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Mention brothers from the Dominican Republic who were major-league outfielders in the 1960s, and most people will understandably think of Felipe, Matty, and Jesús Alou. But Manny and Elvio Jiménez also fit the description. While Elvio appeared in just one game, Manny Jiménez spent all or parts of seven seasons (1962-1964, 1966-1969) with the Kansas […]

He never played a game of baseball until he was a freshman in high school, but his skills blossomed so quickly that he signed a professional contract after his junior year. Only 16, Wally Post started a baseball career that lasted 18 years and saw him transform from a pitcher-first baseman to a hard-hitting, superb […]

Eleanor Callow was more than just the greatest power hitter in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) history. On top of being the all-time leader in home runs and triples, Callow was perhaps the league’s best all-around position player. A speedy outfielder with a strong throwing arm, Callow ranks in the Top 10 in career […]

Rodney Lea Nichols was born on December 29, 1964, in Burlington, Iowa. His family relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico when Rod was about three years old, but he has always remained an Iowan at heart. Nichols early on adopted Iowa as one of his favorite college teams. “Back in the day, if you got the […]

Gaylord Perry, one of the premier pitchers of his generation, won 314 games and struck out 3,534 batters, but his place in baseball history rests mainly with his notorious use of the spitball, or greaseball, which defied batters, humiliated umpires, and infuriated opposing managers for two decades. But make no mistake: he was also a […]

Biff Maloy was a “new find from the wilds of Michigan” who joined the reigning world champion Boston Red Sox in mid-1913 and pitched the bottom of the eighth inning on July 11 in St. Louis with Boston down 5-1 to the Browns. The right-hander hit the first batter, but retired the next three, each […]

This little pitcher from Amherst College – 5-feet-6 and 130 pounds – appeared in just one game in left field for the New York Highlanders in July 1910. Larry McClure’s career is quite similar to that of Tom Burr, a pitcher from archrival Williams College who played one inning in center field for the Yankees […]

From 1978 through 1990, the Atlanta Braves were one of the worst teams in the National League, despite a surprise first-place finish in the NL West Division in 1982 followed by two consecutive seasons with a second-place finish. Within this 13-year span, the Braves finished in sixth (last) place for six seasons, fifth place in […]

Patrick Edward Dobson Jr. was born February 12, 1942, in Depew, New York, a small village ten miles east of Buffalo. In his youth, Pat often took the bus there to watch his heroes Joe Caffie and Luke Easter, stars of the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. Pat attended Lancaster Central High School, where […]

The word “grinder” is used to define a player who may not have great natural ability but succeeds through hard work and perseverance. “He grinded out a career” or “he was a real grinder.” Jeff Torborg was that type of player. Noted as a defensive catcher who could handle a pitching staff, Torborg’s offensive capability […]

In June 1950 Jimmy Bloodworth, one of the oldest players on the Philadelphia Phillies youthful roster, quipped, “It took me 34 years to become a Whiz Kid.”1 In truth, Jimmy was soon to turn only 33 but that didn’t prevent him from another of the many wisecracks that endeared him to fans and teammates alike. […]

“He’s a little guy. Thinks he can do anything. Damn near can.” That description of John W. Galbreath came from the longtime manager of his Darby Dan Farm, Olin Gentry. Galbreath built his Kentucky farm into a world-renowned thoroughbred racing stable. He owned the controlling interest in the Pittsburgh Pirates for 35 years and celebrated […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers moved to the West Coast in 1958, but the franchise was established in Brooklyn, New York, in 1884. Although the team has produced some of the most renowned pitchers in baseball history, the franchise has also had its share of power hitters. Matt Kemp and Adrián Beltré both led the National […]

SABR Quebec Chapter meeting reportCage aux Sports Resto-Bar, MontrealNovember 5, 2011 Present: Jack Anderson; Jack Beausoleil; Jacques Doucet; Robert Duval; Ghislain Henri; Maxwell Kates (SABR-Toronto, guest); Alain Usureau; Norm Watt (SABR-Toronto, guest); Bill Young (Meeting Chair) Regrets: Alain Dumas; Daniel Papillon; Alexandre Pratt; and Philippe Cousineau who sent this comment from Paris … Missed Game […]

Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer selected Bob Miller to start the fourth game of the 1950 World Series. Miller was 11-6 during the season, a solid performance, but as Ken Heintzelman’s 3-9 record obscured a strong finish in September, Miller’s was deceiving as well. He was pitching at less than full capacity. He had pitched well […]

The Boston Red Sox concluded their only visit to Seattle during 2013, a four-game series at Safeco Field, on Thursday afternoon, July 11. On the second stop of a three-city West Coast trip heading into the All-Star break, Boston had lost 11-4 to the Mariners on July 8, but then scored 11 runs themselves in […]

The 1984 Cubs drove to National League East glory after years of mediocrity and nearly four decades without a postseason appearance. Three Cubs integral to the upswing – second baseman Ryne Sandberg, left fielder Gary Matthews, and pitcher Rick Sutcliffe – placed capstones on their respective outstanding seasons in Chicago’s 4-1 division-clinching win in Pittsburgh […]

Months after Michael Jordan shocked the sports world by announcing his retirement from the NBA on October 6, 1993, speculation began that he was going to pursue a second career in baseball. Jordan was spotted taking batting practice at Comiskey Park shortly after the calendar flipped to 1994, and on January 12 he announced his […]

The array of emotions ranged among shock, disbelief, anger, sadness, and frustration when news broke about the plane crash that took Thurman Munson’s life on August 2, 1979. Munson, who had been flying planes for several years, was practicing takeoffs and landing in his recently purchased twin-jet Cessna Citation. It was an offday for the […]

The largest Opening Day crowd in 1965 poured into cavernous Municipal Stadium on April 21, 1965, to see the return of Rocky Colavito in what the Cleveland Press dubbed “Welcome Back Rocky Day.” After a five-year absence, Colavito, one of the franchise’s most popular players and greatest home run hitters, was back in a Cleveland […]

“[He] was tough in the clutch and deserved a shutout,” opined Los Angeles sportswriter Frank Finch about 22-year-old Sandy Koufax’s six-hitter on May 28, 1958, which extended his streak to a then career-best 19 innings without an earned run.1 “[He] could work when the chips were riding,” observed Pittsburgh Pirates beat reporter Jack Hernon about […]

In 1987, Ken “The Kid” Griffey Jr. truly was a kid: Just 17 years old, he was beginning his pro baseball career with the Bellingham (Washington) Mariners of the Northwest League. The first half of June 1987 was undoubtedly a whirlwind for the teenager, who had recently graduated from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. […]

When Montreal Expos pitcher Dan Warthen wound and delivered the first pitch of the game to San Diego Padres rookie Gene Richards on the evening of May 21, 1977, it’s safe to assume few among the crowd of 16,892 expected to still be at Stade Olympique more than 5½ hours later. The two teams shared […]

Returning from a road trip on which they won 8 of 11 games, the Dodgers still trailed the league-leading Philadelphia Phillies by 6½ games. Back at Ebbets Field, they hoped to continue their solid playing and gain some ground on Philadelphia. If they could beat the Boston Braves, their first opponent, they could put some […]