Cubs historical sleuthing: Cardinals edition

Bettmann ArchiveIt’s been a bitter rivalry for decades. Even when one team is clearly better than the other, these teams seem to play each other closely.

In this black and white photo, we see Billy Williams scoring a run. But when?

This is easier than it looks. The catcher doesn’t have any recognizable number, but I’d know that face anywhere. It’s Tim McCarver, who was actually a pretty good ballplayer in his prime.

The Cubs wore that style of road uniform for only three seasons: 1969-71. So that narrows it down quite a bit.

And one last clue clinches it. Barely visible on McCarver’s left sleeve is the 1969 baseball centennial patch.

That sent me to baseball-reference’s Play Index. How many runs…