Crazy 8-8-08s: Cubs History by the Numbers
TOWER GROVE — Later this afternoon a Cubs booster club, the Westside Rooters, will gather for a parade to Wrigley Field and today’s game against the Cardinals — just as the same social club did 100 years ago, on the same date, 08-08-08.
It’s a number, rather a series of numbers, that has gained some significance for the North Siders and their rooters on all sides.
Hall of Famer Ernie Banks will be a part of the Westside Rooters anniversary parade that will meander from Harry Caray’s Tavern to Wrigley Field aboard double-decker buses. All participants will receive a gift bag that includes a baseball signed by Ryne Sandberg. Holy Cow! chips will be available for the ride. History will be served. Because the Westside Rooters’ August 8, 1908 ride to the ballpark — just a few months before those titan Cubs would win the World Series — isn’t the only August 8 happening for the Cubs or for baseball that rings of numerical significance.
A parade of our own:
August 8, 1998 — Cubs (64-53); Cardinals (55-60)
Not a Cubs’ event, but one loaded with numerology. Minnesota Twins’ Paul Molitor, at 41, goes 5-for-5 and steals the 500th base of his career. He becomes the, get this, fifth player to have 3,000 hits and 500 steals.
August 8, 1988 –Cubs (53-56); Cardinals (48-63)
Wrigley Field trips the light fantastic. The Cubs host their first night game, and the 20th anniversary of that event is being celebrated today. MLB.com has total recall of the event, including a quote from Rick Horton about the “blasphemy” of night ball at Wrigley. The Chicago Sun-Times also remembers the night. Mizzou star Phil Bradley started the evening with a home run for Philadelphia. But the game, alas, wouldn’t count in anything more than the history books. Rain came and washed it out in the third inning. But, hey, there were t-shirts printed that read: “8-8-88.”
August 8, 1978 — Cubs (57-54); Cardinals (45-68)
Rick Reuschel hits Willie Stargell with a pitch in the first inning of a 9-5 loss to Pittsburgh. Stargell hits one of his two triples that season in the third inning. A crowd of 26,037 watched at Wrigley, and the other tidbits from the box score are at Baseball Almanac. … Over with the Cardinals, Pete Vuckovich, just into the starting rotation, pitches his second complete-game shutout of the season with a 2-0 victory against Philadelphia. He would throw consecutive complete-games without allowing an earned run.
August 8, 1968 — Cubs (60-54); Cardinals (70-40)
Bill Hands pitches a three-hit shutout for the Cubs, but Baseball Library has the lowdown on what really went down that day for the Cubs and their starting pitcher:
The Cubs trip the Braves, 4-0, behind Bill Hands, … Ump Chris Pelekoudas goes the mound to inspect cap and glove of the Cubs’ Phil Regan. When game continues, Pelakoudas accuses Regan of three illegal pitches nullifying a fly out, a K, and changing a strike to a ball. Wrigley fans toss garbage on field. Leo Durocher, Randy Hundley, and Al Spangler get tossed as well. NL prexy Warren Giles, after a special hearing, says umps should have better evidence before calling pitches illegal.
August 8, 1958 — Cubs (52-57); Cardinals (51-55)
The Cubs host the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, and Del Ennis connects for a grand slam that powers the Cardinals to a 6-3 victory. Check the box.
August 8, 1948 — Cubs (41-61); Cardinals (54-46)
Back to Baseball Library and its retelling of a game in Cleveland that drew thousands, many of whom were rewarded with a victory by the ages Satchel Paige. Writes the Library:
In Cleveland, 73,484 fans watch the Indians and Yankees square off for two games. Trailing in the opener, an ailing Lou Boudreau hits a bases loaded pinch single in the 7th to tie the game, and Satchel Paige wins it in relief, 8-6. Steve Gromek goes seven innings in the nitecap to give the Indians a 2-1 win over rookie Bob Porterfield, making his ML debut. The Indians and the A’s are now tied for 1st (60-39), with the Yankees two games back and Red Sox in 4th place, two 1/2 out.
(Gotta run. See note below, in italics.)
August 8, 1938 –Dodgers trade Max Butcher.
August 8, 1908 — The Westside Rooters rally. Cubs are in third, trailing Pittsburgh by four games. The Cubs go 43-14 the rest of the season,
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** Must get on the road to Memphis, where I will be reporting from tonight, so the research will have to be incomplete — or a group effort. The standings area linked to above for as many August 8ths as possible.** -30-
Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
GREAT STUFF DG.
I love to read the accounts of the historic events of my favorite pass time. So many are they, and unless the geologist of baseball can dig them up the events of today continue to bury them.
Thank you DG!