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:
- 1916 - In Cleveland, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox shuts out Cleveland, 5-0, on five hits, and has now thrown 24 straight scoreless innings. He is 2 for 3 at the plate. (2)
- 1948 - Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies hits safely for the 23rd straight game in a Phillies 6-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, setting a 20th century National League record for a rookie. Benito Santiago will hold the record by century’s end. (1,2)
- 1957 - In Jersey City, Don Drysdale pitches the first of his 49 major-league shutouts, as the Dodgers win, 4-0, over the Cubs. (2)
- 1959 - In a 10-5 loss to the Cubs, Pittsburgh’s Dick Stuart becomes the first player in the 50-year history of Forbes Field to ride a ball over its centerfield fence, something that had previously only been achieved by Negro League great Josh Gibson, who did it twice. The ball hit off Glen Hobbie disappears over the 457-foot mark near the flag pole. (2)
- 2006 - Carlos Zambrano* holds the Houston Astros hitless for 7⅓ innings before Preston Wilson hits a single, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 8-0 victory at Minute Maid Park. Zambrano strikes out eight and helps himself with the bat, hitting a home run with four runs batted in. (2)
- 2011 - For the second straight game, Albert Pujols hits a walk-off home run in extra innings as the Cardinals defeat the Cubs, 3-2. Pujols hits a solo shot off Rodrigo Lopez in the 10th, after doing the same off Jeff Samardzija in the 12th inning of yesterday’s 5-4 win. Ryan Theriot sets the stage for Pujols’ heroics by driving in pinch-runner Tony Cruz from first base with a two-out, ninth-inning double off Carlos Marmol, also extending his hitting streak to 19 games in the process. No National Leaguer had hit walk-off homers in consecutive extra-inning games since Ron Santo in 1966. (2)
- 2012 - Ryan Dempster wins his first game since August 16th of last year, a streak of 18 winless starts, as the struggling Cubs defeat the Brewers, 10-0. Dempster retires the first 15 batters of the game and leaves after having given up three hits over seven innings. The Cubs had lost their last 11 road games before the win. (2)
- 2016 - Jake Arrieta of the Cubs loses to the Diamondbacks, 3-2. It’s his first loss after 20 straight wins dating back to July 25, 2015, when he was on the losing end of Cole Hamels’ no-hitter; it’s the third longest winning streak since 1913, tied with Roger Clemens and trailing only Roy Face (22) and Carl Hubbell (24). (2)
- 2019 - It seems like former All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel has finally found a home. A free agent since the end of the World Series, he remained unsigned due to his insistence on obtaining a multi-year contract, and because signing him earlier would have entailed compensation in the form of a top draft pick in the 2019 amateur draft. With the draft now out of the way, the Cubs prove ready to bite on a longer-term deal, offering Kimbrel a three-year contract worth $43 million. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Jim Andrews, Billy Maloney, Robinson Chirinos. Also notable: Jack Chesbro HOF.
Today in History:
- 1284 - Charles of Salerno is captured by Roger of Lauria during a naval battle in the Gulf of Naples, part of the Sicilian Vespers uprising.
- 1827 - Turks capture the Acropolis and take Athens during the Greek War of Independence.
- 1933 - US drops the Gold Standard when Congress enacts a joint resolution nullifying creditors right to demand payment in gold.
- 1937 - Henry Ford initiates a 32 hour work week
- 1968 - Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan assassinates Robert F. Kennedy, shooting him three times and wounding five others at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Kennedy dies the next day.
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
