Page 12 - Cap Anson News Today

A wild first series in 1888, Part 2 By JohnW53 on May 14, 2021, 3:49am CDT + .......... The Cubs, then known as the White Stockings, had won on Opening Day, Friday, April 21, thanks to Jimmy Ryans walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth. Although the game was played at Seventh Street Park in Indianapolis, the Hoosiers had batted last, having won the coin flip held before each game and choosing to bat first. The dramatic victory had featured a fifth-inning brawl in which, as the Chic...

Most people regard Indianapolis as a stereotypical friendly Midwestern city. It boasts Indiana's state capitol building, the headquarters of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the...

Capt. Anse did it: Story from 125 years ago today By JohnW53 on May 5, 2021, 5:33am CDT + As many a post on this site has noted, after citing a long-ago newspaper account of a Cubs game, "They dont write em like that any more!" The following is a stellar example of its kind: the Chicago Tribunes report, published 125 years ago today, on May 5, 1896, of a walk-off victory by the Cubs (then known as the Colts) over the Dodgers (then known as the Bridegrooms), thanks to the bat of 44-y...

Found: Cap Ansons missing home run By JohnW53 on Apr 24, 2021, 7:01am CDT + Back when I worked with computer software, I once became determined that I was going to solve a long-running, intermittent, frustrating problem. I went into the companys office on a Saturday morning, vowing that I would stay until I had found the cause and developed a solution. To my astonishment, it took barely more than half an hour. Something similar happened recently in my historical research involving t...

When Cubs hit 2 grand slams in a game, 1890 By JohnW53 on Apr 22, 2021, 5:28am CDT + Fernando Tatis Sr., father of the current Padre, hit 2 grand slams in the same inning for the Cardinals against the Dodgers on April 23, 1999. No other player has hit 2 slams in 1 inning. Twelve more have hit 2 slams in a game, from Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees in 1936 through Josh Willingham of the Nationals in 2009. Tony Cloninger, a pitcher, did it for the Braves in 1966. Future Hall of Famer Fran...

Cubs oldest position players, pitchers By JohnW53 on Apr 12, 2021, 6:22am CDT + Who was the oldest in the Modern Era? Who was their oldest pitcher? Who was their oldest pitcher in his final season? Each of those questions has a different answer. .......... Nearly 125 years after his final game, Cap Anson remains the oldest player in franchise history to appear anywhere other than on the mound. The last game of his remarkable, 27-season career -- No. 2,524 overall and No. 2,277 for ...

Evolution of Cubs career hits record, Part 3 By JohnW53 on Mar 12, 2021, 4:23am CST + .......... 3,012 hits during his 22 seasons with the team, 1876-97. Jimmy Ryan, a longtime teammate of Ansons, left the team after 1900 with 2,084 hits. That ranked him second, a position he maintained until 1946, when Stan Hack raised his total to 2,128. A year earlier, Hack had become the leader among players whose careers began in or after 1901, the start of the Modern Era. After 1946, Hack le...

Evolution of Cubs career hits record, Part 1 By JohnW53 on Mar 10, 2021, 6:08am CST + And then there are records that have lasted for a looooooooong time! You may know that Cap Anson made more hits than any player in the history of the Cubs. He had 3,012 in his 22 seasons. But did you know he has held that record since . . . 1878? Since the most hits by any active Cub is 1,231 by Anthony Rizzo, its not like Ansons record is going to be challenged any time soon. ... 2 other player...

Evolution of Cubs career homer record, Part 2 By JohnW53 on Mar 9, 2021, 6:29am CST + ......... 474 home runs, more than double Gabby Hartnetts second-best 231. During the 1969 season, Hartnett dropped to fourth, in a span of fewer than 24 hours. On Friday, night, May 23, Billy Williams hit his 232nd, a 2-run shot at San Diego that gave the Cubs a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning. They went on to win, 6-0, as Dick Selma pitched a 2-hit shutout. The next afternoon, Ron Santo tied Willia...

February 19, 2021 Fernando Tatis Jr. has agreed to the longest contract in baseball history, and one of the most lucrative — and yet looking at the jaw-dropping ZiPS projection for his career, his 14-year, $340 million deal might be underselling him. At the very least, Tatis’ contract and his production to date cast him as a generational talent, and his forecast suggests he’ll wind up ranking among history’s great shortstops. While it’s hard to believe that a player with only two part...