – The Cubs continue to dash the Giants’ pennant hopes as Cal Neeman’s 10th-inning home run gives Chicago a 9-8 win. The Cubs won the day before, 5-4, on George Altman’s 9th-inning, two-run home run. (2)
- 1965 – A 20-game winner in 1964, Larry Jackson loses his 20th game of this season, as the Phillies sweep a twin bill from the Cubs, 11-5 and 7-4. Jackson is the first pitcher since Murry Dickson of the 1951–1952 Pirates to follow a 20-win season with 20 losses. (2))
- 1986 – Houston’s Jim Deshaies strikes out the first eight batters on the way to a two-hit, 4-0, win over the Dodgers. Deshaies breaks the major-league record of seven, last tied by Joe Cowley on May 28th. He finishes with ten strikeouts. (2)
- 1992 – Bernice Gera, professional baseball’s first female umpire, dies at age 61. (2)
- 1998 – Sammy Sosa breaks an 0 for 21 slump, hitting his 64th and 65th home runs as the Cubs build a 7-0 lead over the Brewers. Milwaukee fights back, however, and scores three in the last of the ninth when Chicago OF Brant Brown drops a routine fly ball with the bases loaded and two out to allow three Brewers to score. Rod Beck is on the mound when the Merkle-like error occurs (Fred Merkle’s boner occurred exactly 90 years ago). Milwaukee wins, 8-7, and the Cubs remain tied for the wild card spot with the Mets, who lose to Montreal, 3-0. With his eight total bases, Sammy has now topped the 400 mark. (2)
- 1999 – At Wrigley Field, the Cardinals defeat the Cubs, 6-5, despite 1B Mark Grace’s 1,000th career RBI for Chicago. Joey Nation makes his major league debut and takes the loss. His consolation is singling in his first at bat, off Britt Reames. (2)
- 2001 – Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in history to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season. Despite his trio of blasts, the Cubs still lose to the Astros, 7-6. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Joe Kelly, Mack Stewart, Oscar Zamora, Dennis Lamp, Tony Fossas, Willie Greene, Chris Volstad,
Today in History:
- 1387 – One of the most extravagant medieval English feasts ever recorded held for Richard II and John of Gaunt in London. Included 14 salted oxen, 120 sheep, 1,200 pigeons and 11,000 eggs.
- 1779 – John Paul Jones aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard defeats the British frigate HMS Serepis and becomes the United States first well-known naval hero.
- 1806 – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark return to St. Louis from the Pacific Northwest.
- 1932 – Abdulaziz Ibn Saud merges the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- 1957 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower orders US troops to support integration of nine black students at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas.
‘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.
Thanks for reading.
I’m in another book. This one is a charity tribute to Black Sabbath.