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On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. Don’t be afraid to click the links for ‘inside baseball’ on the entries, which change from year to year as we re-examine the subjects.
Today in baseball history:
- 1845 - The first known box score appears in the New York Morning News a month after the first set of rules are written by Alexander Cartwright and some of his fellow New York Knickerbockers. (2)
- 1910 - After three straight defeats and trailing the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-2, in the ninth inning of Game 5, the Chicago Cubs tie the score, then win, 4-3, in 10 innings for their only victory in the World Series. Three Finger Brown, in relief, is the winning pitcher over Chief Bender, who throws a complete game. (1,2)
- 1920 - Eight members of the Chicago White Sox are indicted for supposedly throwing the 1919 World Series. Although considered heavy favorites to win the Series, the White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games in what will become known as the Black Sox Scandal.
SABR on the Black Sox. More than you’d possibly want to know. “The Black Sox Scandal is a cold case, not a closed case.”
- 1975 - In the finish to one of the most classic World Series ever played, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Red Sox in a thrilling Game 7 victory, 4-3. Joe Morgan’s ninth-inning looping single scoring Ken Griffey proves to be the decisive hit. (2)
- 2002 - Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak being broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1995 is voted as baseball’s most memorable moment by the fans participating in a Major League Baseball and MasterCard promotion. Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, Jackie Robinson becoming the first black to play in the major leagues, Mark McGwire breaking Roger Maris’ single-season home run record and Gehrig’s farewell speech were also in the top five events selected by the fans. (2)
News report. Media members and execs had other ideas.
- 2016 - A magnificent performance by pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman, who face the minimum 27 batters over nine scoreless innings, drives the Cubs into the World Series for the first time since 1945 thanks to a 5-0 win over the Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS. Chicago scores twice against Clayton Kershaw in the bottom of the first, and Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo also homer off the ace lefty who leaves after five innings. The NLCS MVP Award is shared by Jon Lester and Javier Baez. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Jimmie Foxx HOF, Frank DiPino, Michael Barrett, Eli Whiteside, Chris Rusin,
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.
There is a very active baseball history community and there are many facets to their views. We strive for clarity. Please be aware that we are trying to make the historical record as represented by our main sources coherent and as accurate as is possible. No item is posted here without corroboration. Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources, so that we can address them to the originators. BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed thenationalpastime from our sourcing list, as there have been multiple complaints about their content and they do not respond to attempts to communicate.
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