​Free of charge for the discerning reader. Happy birthday to Andre Dawson, and to a mighty host of others. Today in baseball history, 1936 at Forbes Field: Chuck Klein belts four home runs in a single game, including the decisive shot in the 10th inning, as the Phillies edge the Pirates 9-6. The Indianapolis, Indiana native nearly adds another homer in the 2nd when Paul Waner tracks his long drive against the wall. At 36, Klein becomes the oldest player to achieve this feat and the first National Leaguer in the 20th century to do so, with other notable stories interwoven.
Today in baseball history features: 1913 — Led by Ward Miller’s two-run triple, the Cubs topple the Giants 3-2, snapping New York’s 14-game win streak and ending Christy Mathewson’s nine-game streak. 1920 — After 11 straight hits, Tris Speaker is halted by Tom Zachary of the Washington club; it stands as the American League record until Pinky Higgins belts 12 in a row in 1938. Speaker finishes the season with a .388 average. 1932 — Indians outfielder Johnny Burnett collects a record nine hits in 11 at-bats during an 18-inning marathon in which the A’s win 18-17; Jimmie Foxx homers three times and compiles 16 total bases with eight RBIs for the A’s. 1948 — Hank Majeski’s two-run homer to tie the game is followed by Satchel Paige’s first major league win, as Larry Doby hits a two-run shot and the Indians add another run in the ninth to beat Philadelphia 8-5. 1969 — The Cubs erupt for five runs in the fifth to defeat the Mets 6-2 behind Bill Hands, halting the Mets’ seven-game winning streak and leaving New York four games behind in second place.
Cubs Birthdays include Sergio Alcántara, John Rudolph, Bobby Lowe, and Andre Dawson, a Hall of Famer. Today in history continues: 1919 — U.S. President Woodrow Wilson personally delivers the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate. 1937 — Django Reinhardt’s Quintette du Hot Club debuts at La Grosse Pomme in Montmartre, Paris. 1938 — Howard Hughes completes a round-the-world flight in 91 hours. 1943 — Judy Garland headlines her first solo concert, backed by an orchestra conducted by Andre Kostelanetz at the Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park; a sell-out crowd of 15,000 is joined by an additional 5,000 outside the venue. 1964 — The Beatles release “A Hard Day’s Night,” their third studio album. 1965 — The Rolling Stones achieve their first US number-one single with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” 1967 — Bobbie Gentry records “Ode to Billie Joe,” a track that goes on to win four Grammy Awards. 1985 — Coca-Cola announces it will resume selling the original formula Coke. 2023 — A fourteenth-century document by a civil servant asking for time off is identified as the only known handwriting by Geoffrey Chaucer, the “Father of English Literature,” shedding new light on literary history. This collection of notes, events, and milestones is assembled to offer readers a broader sense of historical context and notable anniversaries, all presented for the curious and thoughtful reader.