By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Sep 17th, 2023
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September 21, 1919 Grover Cleveland Alexander takes the mound against the Boston Braves. Ol’ Pete has had a season for the ages, shutting out every single team in the league at least once. With the season coming to a close, and both teams out of the pennant picture, Alexander bears down and takes car...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Sep 10th, 2023
1 Comment
6512 Views
September 12, 1998 Sammy Sosa becomes the first Cubs player to hit 60 home runs in a season. He does it in the sixth inning of wild slugfest against Milwaukee Brewers reliever Valerio de los Santos. Sammy’s homer is memorable, but it isn’t the most dramatic homer of the game. On a day the...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 30th, 2023
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3454 Views
~Kiki Cuyler 1898–1950 (Cubs 1928-1935) His real name is Hazen Shirley Cuyler. Cuyler was called “Cuy” by his school teammates. It was while winning the MVP title of the Southern Association with Nashville in 1923 that he acquired the Kiki nickname. Fans heard the players shout for him to take ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Aug 27th, 2023
3 Comments
6335 Views
August 29, 1918 The Cubs clinched the National League pennant with a double-header sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Lefty Tyler wins his 18th game in the opener, and Claude Hendrix wins his 20th game in the nightcap. It is the earliest any team in National League history clinched a pennant, but that rec...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Weeks Historical Events
Aug 14th, 2023
1 Comment
7681 Views
August 14, 1908 In the midst of the Cubs final championship season, a horrible race riot broke out in Springfield Illinois. Before the race riots were over, forty homes were burned to the ground, 24 businesses were destroyed, and seven people were dead: two black people (lynched by the angry mob) and...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Aug 13th, 2023
2 Comments
6825 Views
August 13, 1987 The Cubs retire the number of one of the all-time greats: Good Ol’ Number 26, Billy Williams. It is only the second number they ever retired (Ernie was first). Maybe there is some magic in the air, because the woeful Cubs come back to win the game in dramatic fashion. Catcher Jo...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Aug 6th, 2023
2 Comments
6046 Views
August 6, 1959 Billy Williams makes his major league debut with the Cubs. He plays left field and bats third, and in his first big league at-bat, facing journeyman Phillies pitcher Jim Owens, Billy drives in Tony Taylor with the first run of the game. That turns out to be the game winner, as the [&he...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jul 31st, 2023
1 Comment
3792 Views
~Leon Durham 1957– (Cubs 1981-1988) Of course, his real name was Leon, but it was hard to be named Durham without getting the nickname Bull. No Cubs fan will ever forget him. Durham had a pretty good career with the Cubs, making the All-Star team twice, hitting more than 20 homers five times, a...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jul 30th, 2023
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3691 Views
~Steve Trout 1957– (Cubs 1983-1987) Steve Trout was nicknamed Rainbow by his high school teammates for obvious reasons…the Rainbow Trout. He was a flaky lefty who probably would have been nicknamed Dizzy if not for his father who already laid claim to the nickname. (Dizzy Trout pitched for the ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jul 27th, 2023
0 Comments
5638 Views
~Leo Durocher 1905–1991 (Cubs manager 1965-1972) How did people really feel about Leo Durocher? A quote from Jack Brickhouse: “In the early days Leo was an SOB, but a sharp SOB. By the time he finished in Chicago he was just an old SOB.” Suffice it to say, Leo was not beloved. When he was [&hel...
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