A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content, gathered from reputable sources. Alfonso Soriano hits homers, playoff action, a perfect game, 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:
- 1911 – At the West Side Grounds, Red Ames gives the Giants a needed 3 – 1 victory over the second-place Cubs. (2)
- 1917 – The Cubs finish the season with a 9-2 loss to the visiting Braves. Vic Saier, out with a broken leg he suffered on April 15th, starts at 1B and goes 3 for 4 in his last game as a Cub. He’ll play in 1919 with the Pirates. (2)
- 1933 – In a 12-2 romp over the Cardinals, Babe Herman of the Chicago Cubs hits for the cycle, the third time he has performed the feat. Guy Bush wins his 20th game, beating Dizzy Dean who finishes the season at 20-18. (2)
- 1947 – In the first televised World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-3 in the opening game.
- 1984 – California’s Mike Witt pitched a 1-0 perfect game against the Texas Rangers. (1,2)
- 1984 – Bowie Kuhn ends career as Baseball Commissioner.
- 1990 – The White Sox beat Seattle 2-1 in the last game played at historic Comiskey Park, which is to be torn down after eighty seasons of major-league ball. Chicago will play next season at the new Comiskey Park located across the street. (1)
- 1992 – Greg Maddux blanks the Pirates, 6-0, to become the Cubs’ first 20-game winner in 15 years. He will tie Tom Glavine for the National League lead in wins. (2)
- 1998 – John Smoltz became the winningest pitcher in postseason history, allowing only five hits in 7 2/3 innings as the Atlanta Braves cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of their National League divisional playoff series. Michael Tucker and Ryan Klesko homer . (1,2)
- 2007 – Alfonso Soriano* hits his 14th home run of the month, this one against Homer Bailey. That sets the Chicago Cubs record for most homers in a month. (2)
- 2013 – The Cubs fire manager Dale Sveum one day after the end of a second straight disappointing season in which they lost 96 games after losing 101 in 2012. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Hal O’Hagan, Alex Hardy, Robin Roberts HOF, Carlos Lezcano, Dave Magadan, Doug Jennings, Curtis Goodwin.
Today in History:
- 1520 – Suleiman the Magnificent succeeds his father, Selim I, as Ottoman Sultan and rules until 1566.
- 1841 – Samuel Slocum patents the stapler.
- 1880 – American amateur astronomer Henry Draper takes the 1st ever photograph of the Orion Nebula.
- 1955 – American actor and cultural icon James Dean is killed in a car crash aged 24.
- 1977 – Apollo program’s ALSEP experiment packages left on the Moon are shut down due to US budget cuts.
‘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.