The month of May is when baseball starts to get into full swing. Many memorable moments in Cubs history. Ernie Bank's 500th home run, Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout performance in his 1998 rookie year and Fergie Jenkins strikes out his 3,000 batter.
May 1, 1880
The first walk off game in MLB history as Cubs defeat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 in Cincy. Yes, the game was in Cincy rather than Chicago. In 1880, a coin flip determined which team batted first.
May 2, 1917
The only game in MLB history with double no-hitters after 9 innings by Hippo Vaughn of Cubs and Fred Toney of Reds Vaughn gives up a hit and a run in 10th as Toney completess a 10 inning no-hitter, 1-0 at Weeghman Park.
May 2, 1975
Burt Hooton traded to Dodgers for Geoff Zahn and Eddie Solomon
May 2, 1876
Ross Barnes hits first NL Home Run against Cherokee Fisher
May 3, 1966
Cubs play on Astroturf for the first time losing 10-2 to the Astros in the Houston Astrodome.
May 3, 1930
Charlie Root pitches a 10 inning shuotout for a 1-0 vicotory and doubles and scores winning run.
May 4, 1970
Ernie Banks hits his 500th HR of ML career off Pat Jarvis in a 4-3 win in 11 innings over the Braves at Wrigley Field.
May 4, 1974
Cubs trail entering the ninth inning 2-0 when Carmen Fanzone reaches base on an error by Darrel Chaney and Billy Williams drives him home with a single. Jerry Morales than ties the game driving Williams home with a triple.
Billy Williams sends Cubs fans home happy in the 11th inning with walk-off HR against Fred Norman.
Rick Reuschel pitches 2 scoreless innings in relief to get the win. Cubs win 3-2.
May 4, 1960
PK Wrigley replaces manager, Charlie Grimm with radio announcer, Lou Boudreau. Boudreau would remain the Cubs manager through that season only before returning to announce Cubs games for WGN.
May 5, 2001
Cubs crush the Dodgers 20-1 at Wrigley Field scoring 8 runs in both the 7th and 8th inning. The first team to score this many runs in consecutive innings since 1928.
May 5, 1946
Cubs score 11 runs in the 7th inning. Cubs pitcher, Hank Borowy who pitched a complete
game, drives in 4 runs with 2 doubles in the inning.
Andy Pafko homers as the Cubs defeat the Phillies 13-1 at Wrigley Field.
May 6
1998
In just his 5th MLB start, Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros and shuts out the Astros on just one hit. One of the greatest pitched games in MLB history.
May 7, 2010
What a debut for Cubs shortstop, Starlin Castro. The 20 year old drives in 6 runs in his MLB debut as the Cubs defeat the Reds 14-5 at Great American Ballpark. Mike Fontenot hit a grand slam.
May 7, 1992
Sammy Sosa hits his first home run as a Cub in a 9-2 win over the Astros at Wrigley Field.
May 7, 1941
Bill Lee, Cubs pitcher hits 2 HR's in a 11-2 win over the phillies. Lee does not hit another HR for the rest of his career through 1947
May 7, 1934
Bill Lee's MLB debut is a 4 hit shutout.
May 7, 1906
Cubs are 16-6 and win 10th in a row, 3-2 over Pirates
May 9, 1993
Mark Grace hits for the cycle (single, double, triple and home run) in a Cubs loss to the Padres at Wrigley 5-4.
May 10, 1971
Cubs first game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Fergie Jenkins strikes out 12 and gets the win, 4-0
May 11, 2000
The Cubs and the Brewers set a record for the longest nine-inning game with a 4 hr 22 minute game in Wrigley. Brewers defeat Cubs 14-8.
May 12, 1959
Roberto Clemente's long HR in Wrigley Field estimated to be 500 feet nearly hits the left side of the scoreboard in center field.
May 12, 1945
Dramatic 13-12 victory over Boston after Cubs were trailing 10-3. A six-run seventh and Bill Nicholson's 9th inning HR completed the comeback victory.
May 12, 1935
Pitcher, Lou Warneke defeats Braves 4-1 and goes 4 for 4 at the plate.
May 12, 1955
Sam Jones pitches a no-hitter, walking the first 3 batters in the ninth before striking out the last 3 to close out the no-hitter. Jones becomes the first African-American to throw a no-hitter in MLB history.
May 12, 1969
Fergie Jenkins pitches a 5-hit shutout vs Padres at Wrigley. From May 11 to May 16, Cubs pitchers give up just 2 runs that includes 4 complete game shutouts in 5 games. Ken Holtzman on May 10 and May 16 and Dick Selma on May 13.
May 13, 1996
At Wrigley Field, Brian Hunter leads off the game for the Astros with a single, the only hit for the Astros all day as Steve Trachsel pitches a complete game 1-hitter.
Sammy Sosa & Luis Gonzalez hit home runs for the Cubs in the 6-0 victory.
May 13, 2002
2 Brewers hit grand slams in a 13-4 victory over the Cubs in Wrigley Field. Paul Casanova and Richie Sexson hit the slams.
May 13, 1991
3 generations of Caray's are in the booth together in a 5-3 loss to the Braves in Wrigley Field. Harry, Skip and Chip.
May 14, 2000
Eric Young steals 5 bases, the first post 1900 Cub to do so as the Expos defeat the Cubs 16-15 in a wild game at Olympic Stadium.
May 14, 1989
Lloyd Mcclendon hits HR in first at bat as a Cub. Cubs defeat Braves 4-0 at Wrigley Field.
May 14, 1978
Dave Kingman hits 3 HR's and drives in 8 in a 10-7 win over Dodgers in 15 innings in Los Angeles.
May 15, 2003
Cubs pitchers tie a NL record for most strikeouts in a game with 24 in a 17 inning victory over the Brewers 4-2 in Miller Park. Corey Patterson's HR in the 17th inning ties the latest HR with Keithe Moreland.
May 15, 1960
Don Cardwell, in his first game pitched for the Chicago Cubs, pitches a no-hitter defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in the 2nd game of a double-header. Cardwell walked just one batter, Alex Grammas with just one out in the first inning and retired the next 26 batters.
May 16, 1996
Great Cubs debut for 22-year old, Amaury Telemaco, as he gives up just one hit over 7
innings in a 13-1 win over the Astros.
May 16, 1996
Sammy Sosa becomes first Cub ever to hit 2 HR's in one inning.
May 16, 1972
Rick Monday hits 3 home runs against the Phillies in an 8-1 Cubs victory.
May 16, 1954
Future broadcaster, Joe Garagiola gets 5 hits in a 12-3 victory over the Pirates at Forbes Field.
May 17, 1979
Phillies 23 Cubs 22
Many great hitting days for Cubs with the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field. Dave Kingman hits 3 HR's and drove in 6 runs, Bill Buckner had 7 RBI's. Mike Schmidt hit his 2nd HR of the day to win the game in the 10th inning with a HR off Bruce Sutter.
May 18, 1990
Ryne Sandberg's ML record errorless streak at second base ends at 123 games with an error in a 7-0 win in Houston over Astros.
May 19
Happy Birthday, Turk Wendell
May 19, 1971
Billy Williams hits 2 home runs and drives in 6 runs. Glenn Beckert has 4 hits and 2 runs
scored and Fergie Jenkins pitches a complete game to defeat the Giants and Steve Stone.
May 20, 2001
Julio Zuleta copies the movie "Major League" and Pedro Cerrano and practices voodoo to try to stop a Cubs losing streak. Go figure, the Cubs win to break an 8 game losing streak and start a 12 game winning streak.
May 20, 1996
Cubs play Braves in Atlanta for the first time. Losing 12-2 to the Braves.
May 20, 1935
Babe Ruth's first appearance at Wrigley Field as a NL player. Goes 0 for 2, but hits a HR the next day.
May 20, 2006
The Cubs vs White Sox rivalry is alive and well as Michael Barrett and AJ Piersynski get into one of the more well-known baseball fights in recent history.
May 21, 1993
Cubs play Florida Marlins for the first time and lose 5-3 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.
May 21, 1914
Johnny Evers first appearance in Chicago as an opposing player. Braves defeat Cubs 3-1, Evers has a single in 2 at bats
May 21, 1908
1907 World Championship banner raised
May 22, 2002
Mark Prior MLB debut is a good one as he goes 6 innings against the Pirates giving up 2 runs and stiriking out 10 in a 7-4 victory at Wrigley
May 22, 1990
Andre Dawson is intentionally walked a ML reocord 5 times by future Cubs manager, Lou Piniella's. The moves ultimately don't pay off as the Cubs defeat the Reds 2-1 in 16 innings at Wrigley Field. On the subject of MLB managers, the batter in the line-up behind Andre Dawson is future manager, Lloyd McClendon.
May 23, 1969
At San Diego Stadium, Cubs defeat the Padres 6-0. Dick Selma pitches a 2-hit complete game shutout.
May 24, 2001
Jon Lieber throws a one-hit shutout against the Cincy Reds 3-0 at Wrigley. The shutout also breaks a consecutive game streak of the Reds without being shutout
On May 25, 2001, Kerry Wood follows up Lieber's 1-hitter with another 1-hit shutout.
May 24, 2001
Jon Lieber throws a one-hit shutout against the Cincy Reds 3-0 at Wrigley. The shutout also breaks a consecutive game streak of the Reds without being shutout
May 24, 1957
Frank Ernaga first MLB game is a good one as he hits a HR and a triple in his first 2 at bats against future hall of Famer Warren Spahn
May 25, 2001
Kerry Wood backs up Jon Lieber's one-hitter with a one-hitter of his own as the Cubs defeat the Milwaukee Brewers. Wood strikes out 14 batters.
May 26, 1957
20 year old, Cubs Pitcher, Dick Drott strikes out 15 Milwaukee Braves (Drott strikes out Braves
HOF, Hank Aaron 3 times and Eddie Matthews once). He pitches a complete game at Wrigley Field and gets the win as Cubs defeat Braves 7-5.
Drott will win 15 games for the Cubs, but it is his best season with the team. He leaves the team when he is selected as the 7th pick in the expansion draft by the Houston Colt 45's in 1961.
May 28,, 1980, 14 innings
On this day, the Cubs and Expos began a game that ends with a Cliff Johnson walk-off grand slam in the 14th inning. Johnson's grand slam was hit on 8/8/80 to complete this suspended game. Both teams score runs in the 12th inning, the Cubs on a Barry Foote RBI double.
May 28, 2001
Cubs pitchers combine to strike out 18 batters in a 9-6 win over the Cincy Reds in Cincy. Cubs win 8th straight game.
May 29, 1962
Cubs lose to Braves 12-9, but Ernie Banks first game back from being hit in the head with a pitch sees him hit a double and 3 home runs. Also, Buck O'Neill joins the Cubs coaching staff becoming the first African American coach in major league baseball history.
May 30, 1907
Cubs sweep Pirates in a DH, 7-1, 6-4 to take a lead in the pennant chase that they will not relinquish on to NL pennant
May 30, 1906
Jack Pfeister K's 17 batters in 15 innings. Pfeister's season helps the Cubs to the 1906 World Series. His record was 20-8 with a 1.51 ERA and 153 strikeouts.
May 30, 1904
Tell Frank Chance that baseball isn't a contact sport as he gets hit by a pitch 5 times in a doubleheader. Cubs win the first game 7-2, but lose the 2nd 5-2.
May 31, 2003
The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros play the longest 1-0 game in major league history with the game going 16 innings. Sammy Sosa drove in the winning run with a single and Cubs pitchers allow just 6 hits in 16 innings at Wrigley Field to record the shutout victory.
May 31, 1998
Jeff Pico pitches a compelete game shutout in his MLB debut.