Search Results

A Pawtucket native, left-hander Henry John LaRose was first called on in relief against the Tigers, as the Red Sox and Yankees battled to the wire in September 1978. He’d been brought up to the big leagues to pitch for Boston just a few days earlier. With just 11 games on the schedule, and the […]

Billy Barnie touched all aspects of baseball before his untimely death in 1900 at age 49. This includes player trades, player contracts, home and away uniforms, three strikes and out, modern schedule making, five-pointed home plates, all-star teams, coaching boxes, overhand pitching, ballpark construction, championship rings, and daily game promotion. Barnie held every conceivable baseball […]

Lew Moren played in six major-league seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1903-04) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1907-10). A right-handed pitcher – and one of the first knuckleballers – he stood 5-feet-11 and weighed 150 pounds. Occasionally referred to as “Hicks,” the nickname for which he may best be remembered is the “Million Dollar Kid,” in […]

Mid-1880s outfielder Ed Glenn had various skills needed for an extended stay at the major league level. In the field, he was an exceptional defender, a ground-covering, sure-handed flycatcher with an excellent throwing arm. On the base paths, he was a fleet-footed, intelligent runner. And in the clubhouse, he was a positive presence, a quiet […]

On March 9, 1914, youthful pitching prospect Harry Juul1 took two giant strides toward adulthood. Within hours, he signed a major-league playing contract with the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League, and he married former high school classmate Hilda Marie Johnson. Shortly thereafter, Harry informed his doubtful father, “Yes, Pop. It’s true. Hilda and I […]

Charlie Jamieson was a star American League outfielder during the 1920s. In a career spanning 1915-1932, the speedy singles hitter achieved a .303 batting average with 1,990 hits in 1,779 games. In addition to being a very good leadoff man, he also had a fine reputation in the field. Jamieson initially struggled to find his […]

“Timber Like Mapel What Browns Need” — The Sporting News, September 4, 1919 In his major league debut on August 31, 1919, St. Louis Browns left-hander Rolla Mapel held Ty Cobb hitless in five plate appearances. That turned out to be the highlight of his 12-day, four-game MLB career. But “Rollie” Mapel will forever be […]

In 1955 Cleveland News sportswriter Ed McAuley noted that “[George] Susce is a man of many admirable qualities, but the ability to hit a baseball frequently was not among his assets.”1 At the time this was offered, Susce was 11 years removed from his last major-league appearance and well along into a coaching career that […]

Pitcher Jim Wilson was a right-hander who played 16 years in professional baseball, including 257 games in major-league ball over the course of 12 seasons — despite being near death after having his skull fractured by a line drive off the bat of Hank Greenberg. He went on to become the first Executive Director of […]

“No pitcher shall be credited with pitching a shutout unless he pitches the complete game, or unless he enters the game with none out before the opposing team has scored in the first inning, puts out the side without a run scoring and pitches the rest of the game without allowing a run.” — Rule […]

A lot changed for the Texas Rangers going into the 1989 season. There were new owners.1 There were several new players.2 The payroll had shot up about $4.5 million – including the franchise’s first three $1 million-per-year players.3 So, naturally, there were heightened expectations for a club that never had won a division crown in […]

Ottawa’s Art “Doc” Hillebrand was a force to be reckoned with in what would be his final season before an arm injury cut short his career. Appearing in all 34 games, he posted an estimated 1.74 ERA and a 10-6 record, tying for the league lead in wins. His contributions extended beyond the mound, as […]

The average high temperature in Los Angeles on October 24 is 76 degrees Fahrenheit.1 The weather for Game One of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium did not follow historical trends. Rather, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Houston Astros with the thermometer reading 103 degrees at the 5:11 P.M. starting time, making for […]

The New York City hosting the 1977 All-Star Game had drastically changed in the 13 years since the Mets hosted the 1964 Midsummer Classic. In the summer of ’77, Big Apple residents lived in fear of the “Son of Sam” serial killer stalking the outer boroughs, and on July 13, the entire city was plunged […]

On June 23, 1993, Seattle Mariners right fielder Jay Buhner hit a first-inning grand slam against the Oakland A’s at Seattle’s Kingdome, but he had even more thrills in store for the Wednesday night crowd of 18,625 – especially those who stuck around near midnight. Thirteen innings and more than four hours later, Buhner’s triple […]

The knuckleball has danced through the fantasies of fans and ballplayers for generations. It looks so effortless, and those who master it can seemingly pitch until they’re 50 years old. Throwing a pro-quality flutterball is much harder than it looks, of course. But once in a while, the knuckler makes a big-league dream come true, […]

“A Cub hits two home runs and drives in seven runs — but it isn’t Sammy Sosa. A starting pitcher takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning with nine strikeouts — but it isn’t Kerry Wood.”1 As Chicago Tribune sportswriter Bob Foltman observed, unlikely heroes do tend to emerge when September call-ups get a chance […]

Since Cleveland and Seattle were the top American League run-scorers in 2001, the Division Series between the Indians and Mariners was expected to generate significant offense. Seattle paced the league with team totals of 927 runs, 1,637 hits, 174 stolen bases, and a .360 on-base percentage (OBP). Cleveland’s offense was second in runs (897) and […]

The storylines that precede a game can often provide a rich insight into baseball history. They provide the context for what we are about to see without revealing any hints as to what might unfold on the field. The pitching matchup for this interleague game, Max Scherzer for the Washington Nationals and Jordan Zimmermann for […]

Kazuo Matsui arrived in the United States looking like a superstar. The flamboyant orange-haired shortstop with an “iron man” reputation signed a three-year, $20 million contract with the New York Mets before the 2004 season. His contract terms, including a travel allowance, housing, and interpreters, were almost exactly the same as the deal signed by […]

Neither George Sisler’s homestanding St. Louis Browns nor Ty Cobb’s visiting Detroit Tigers had much of anything at stake as they wrapped up the 1925 season at Sportsman’s Park on Sunday, October 4. The Washington Senators had their second consecutive American League pennant in the bag; although well back, the Browns and Tigers had clinched […]

Some baseball games, like some roller coasters and some horror movies, should come with warnings that their ups and downs are not for the faint of constitution. One such game took place on June 14, 1975, in the Triple-A International League. An umpire’s mistake spawned an unusual protest that overturned the game’s original ending, requiring […]

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bid for a fourth straight National League East Division title in 1973 remained alive, even though the Pirates trailed the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals when the schedule’s final day had concluded. With rainouts rescheduled for Monday, October 1 – a Mets-Chicago Cubs doubleheader and a single game between Pittsburgh […]

When the Washington Senators1 were founded in 1891, they played their games at Boundary Field in Northwest Washington. Boundary Field was named for its location on the northwest boundary line of the District of Columbia at Boundary Line and Seventh Street. The field is labeled on the 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map as “Athletic Fields,” […]