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This article appears in SABR’s “Pride of Smoketown: The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords” (2020), edited by Frederick C. Bush and Bill Nowlin.   As the 1935 baseball season approached, Pittsburgh Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee had every reason to be optimistic about his team’s chances to win the Negro National League championship. Although the 1934 squad had […]

Born in St. Louis on September 5, 1857, Henry Van Noye Lucas was the twelfth and youngest child of James H. Lucas and Marie Emilie (Desruisseaux) Lucas.  His French-born paternal grandfather, Jean Baptiste Charles Lucas, was appointed Federal Territory Judge by President Thomas Jefferson.  One of Henry’s older brothers, John B. C., was a significant […]

The split-finger fastball became a popular weapon for pitchers in the 1980s. Few if any used it better than righty Mike Scott. With the splitter, he went from mediocrity to ace. Though many believed he was doing something else to make the ball move so much — namely, scuffing it — that was never proven […]

Kid Mohler played more games at second base (2,871) than anyone else in professional baseball history, and he ranks second in bases stolen in the minor leagues (769).1 For two decades he excelled in the minors, including eight seasons with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League from 1905 to 1912. He captained […]

The man the Boston Globe called the “ultimate utility man,” Randy Kutcher, played from 1986 through 1990 for the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox.1 Primarily an outfielder, he played every position on the field except for first base and pitcher, though his time at catching was limited to the final three innings […]

Between the minor and major leagues, there are thousands of baseball players trying to make a name for themselves. Some can hit home runs; others are great at striking out batters. One, Doug Mirabelli, was able to stand out and become a two-time World Series champion because he could do what most catchers can’t always […]

Brad Pennington was a hard-throwing left-hander who drew comparisons to fellow southpaw Norm Charlton. One of the infamous “Nasty Boys,” along with fellow Cincinnati Reds relievers Randy Myers and Rob Dibble, Charlton threw the ball hard but didn’t always know where it would end up. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Pennington didn’t always know either, but he […]

Herbert “Babe” Barna was a star football player in college, an end who excelled as a receiver. He had “mercury in his shoes and glue on his finger tips.”1 He starred at football, basketball, and baseball at West Virginia University and received an offer by Bert Bell of the Philadelphia Eagles to play professional football […]

Right-handed Jack O’Connor used his competitiveness and baseball intelligence, along with a penchant for playing multiple positions, to appear in the major leagues during 21 different seasons. His longevity includes him in the group of 29 players who have appeared in a game in four or more different decades. “Peach Pie” was his rookie handle, […]

Bob Welch may be most famous for his epic strikeout of Reggie Jackson to end Game Two of the 1978 World Series. He did that as a 21-year-old rookie for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the tall, lean right-hander enjoyed many other highlights over a 17-year career. He won 211 games, including 27 in 1990, when he […]

At the 1940 American Baseball Congress national amateur baseball tournament in Battle Creek, Michigan, Detroit Tigers scout Wish Egan said the Tigers had offered 19-year-old catcher Gus Niarhos $5,000 to sign with the Tigers. The catcher, who had been playing for the tournament’s championship team, a semipro paper company team in Birmingham, Alabama, declined the […]

Perhaps the greatest defensive shortstop of his generation, Bobby Wallace was a fair right-handed hitter whose spectacular glove work catapulted him to the Hall of Fame. Wallace began his major league career as a pitcher, where his dazzling fielding soon convinced management to find a position that better suited his unique combination of skills. After […]

Once clocked on a stopwatch from plate to first in 3.5 seconds, Harry Bay was considered by many contemporary baseball authorities to be the fastest man in the American League. A photographer experimenting with a motion picture camera filmed “Deerfoot” in full stride and newspaper reports commonly referred to the speedster as “a ten-second man […]

From the trade of Max “Camera Eye” Bishop before the 1934 season to the arrival of Benny McCoy in 1940, second base was in a state of flux for the Philadelphia Athletics. An infielder from Wisconsin, Stan Sperry, was once said to be a possible answer to manager Connie Mack’s “prayer for a second baseman.” […]

Some major league players are blessed with good fortune. Their talents are discovered early, they remain relatively healthy throughout their careers, and they always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Bob Ramazzotti was not one of those guys. His career began late, was interrupted by war, and was stifled by […]

The New York Mets entered July 1973 in the National League East cellar. Some sportswriters started to write off the Mets’ chances after they went 20-31 in May and June. Red Foley of the New York Daily News wrote on July 10 that with the team 12 games out of first place, “it’s all downhill […]

It was Tuesday night, June 15, 1948, and 24,124 Boston Braves fans packed the Wigwam hoping to see their team take over first place. They were not disappointed: Johnny Sain pitched a six-hitter and the Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-3. Once again the Braves showed that they were very successful when playing under the […]

The New York Yankees did their best to intimidate the umpires and the opposition St. Louis Cardinals throughout the 1942 World Series. The Yanks saved some of their best rattling for Game Five. As the teams swapped lineups at home plate before the game, New York coach Art Fletcher told home-plate umpire Bill Summers that […]

Over the course of his career, there were 14 games in which Roberto Clemente earned two outfield assists in the game. The Pirates lost the first 12 games. On September 14, 1971, he recorded two assists in a game the team won. In 1972, which proved to be his last season, Clemente added another game […]

The bedraggled Boston Braves were already in their familiar abode—the National League cellar—at 8-19 and 11 games out when they played their 28th game of the 1935 season. The venue was Pittsburgh’s bucolic Forbes Field; the opponents were the home-standing Pirates. But the Braves had Babe Ruth, a free agent newcomer to the National League, […]

At least the weather was pleasant: 80 degrees and a breeze made the prospect of a Sunday afternoon game palatable for the 22,325 fans in Nationals Park. As always, the fans were hoping for a win since no losing streak lasts forever. Coming into the game the Nationals’ (46-90) eight-game losing streak was the longest […]

Clouds hung overhead as the first remnants of the crowd entered the new Shea Stadium, situated adjacent to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The time was half past ten on the morning of Sunday, May 31, 1964. The crowd would eventually number 57,037 paid for the scheduled doubleheader between the Mets and the San […]

For the first time in World Series history, the fall classic was coming to the Lone Star State, Texas, but things weren’t looking good for the team hosting the game. The National League champion Houston Astros came back to Minute Maid Park down two games to none to the American League champion Chicago White Sox. […]

Monterrey, Mexico, lies 100 miles south of the Texas border. It is the third largest city in Mexico, the capital of Nuevo Leon state, and an industrial city that produces a broad array of goods. It is also a city passionate about baseball. On August 16, 1996, the San Diego Padres attempted to tap into […]