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This Week in Cubs History: The Tainted Milestone and Legacy of Cap Anson

In this week’s edition of TWiCH, we turn the clock way back to 1897 to review the tainted legacy of Cubs player-manager Adrian Constantine “Cap” Anson.

On July 16, 1897, Anson became the first player in major league history to recrod 3,000 hits. At the age of 45, Anson reached the milestone on a single against the Baltimore Orioles in a 2-1 loss at Chicago’s West Side Grounds.

Anson began his professional career in 1871 with the Rockford Forest Citys and was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics the following year. He stayed with the Athletics until 1875, after which he came to Chicago, where he played and managed until his retirement in 1897.