1.
West Side Park
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West Side Park was the name used for two different baseball parks that formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. They were both home fields of the now known as the Chicago Cubs of the National League. Both ballparks were what are now called wooden ballparks, the initial stadium was the clubs home beginning in 1885, succeeding Lakefront Park. The park was located on a block bounded by Congress, Loomis, Harrison and Throop Streets. The elongated shape of the block lent a bathtub-like shape to the park, the stadium held roughly 10,000 fans. In addition to the diamond, the park held a track which encircled the playing field. The Cubs had had to secure a new property after 1884, the season began on April 30, a month later than it does today, for a 112-game schedule,50 fewer games than todays major-league schedule. The club spent the first five-plus weeks of the 1885 season on the road, despite being wanderers early in the season, the powerful Chicago club, under player-manager Cap Anson, came home with an 18-6 record. They would sweep a four-game set in their first homestand and romp through the league schedule, the only team that gave them any problem was the New York Giants, who won 10 of the clubs 16 meetings and finished just two games behind Chicago in the standings. If projected to a modern 162-game schedule, that translates to 125 and 123 wins, respectively, Chicago captured the National League pennant that season and also went on to win the league crown in 1886. The championships of the 1880s were disorganized in comparison to the modern World Series, exemplified by the 1885 contest, the 1886 World Series was more conventional, and was won by the Browns. Those matchups were the first on-field confrontations of the Cubs and Cardinals clubs, the site also saw bonus baseball in 1887, as a neutral site for Game 14 of that years unique 15-game traveling World Series between the Browns and the Detroit Wolverines. In 1891 the team split its schedule between West Side Park and South Side Park, the first West Side Park was abandoned after the 1891 season, with the team playing at home exclusively on the South Side in 1892. The site of the first West Side Park is now occupied by the Andrew Jackson Language Academy, left field – unknown Center field –560 ft. Right field –216 ft. In May 1893, the club opened the second West Side Park a few blocks west-southwest of the first one, on a block bounded by Taylor, Wood, Polk. It was located at 41°52′13″N 87°40′21″W, during May and June, they split their 1893 schedule with South Side Park, playing Sunday games on the West Side and weekday games on the South Side. By mid-summer they had abandoned the South Side park and moved into the West Side park full time, home plate for this ballpark was in the northwest corner of the property, toward the Polk and Lincoln intersection. The right field fence paralleled Taylor, with flat apartments between the alley behind the field area, and Taylor itself
2.
Frank Chance
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Frank Leroy Chance was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Chance played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and he also served as manager of the Cubs, Yankees, and Boston Red Sox. Discovered by the Cubs as he played baseball while attending college, Chance debuted with the Cubs in 1898. In 1903, Chance became the Cubs regular first baseman, and in 1905, Chance led the Cubs to four National League championships in the span of five years and won the World Series in 1907 and 1908. With Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers, Chance formed a double play combination. Let go by the Cubs after the 1912 season, Chance signed with the Yankees and he joined the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League as a player–manager, returning to MLB in 1923 as manager of the Red Sox. Chance was named the manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1924, noted for his leadership abilities, Chance earned the nickname Peerless Leader. He is the leader in managerial winning percentage in Cubs history. Chance was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 1946 balloting by the Veterans Committee, along with Tinker and he was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fames first class, in 1959. Chance was born in Salida, California, in Stanislaus County and his family was of English and Scottish descent. He was raised in Fresno, California and attended Fresno High School and his father was president of the first national bank in Fresno. Chance enrolled at the University of California, where he pursued a degree in dentistry and he transferred to Washington College in Irvington, California. While playing baseball for the baseball team, he received an offer to play semi-professional baseball for a team in Sullivan, Illinois, for $40 a month. Returning to college the year, Chance led his team to a third-place finish in an amateur tournament of 50 teams. Bill Lange of the Chicago Cubs discovered Chance and convinced the Cubs to sign him as a catcher and outfielder. Chance was scouted by other teams, but chose the Cubs as Tim Donohue was the only catcher ahead of him on the Cubs depth chart, Chance began his career in 1898 with the Chicago Cubs, serving as a reserve catcher and outfielder. He played irregularly through the 1902 season, due in part to finger injuries suffered while catching, Chance played in no more than 75 games in a season through 1902. In 1903, Johnny Kling became the Cubs full-time catcher, as Bill Hanlon, the Cubs first baseman, left the team, manager Frank Selee moved Chance to first base
3.
Chicago Cubs
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The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League Central division. The team plays its games at Wrigley Field, located on the citys North Side. The Cubs are one of two league teams in Chicago, the other, the Chicago White Sox, is a member of the American League Central division. The Cubs, first known as the White Stockings, was a member of the NL in 1876. The Cubs have appeared in a total of eleven World Series, the 1906 Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36 and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of.763, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, the 108-year drought was also the longest such occurrence in all major North American sports. Since the start of play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason eight times through the 2016 season. The Cubs are known as the North Siders, a reference to the location of Wrigley Field within the city of Chicago, there is a divisional rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals and also a newer rivalry with the Milwaukee Brewers. There is also a rivalry with the White Sox. The Cubs began play in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings, joining the National League as a charter member. Owner William Hulbert signed multiple star players, such as pitcher Albert Spalding and infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, the White Stockings played their home games at West Side Grounds and quickly established themselves as one of the new leagues top teams. Spalding won forty-seven games and Barnes led the league in hitting at.429 as Chicago won the first ever National League pennant, which at the time was the games top prize. After back-to-back pennants in 1880 and 1881, Hulbert died, and Spalding, the White Stockings, with Anson acting as player-manager, captured their third consecutive pennant in 1882, and Anson established himself as the games first true superstar. In 1885 and 86, after winning N. L. pennants, both seasons resulted in match ups with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, with the clubs tying in 1885 and with St. Louis winning in 1886. This was the genesis of what would become one of the greatest rivalries in sports. In all, the Anson-led Chicago Base Ball Club won six National League pennants between 1876 and 1886. As a result, Chicagos club nickname transitioned, and by 1890 they had known as the Chicago Colts, or sometimes Ansons Colts
4.
First baseman
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First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that players team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, in the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3. Also called first sacker or cornerman, the first baseman is ideally a tall player who throws left-handed and possesses good flexibility, flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. In order for the runner to be called out, the first baseman must be able to stretch towards the throw and they often are power hitters who have a substantial number of home runs and extra base hits while maintaining a.270 plus batting average. Good defensive first basemen, according to Bill James, are capable of playing off first base so that they can field ground balls hit to the side of first base. The first baseman then relies upon the pitcher to cover first base to receive the ball to complete the out, indications of a good defensive first baseman include a large number of assists and a low number of throwing errors by other infielders. The nature of play at first base often requires first basemen to stay close to the bag to hold runners or to reach the bag before the batter. First basemen are not typically expected to have the range required of a baseman, shortstop. As a result, first base is not usually perceived to be as physically demanding as other positions, however, it can also be a very hard position to play, a large amount of concentration and timing is required. Though many play at first base their entire career, it is common for players to be moved to first base in order to extend their careers or to accommodate other recently acquired players. Facing a possible trade or a reduction in playing time. Catchers and corner outfielders are often moved to first base due to deteriorating health or if their fielding abilities at their position are detrimental to the team. When first base is not occupied by a baserunner, the first baseman usually stands behind first base, the distance he plays from the base and foul line is dependent on the current hitter and any runners on base. The exact position may depend on the first basemans experience, preference. For a known right-handed pull hitter, the first baseman might position himself further towards the second basemans normal fielding position, for a known left-handed pull hitter, the first baseman will position himself closer to the foul line in order to stop a ball hit down the line. To protect against a bunt on the first base side of the infield, as soon as the pitcher commits to throwing towards home plate, the first basemen will charge towards the hitter to field the bunt. During these plays, it is the responsibility of the second basemen to cover first base, with a base runner present at first base, the first baseman stands with his right foot touching the base to prepare for a pickoff attempt. Once the pitcher commits to throwing towards home plate, the first baseman comes off the bag in front of the runner and gets in a fielding position
5.
Shortstop
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Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. The position is filled by defensive specialists, so shortstops are generally relatively poor batters who bat later in the batting order. In the numbering used by scorers to record defensive plays. More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any position, as there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters. Like a second baseman, a shortstop must be agile, for example performing a 4-6-3 double play. Also, like a third baseman, the shortstop fields balls hit to the side of the infield. Doc Adams of the Knickerbockers created the concept of the position, according to Thorn. In the first five years the Knickerbockers played, the team fielded anywhere from eight to eleven players, the only infielders were the players covering each of the bases, if there were more than eight players, extra outfielders were sometimes used. The outfielders had difficulty throwing baseballs into the infield, because of the light weight. Adams shortstop position, which he started playing at some time from 1849 to 1850, was used to field throws from the outfielders, with the advent of higher-quality baseballs, Adams moved to the infield, since the distance the balls could travel increased. Adams had a playing career with the Knickerbockers, he remained a player with the team until 1860. The shortstop ordinarily is positioned near second base on the third-base side, a shortstop must also be extremely agile, because balls hit to or near the shortstop position are usually hit harder than to other infield positions. Shortstops are required to cover second base in double play situations when the ball is hit to the second baseman or first baseman and they also cover second when a runner is attempting a stolen base, but only when a left-handed hitter is batting. This is because the infield will respond to a batter by shifting toward first base. They often become the man on balls to any part of the outfield that are being directed towards third base and all balls to left. Depending on the system the shortstop may cut balls from left field heading home, however, the emphasis on defense makes the position unusually difficult to fill. Historically, a strong shortstop did not have to be a good hitter.200, since the 1960s, however, such mediocre hitting has become rarer as teams increasingly demand players with ability to both field and hit. Alex Rodríguez, Michael Young, or Miguel Tejada, the year in which the player was inducted is given in brackets after his name
6.
Pitcher
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In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important defensive player, there are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and closer. The National League in Major League Baseball and the Japanese Central League are among the leagues that have not adopted the designated hitter position. In most cases, the objective of the pitcher is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without allowing the batter to hit the ball with the bat. A successful pitch is delivered in such a way that the batter either allows the pitch to pass through the zone, swings the bat at the ball and misses it. If the batter elects not to swing at the pitch, it is called a strike if any part of the passes through the strike zone. A check swing is when the batter begins to swing, If the batter successfully checks the swing and the pitch is out of the strike zone, it is called a ball. There are two legal pitching positions, the windup and the set position or stretch, either position may be used at any time, typically, the windup is used when the bases are empty, while the set position is used when at least one runner is on base. Each position has certain procedures that must be followed, a balk can be called on a pitcher from either position. A power pitcher is one who relies on the velocity of his pitches to succeed, generally, power pitchers record a high percentage of strikeouts. A control pitcher succeeds by throwing accurate pitches and thus records few walks, nearly all action during a game is centered on the pitcher for the defensive team. A pitchers particular style, time taken between pitches, and skill heavily influence the dynamics of the game and can determine the victor. Meanwhile, a batter stands in the box at one side of the plate. The type and sequence of pitches chosen depend upon the situation in a game. The relationship between pitcher and catcher is so important that some teams select the starting catcher for a game based on the starting pitcher. Together, the pitcher and catcher are known as the battery, although the object and mechanics of pitching remain the same, pitchers may be classified according to their roles and effectiveness. The starting pitcher begins the game, and he may be followed by relief pitchers, such as the long reliever, the left-handed specialist, the middle reliever. In Major League Baseball, every team uses Baseball Rubbing Mud to rub game balls in before their pitchers use them in games, a skilled pitcher often throws a variety of different pitches to prevent the batter from hitting the ball well
7.
Mordecai Brown
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Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown, nicknamed Three Finger or Miner, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and manager during the first two decades of the 20th century. Due to an accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand, and in the process gained a colorful nickname. He turned this handicap into an advantage by learning how to grip a baseball in a way that resulted in an exceptional curveball, with this technique he became one of the elite pitchers of his era. Brown was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949, Brown was born in Nyesville, Indiana. He was also known as Miner, having worked in western Indiana coal mines for a while beginning his professional baseball career. Nicknames like Miner and Three Finger were headline writers inventions, to fans and friends he was probably best known as Brownie. To his relatives and close friends, he was known as Mort. His three-part given name came from the names of his uncle, his father, according to his biography, he suffered two separate injuries to his right hand. The first and most famous trauma came when he was feeding material into the farms feed chopper and he slipped and his hand was mangled by the knives, severing much of his index finger and damaging the others. A doctor repaired the rest of his hand as best he could, while it was still healing, the injury was further aggravated by a fall he took, which broke several finger bones. They were not reset properly, especially the middle finger and he learned to pitch, as many children did, by aiming rocks at knot-holes on the barn wall and other wooden surfaces. Over time, with constant practice, he developed great control, as a bonus, the manner in which he had to grip the ball resulted in an unusual amount of spin. This allowed him to throw a curve ball, and a deceptive fast ball. The extra topspin made it difficult for batters to connect solidly, in short, he threw ground balls and was exceptionally effective. Brown was a third baseman in baseball in 1898 when his teams pitcher failed to appear for a game and was put in to pitch. Players in the league quickly noticed the spin and movement created by Browns unusual grip, fred Massey, Browns great-nephew, said, It didnt only curve, it curved and dropped at the same time, Massey said. It made it hard to hit and if you did hit it. Browns most productive period was when he played for the Chicago Cubs from 1904 through 1912, during this stretch, he won 20 or more games six times and was part of two World Series championships
8.
2016 World Series
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The Indians had home-field advantage because the AL had won the 2016 All-Star Game. The Cubs defeated the Indians 4 games to 3 to win their first World Series in 108 years, the Cubs, playing in their eleventh World Series and their first since 1945, won their third championship and first since 1908. It was the Indians sixth appearance in the World Series and their first since 1997, the two teams entered their matchup as the two franchises with the longest World Series title droughts, a combined 176 years without a championship. The Cubs made their appearance in the World Series, their only previous two championships were in 1907 and 1908, both against the Detroit Tigers. The division title was their sixth since division play began in 1969 and it was also Maddons third World Series appearance overall – in 2002, he was bench coach with the Anaheim Angels when they won the World Series in seven games. The Indians made their appearance in the World Series. They won their first two championships in 1920 against the Brooklyn Robins and in 1948 against the Boston Braves. They lost their three most recent appearances in the Fall Classic, losing to the New York Giants in 1954, the Atlanta Braves in 1995, the Indians qualified for the postseason by winning the American League Central, their eighth division title and their first since 2007. They defeated the Boston Red Sox in three games of the AL Division Series before clinching the pennant with a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series. For Indians manager Terry Francona, it was his appearance in the World Series. Francona has won two World Series championships, in 2004 and 2007, both with the Red Sox, former Indians and Cubs player Kenny Lofton threw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1. Corey Kluber started for the Indians, and Jon Lester started for the Cubs, Schwarber struck out twice, but also doubled and drew a walk. The double made Schwarber the first non-pitcher to get his first hit of the season in the World Series, Kluber made World Series history by striking out eight hitters in the first three innings. In the first, the Indians loaded the bases off of Lester on a single, Perezs home run in the fifth made it 3−0 Indians. In the eighth, Justin Grimm walked Guyer with two outs and allowed a single to Lonnie Chisenhall, then Hector Rondon allowed Perezs second home run of the night. Andrew Miller and Cody Allen finished the victory for the Indians despite Miller having to pitch out of a jam in the seventh. Franconas World Series winning streak reached nine with this victory, leading off the 1st inning, Dexter Fowler became the first African-American to play for the Cubs in a World Series. Former Indians player Carlos Baerga threw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 2, the start time for the game was moved up an hour, because of the possibility of heavy rain in the forecast
9.
Opening Day
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Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth, writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, Why Time Begins on Opening Day. Many feel that the occasion represents a newness or a chance to forget last season, in that all 30 of the league clubs. Opening Day festivities extend throughout the sport of baseball, from hundreds of Minor League Baseball franchises to college, high school, since Major League Baseball generally starts their season first among professional leagues, their Opening Day is the one most commonly recognized by the general public. Most of the minor leagues start a few later, but within the same week. Opening Day ignores the exhibition games played during spring training in the leading up to Opening Day. For generations, Opening Day has arrived amid pageantry, in Cincinnati, home of the sports first professional team, the annual Findlay Market Parade marks an official city holiday with young and old alike taking the day off to cheer on the Reds. For decades, the first pitch of every league season officially took place in Cincinnati. The Chicago Cubs have been the Reds most common Opening Day opponent, visiting Cincinnati 36 times on Opening Day, most recently in 2007. Since 1994 ESPN has televised a game the night before Opening Day and recent years have seen the staging of season-opening series in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan. While these are technically opening games, Major League Baseball still reserves the title Opening Day for the first day in multiple games are played. Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, who played for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, once said, theres that little extra excitement, a faster beating of the heart. You have that anxiety to get off to a start, for yourself. You know that when you win the first one, you cant lose em all, prior to Opening Day, the teams managers have to decide the starting pitchers for the game, an assignment typically given to the ace of each teams staff. For a pitcher to start on Opening Day is considered an honor, in 1907, the New York Giants forfeited their game at the Polo Grounds to the Philadelphia Phillies, 9–0, after rowdy fans made and threw snowballs. Without police available to order, umpire Bill Klem awarded the game to the Phillies. In 1940, Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller threw a no-hitter to open the season against the Chicago White Sox and it remains the only no-hitter in Opening Day history
10.
History of the Brooklyn Dodgers
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The teams name derived from the reputed skill of Brooklyn residents at evading the citys trolley streetcar network. The team is noted for signing Jackie Robinson in 1947 as the first black player in the major leagues. Brooklyn was home to numerous clubs in the mid-1850s. Eight of 16 participants in the first convention were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic, Eckford, Brooklyn helped make baseball commercial, as the locale of the first paid admission games, a series of three all star contests matching New York and Brooklyn in 1858. The Excelsiors no longer challenged for the championship after the Civil War. The Eckfords and Atlantics declined to join until 1872 and thereby lost their best players, the Eckfords survived only one season and the Atlantics four, with losing teams. When the Mutuals were expelled by the league, the Hartford Dark Blues club moved in, changed its name to The Brooklyn Hartfords and played its home games at Union Grounds in 1877 before disbanding. Byrne arranged to build a grandstand on a lot bounded by Third Street, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Street, and Fifth Avenue, the Grays played in the minor Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs that first season. Doyle became the first team manager, and they drew 6,431 fans to their first home game on May 12,1883 against the Trenton team. The Grays won the title after the Camden Merritt club disbanded on July 20. The Grays were invited to join the American Association for the 1884 season and they lost the 1889 World Series to the New York Giants and tied the 1890 World Series with the Louisville Colonels. Their success during this period was partly attributed to their having absorbed skilled players from the defunct New York Metropolitans, in 1899, the Grays merged with the Baltimore Orioles, as Baltimore manager Ned Hanlon became the clubs new manager and Charles Ebbets became the primary team owner. The team name, Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, was coined in 1895, the nickname was still new enough in September 1895 that a newspaper could report that Trolley Dodgers is the new name which eastern baseball cranks have given the Brooklyn club. Some sources erroneously report that the name Trolley Dodgers referred to pedestrians avoiding fast cars on street car tracks that bordered Eastern Park on two sides, however, Eastern Park was not bordered by street-level trolley lines that had to be dodged by pedestrians. The name was shortened to Brooklyn Dodgers. Other team names used by the franchise that finally came to be called the Dodgers were the Grooms, the Bridegrooms, Wards Wonders, the Superbas, and the Robins. All of these nicknames were used by fans and newspaper sports writers to describe the team, the teams legal name was the Brooklyn Base Ball Club. However, the Trolley Dodgers nickname was used throughout this period, along with nicknames, by fans
