This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind
About
Available on
Community
278 episodes
On February 7 2019 — Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, a member of the 500 Home Run Club, a Triple Crown winner, the first player to win the MVP Award in both leagues, and the first African-American manager in major league history, passes away in hospice care in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 83. He was also a senior executive for Major League Baseball and was still serving as the honorary President of the American League. Robinson was one of the greatest players in MLB history, he was an All-Star in 12 seasons, won 2 MVP Awards, won a Triple Crown in 1966, won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1956, won a Gold Glove Award in 1958, and was on 2 World Series champions (1966, 1970 Baltimore Orioles), winning the World Series MVP Award in 1966. His uniform #20 is retired by the Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982 (89.2% on the 1st ballot). Robinson had a very prominent post-playing career. Most notably, he became the first Black manager in MLB history in 1975 (with the Indians). He won the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1989 (with the Orioles). In his amazing 21-year playing career (1956-1976), Frank had 2,943 hits, 586 HR, 528 doubles, 204 SB, 1,812 RBI, 1,829 runs, 1,420 BB, .294 BA, .389 OBP, .537 Slg., & .926 OPS.
When he posed for his 1959 Topps baseball card, Lew Burdette grabbed teammate Warren Spahn’s glove and pretended to be a lefty. Topps missed the joke and printed the card with the error. Burdette would sign his name “Lewis” on his contracts, and would alternate between “Lou” and “Lew” for autograph-seekers. He said he really didn’t care how his first name (which was actually his middle name) was spelled. Years before Mark Fidrych became famous for talking to the baseball, Lew Burdette used the same antics to psych himself up on the mound. Often accused of throwing a spitball, Burdette never bothered to refute that charge, and used the paranoia to his advantage. In the 1957 World Series, he shut out the New York Yankees twice in four days to give the Milwaukee Braves their only World Championship. Lew Burdette On October 10, 1957, Burdette shut out the Yankees for the second time in four days. He was the first pitcher in 37 years to win three complete games in a single WS and the first since Christy Mathewson (1905) to throw two shutouts in a single Series. The win gave Milwaukee the world championship and earned Burdette Series MVP honors. Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn and righthander Burdette gave the Braves a formidable one-two punch, with 443 victories between them in 13 seasons. A slider and sinkerball pitcher, Burdette was widely accused of throwing a spitball as well. His constant fidgeting on the mound fed that suspicion; it didn’t indicate nervousness. Teammate Gene Conley said, “Lew had ice water in his veins. Nothing bothered him, on or off the mound. He was a chatterbox out there … He would talk to himself, to the batter, the umpire, and sometimes even to the ball.” Besides winning 20 games in 1958 and 21 in ’59, Burdette won 19 twice and 18 once. His 2.70 ERA topped the NL in 1956. In two All-Star Games, he allowed only one run in seven innings. He no-hit the Phillies on August 18, 1960. On May 26, 1959, he was the winning pitcher when Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix hurled 12 perfect innings against the Braves, only to lose in the 13th. That winter, the puckish Burdette asked for a $10,000 raise, explaining: “I’m the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn’t good enough to beat me, so I’ve got to be the greatest!” “My best pitches were a sinker and slider,” Burdette said. “I’d move the ball in and out. I always tried to keep it down. I was always being accused of throwing at the hitters. Early Wynn always said that he was the meanest pitcher in the American League, and I was the meanest in the National League.” — Sports Collectors Digest, September 4, 1998 "I'm the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn't good enough to beat me, so I've got to be the greatest!" - Lew Burdette, 1959 ""There should be 3 pitching statistics for Burdette: Wins, Losses, and Relative Humidity." - Red Smith, The New York Times
Born: Sunday, February 05, 1928 in Roulette, PA USA He was the kind of player who’s worth doesn’t always show up in the box score, but yet his determination and aggressiveness to win made him one of the most valuable players on the world championship of 1960. Don Hoak, nicknamed Tiger by Dodger pitcher Clem Labine because he was always starting fights, was a solid fielder who twice led the circuit in fielding percentage at third base who also would contribute at the plate, hitting over .280 in three of his four seasons with the Bucs. Many players felt he was such an important cog to the club’s championship run. Cy Young Award winner Vern Law felt his fighting spirit rubbed off on everyone helped push the club over the hump to the title, while legendary reliever Roy Face thought he was the most underrated player on the team. What ever it was, Hoak definitely wanted to fit the tough boy persona. He was a Marine in World War II where he saw some action in the Pacific theater and also spent sometime as a boxer in the middleweight division and his tough image was something he prided himself on. Tiger came up with the Dodgers in 1954 and was part of their memorable 1955 world championship team, the only title that the legendary team from Brooklyn would win. He was dealt to the Cubs the year after where he hit .215 and went on his way Cincinnati in 1957. It was there that his career finally started to take shape as he led the senior circuit in doubles with 39 and fielding percentage with a .971 mark while hitting career highs in both homers 19, and RBI’s with 89. Hoak was named to his one and only selection in the mid –summer classic that year. Don slumped in 1958 and was dealt to the Bucs along with Smoky Burgess and Harvey Haddix in a seven-player deal that many felt was the final piece in the Pirate 1960 championship machine. In 1959, Tiger proved that his .261 average in 1958 was just a fluke as he broke .290 for the first time when he hit .294, before moving into his best all around season in the Steel City. Hoak would show a rare glimpse of power during that magical season, hitting 16 homers to go with 79 RBI’s and a .282 average. While his numbers were good, it was his grit, determination and leadership that found him finishing second to teammate Dick Groat in the National League Most Valuable Player voting ahead of such Hall of Famers as Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente and Eddie Mathews.
February 4, 1957, manager Joe McCarthy and outfielder Sam Crawford are elected to the Hall of Fame. McCarthy, the winningest manager in history, won nine pennants and four consecutive World Championships with the New York Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the dead-ball era, finished his career with 309 triples, first on the all-time list. Some have challenged Sam Crawford's status as a Hall of Famer, but the truth is that Crawford was one of the best sluggers of his era, hands down. Consider: Crawford retired as the American League career leader in home runs, extra-base hits, total bases, RBI, and triples. From 1910 to 1915 (when he was 30-35 years old), Sam led the AL in games played, total bases, RBI, extra-base hits, and triples. He was second in homers and hits, third in runs created, fourth in slugging, and batted .320 for that six-year stretch. He ranked that high while Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Home Run Baker, and Joe Jackson were in their prime. His total of 643 RBI from 1910-1915 were 118 more than his closest rival in the American League! Somehow however, it took a campaign by Cobb to get his teammate into the Hall of Fame. Though he never played in the major leagues, Joe McCarthy earned the respect of his players as one of the most successful managers in history. He guided two teams to the World Series, and orchestrated four consecutive World Championships at the helm of the Yankees, from 1936 to 1939. He relied on his remarkable memory, his "Ten Commandments of Baseball," and his brillant ability to manage all types of players, and ended up with the highest winning percentage in the history of the game. Description "With his lantern jaw and chunky body," wrote author David Kaiser, "he could be an impressive presence on the field, and although he respected umpires, he also knew how to try to intimidate them in a key game."
Fredric Michael Lynn was born on February 3, 1952 He arrived on the big league scene like a bolt of lightning through the evening sky. Fred Lynn played in his first game on September 5, 1974 and proceeded to smash major league pitching to the tune of a .419 batting average and a .698 slugging average over his first 15 games. He followed that up with one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, leading the Red Sox to the World Series and earning the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Gold Glove awards for the 1975 season. Lynn was the first player to achieve this trifecta, an accomplishment matched by Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Fred Lynn had the greatest coming out party in baseball history in 1975, when as a rookie, he played a stellar center field for the Red Sox and earned the American League Most Valuable Player Award. All season, opposing pitchers searched in vain for a way to get the left-handed hitter out, and all season they were left scratching their heads. Lynn hit .331 in his freshman campaign, and followed it with a .314 mark in 1976, but injuries kept him out of the lineup all too frequently for the remainder of his career. He was healthy in 1978 and 1979, and in the latter year, he had his best overall campaign, belting 39 homers to go with 122 RBI, 116 runs scored, 42 doubles, 82 walks, and a .333 average. But after he was traded by Boston to the Angels, he was never quite the same player. He did recapture his magic twice after leaving Red Sox Nation, however. In 1983 he hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, and in the 1982 League Championship Series, he punished Brewers' pitchers for a .611 batting average and 11 hits in the Angels' five-game defeat. Seemingly destined to become one of the game's greats, Lynn never met those lofty (and unfair) expectations, but he still produced 306 homers and more than 1,100 RBI in his injury-riddled career. After he collected 11 hits in five games and batted .611 in the 1982 Playoffs, Fred Lynn became the first player on a losing team to be named Most Valuable Player in a League Championship Series.
February 2, 1969 – Pitchers Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Stan Coveleski learned control as a youngster by throwing rocks at tin cans that swung from a tree. Though he pitched a shutout in his first big league start with the Athletics in 1912, it was the spitball he later learned in the Minor Leagues. in 1913-1915, earning a permanent spot in the big leagues in 1916 when the Indians bought his contract. Using a fluttering spitball that dove sharply and broke inside on lefties and righties, Stan Coveleski helped two unlikely teams to the World Series. He won three games in the 1920 Series — the first championship for Cleveland, against Brooklyn while yielding only two runs and in 1925 he helped the Senators to the World Series in his first year with that club, winning 20 games. He consistently topped 275 innings pitched and was a valuable pitcher well into his mid-thirties. longtime resident of South Bend, Indiana, the ballfield in that college town bears his name. Waite "Schoolboy" Hoyt pitched his first inning in the majors at the age of 18, and when he threw his last pitch 20 years later he had more than 230 wins in his Hall of Fame career. Originally signed by the New York Giants, Hoyt fell from the grasp of John McGraw and was with the Boston Red Sox in 1919-1920 before he was shipped off with the rest of Harry Frazee's big names prior to the 1921 season. Like many other Red Sox castoffs, Hoyt ended up with the New York Yankees, and it was there that he emerged as an ace. A clutch performer, Hoyt was 6-3 with a stellar 1.62 ERA for the Bronx Bombers in the World Series. He anchored the pitching staff for three Yankee championship clubs before moving on to several teams in his 30s.
Feb 1 1875 Billy Sullivan born is born, he will debut in 1898. Despite being a notoriously poor hitter, Billy Sullivan is generally regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of the Deadball Era. In 1901, Sullivan jumped to the Chicago White Sox of the new American League and was the catcher in the circuit's first game, collecting a pair of hits in an 8-2 Chicago victory over the Cleveland Blues on April 24. He batted only .245 that season, but would never again top .229, hitting as low as .162 in a full season and having an average below .200 five times. Between 1901 and 1911, the Sox never finished lower than fourth with Sullivan as their starting catcher and won two pennants, in 1901 and 1906. During the two seasons in which he missed significant playing time because of injuries, in 1903 and 1910, the team finished more than 30 games out of first place. Sullivan is perhaps most famous for going hitless during the 1906 World Series, finishing 0 for 21 with 9 strikeouts. In spite of this lack of production, he played every inning of the Series as the White Sox beat their cross-town rivals the Chicago Cubs in six games. Sullivan batted only .213 lifetime, the second-lowest batting average for a player with over 3000 at-bats (the lowest average belongs to Bill Bergen, a contemporary catcher). As poor as his offense was, his defense was outstanding: he was reckoned to have the best throwing arm in the American League and his ability to work with pitchers was second-to-none. During his career, he led the AL in fielding four times. Todays catchers have Sullivan to thank who actually pattened shin pads Sullivan's son Billy Sullivan Jr. played in the majors from 1931 to 1943. When Billy Jr. played in the 1940 World Series for Detroit, the Sullivans became the first father-son pair to have played in the World Series. Listen to his son Billy Sullivan JR discuss his father and what Ty Cobb thought of him
On January 31 1927 – National League President John Heydler rules that Rogers Hornsby cannot continue to both hold stock in the St. Louis Cardinals and play for the New York Giants. Seemingly oblivious, the Cards’ board of directors, meeting in St. Louis, votes stockholders a 10% dividend, earning Hornsby $2916 for his 1167 shares. Hornsby had a fabulous stretch from 1921-1925. For that five-year period, his average season included a .402 batting average, 120 RBI, 123 runs scored, 216 hits, 41 doubles, 13 triples, and 29 home runs. If injuries in 1923 hadn't kept him from playing only 107 games, those yearly averages would look even more impressive. He won two Triple Crowns and hit over .400 three times in four years, peaking at .424, the highest average in the past hundred years. Nobody could rain base hits all over a ballpark like Hornsby, and he stayed hotter than hot for five straight years. 1921: Hornsby had 33 games with at least three hits, including five times in six games in July. In August he had 49 hits, and on September 25 he raised his average to .404. But he went only 5-for-22 the rest of the way, going hitless in his final two games to drop to .397. That's how close he came to hitting .400 four times in five years. 1922: This was Hornsby's best year, when he won the Triple Crown by hitting .401 with 42 home runs and 152 RBI. Late in the season, he put together a 33-game hit streak, batting .466 with 68 hits. He had multiple hits in 22 of the 33 games. Like Ted Williams in 1941, he was technically hitting .400 going into the last day of the season, with an average of .39967. Like Williams, he chose to play rather than protect his average. He banged out three singles to finish at .401. 1923 : After missing several weeks early in the season, Hornsby came back strong in July, batting .488 with a mind-boggling 61 hits. That included a stretch of 13 straight multi-hit games, when he went 33-for-56 (.589). Hobbled by injuries in September, he saw his average drop from .396 to .384 before missing the final 19 games. 1924: Hornsby started fast, hitting .429 in April, and dipped below .400 only briefly, in June. He got hot in July, including five three-hit games in one week. But that was nothing compared to what he did from August 20-26, arguably the best week any hitter has ever had. His Cardinals played three doubleheaders that week, so he played 10 games, starting with back-to-back twin bills. Against the Phillies on August 20, he went 6-for-7 with three doubles. The next day, facing the Giants, he went 7-for-7, giving him 13 hits in two days! The week ended with a 4-for-4 performance (three doubles and a home run) against Hall of Fame pitcher Burleigh Grimes of the Dodgers. Can you imagine someone getting 27 hits in a week? That's what Hornsby did. He went 27-for 39 (.692), with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 16 runs scored, 12 runs batted in, and a slugging percentage of 1.410. That sounds more like some bopper in a slow-pitch softball league. No, it was Rogers Hornsby at his best. He got six hits the next two days, but that was another week. For the month of August, he was 54-for 106, a .509 average. 1925: The hits kept on coming for "The Rajah" as he ran away with his second Triple Crown, hitting .403 with 39 home runs and 143 RBI. A cold July, when he missed a week and hit only .326, forced him to finish fast to surpass .400 again. On September 15, his average stood at .389, and it's tough to gain points that late in the season. No problem for Mr. Hornsby. He got 18 hits in his final 29 at-bats. Before a September 27 doubleheader, he was hitting .399. He went 2-for-5 in the opener to stay at that mark, then had a single, a triple, a home run and a walk in the nightcap. The next day, he fouled a ball off his foot in batting practice, splitting open a toenail. That forced him to sit out the final four games of the season. Here is Horsby on Tops in sports . .
January 30, 1930 Sandy Amoros is born in Matanzas, Cuba At 20 he made the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games, Amorós led Cuba to a Gold Medal with 6 home runs in 7 games. He then turned to America to turn pro, first playing for the New York Cubans in the Negro Leagues in 1950 and in the Dominican Republic during the summer of 1951, he will finally debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers August 22, 1952. He was a good hitter with a keen eye, not quite a regular he did play in over 100 games in both 1955 & 1956 & 1957 and posted a 902 OPS in 1956. He hit a career high in hrs in 1956, 16 and from 1954-1957 in Brooklyn he had some nice spilts including a 369 career OBP. LA wasn’t as kind to Sandy. The defining moment of Amorós' career with the Brooklyn Dodgers was one of the memorable events in World Series history. It was the sixth inning of the decisive Game 7 of the 1955 World Series. The Dodgers had never won a World Series and were now trying to hold a 2–0 lead against their perennial rivals, the New York Yankees. The left-handed Amorós came into the game that inning as a defensive replacement, as the right-handed throwing Jim Gilliam moved from left field to second base in place of Don Zimmer. The first two batters in the inning reached base and Yogi Berra came to the plate. Berra, notorious for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, hit an opposite-field shot toward the left field corner that looked to be a sure double, as the Brooklyn outfield had just shifted to the right. Amorós seemingly came out of nowhere, extended his gloved right hand to catch the ball and immediately skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the fence near Yankee Stadium's 301 distance marker in the left field corner. He then threw to the relay man, shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who in turn threw to first baseman Gil Hodges, doubling Gil McDougald off first; Hank Bauer grounded out to end the inning. According to winning pitcher Johnny Podres: “As great a catch as Amoros made, his relay to Pee Wee [Reese] (to double up Gil McDougald) was even better.” When a reporter asked Amoros if he thought he would make the catch, he said, “I dunno. I just run like hell.”
On January 29 1971 — In accepting the Tris Speaker Award from Houston sportswriters, Roberto Clemente gives a speech which, apart from being called by many of those in attendance “the best talk any baseball player ever made,” is the source of Clemente’s most famous – if oft misquoted – assertion: “If you have an opportunity to accomplish something that will make things better for someone coming behind you, and you don’t do that, you are wasting your time on this earth.” A member of the 3,000-hit club, Roberto Clemente was a tremendously proud man who was often misunderstood by the press and his teammates. He was criticized for refusing to play with minor injuries, despite the fact that he won four batting championships. He played on two Pirate World Series winners and became more legendary after his tragic death while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake in 1972 than during his playing days. His tragic death prompted the Hall of Fame's Board of Director's to unanimously wave the customary five year period for induction, opening the door for the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to hold a special election on Clemente's behalf. By an overwhelming vote of 93%, Clemente became the first player of Latin American descent to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
On January 28, 1968 — Goose Goslin, a former Washington Senator and Detroit Tigers Tiger outfielder who retired with a career .316 batting average after playing in five World Series, and Kiki Cuyler, a .321 career hitter who won four stolen base crowns while running the bases for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, are elected into the Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote of the Veterans Committee. Goslin believed his enshrinement in Cooperstown was helped by his interview that was shared in Lawrence Ritter’s 1966 book, The Glory of Their Times: The Story Of The Early Days Of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It. Kiki Cuyler delivered the World Series-winning blow in the 1925 Fall Classic, clearing the bases with a double off Walter Johnson in the eighth inning of Game Seven. He is probably the only Hall of Famer to be benched for a month by his manager for lackadaisical play in his prime. He won four stolen base titles and led the National League in doubles, runs, and triples, but is still considered by some experts as a marginal Hall of Famer. Leon "Goose" Goslin won batting titles in the minor leagues and the American League. He won World Series with the Senators and the Tigers. He drove in 100 or more runs eleven times, and was known as one of the best fastball hitters of his time. The Washington Post called Goslin, "Washington's answer to Babe Ruth." A clutch hitter, Goslin was famous for driving in the winning run in Detroit's first World Series championship. "Leon Goslin was tabbed "Goose" while still in the minor leagues, because of his beak-like nose and gawky physical features. Goslin used a closed batting stance, and once joked that he would have "hit .500 if he could have seen over his nose."" Factoid During the 1935 World Series against the Cubs, Goslin kept an entire rabbit in the clubhouse, figuring if a rabbit's foot was good luck, then an entire rabbit must be even better. Goslin delivered the Series-winning hit in Game Six. Speaking of Glory of their times here is a short exerpt from that interview
On January 26, 1963, Alarmed by such increased home run numbers across the Majors, Ford Frick convinced the owners to agree to having the strike zone widened before the 1963 season. The zone will stretch from the top of the batter’s shoulders to the bottom of the knees. The committee hopes the return to the 1950s strike zone will result in a decrease in runs scored. The results will exceed the committee’s expectations, in 1962 teams average 4.46 runs per game, in 1963 that number dropped to 3.95 and will hover around 4, until 67 when it drops to 3.77 and then in 1968 it was deadball like 3.42 runs per game. The Indians ‘63 staff would set a new AL record while being the first staff to K over 1000 in a season. Led by Sam McDowell and rookies Sonny Siebert and Luis Tiant, they would go on to set a new record in ‘64, with over 1100 Ks. They would set record numbers and lead the AL in Ks from ‘64-68, a feat still not matched! In 1968 we all know Bob Gibson had a record 1.12 ERA, but 6 other starters had ERAs under 2. Which was remarkable. Don Drysdale set a record with the longest scoreless inning streak ever. Denny McLain became baseball’s first 30-game winner in a generation. Denny McLain was the last pitcher to win 30 in 1968, including a 1.96 ERA. McLain and Lolich will face off twice in the 1968 World Series and Gibson will beat him twice, McLain will win game 6 going the distance on 2 days rest and after the “Year of the Pitcher” in 1968, the strike zone will be tweaked again, and the mound will be lowered from 15 inches to 10 inches and by 1970 the league would be back up to 4.46 runs per game. It has been long speculated that Frick, a Friend of Ruth increased the strike zone so no one else could dimmish the Babe. Here is Frick on Tops on Sports . . . .
On January 25, 1943, the Yankees sell future Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez to the rival Boston Braves. Gomez will never pitch in a game for the Braves, who decided to release the veteran southpaw. Gomez will eventually sign with the Washington Senators. Gomez will make 1 start for the Senators, and never pitch again allowing 3 runs over 4.2 innings. Years before Joe DiMaggio came out of SF, the Bay Area produced Vernon Louis Gomez, a talented and colorful left-handed hurler. "Lefty" starred for the Yankees during the 1930s and early 1940s, teaming with Red Ruffing to form one of the best pitching duos in baseball history. Gomez posted a 6-0 record in the Fall Classic, winning five rings with the Yankees. Originally a hard thrower, Gomez suffered arm injuries in 1933, 1936 and 1939, eventually re-tooling himself as a finesse pitcher. He enjoyed a 165-89 record for the Yankees for the decade of the 1930s, finishing in the top ten in MVP voting three times. He won the triple crown twice, 7X All Star, 2x Era Title he will eventually be inducted into the hall of fame in 1972, The Mel Ott Podcast features multiple at bats against Lefty and we have dozens of Classic Radio Broadcasts including the 36 & 39 World Series as well as multiple All Star Games from the 30’s featuring Lefty who ironically is the last pitcher to go 6 innings of an all star game , there is also a great full featured interview you don’t want to miss!
On January 24, 1939, the baseball writers select EDDIECOLLINS https://thisdayinbaseball.com/eddie-collins-page/, WILLIE KEELER https://thisdayinbaseball.com/willie-keeler-page/ and GEORGE SISLER https://thisdayinbaseball.com/george-sisler-page/ to the Hall of Fame. George Sisler never played on a pennant winner and he wasn't a slugger, but in spite of that he earned a reputation as the best first baseman in the first 30 years of the 20th century. The greatest player in St. Louis Browns' history, he twice batted over .400, and his 257 hits in 1920, hitting 420 for the season, his hit record remained a modern major league record. later broken by Ichiro Suzuki That same year, the lefty-swinging Sisler hit in 41 consecutive games, an American League record that stood until surpassed by Joe DiMaggio. Sisler, who attended the University of Michigan, where he played for Branch Rickey, Factoid On September 1, 1918, Sisler hit a double off Ty Cobb. Cobb was making his first major league appearance on the mound. Sisler also pitched in the game for St. Louis, pitching a scorless 9th in the Browns win. He made 24 apperances over his career with a 2.35 ERA and has a shutout to his credit in 1916. Collins batted an even .333 for his career, collected 3,315 hits and stole 744 bases as. A member of four World Championship teams, Eddie Collins was a winner with a confident and aggressive style of play. He played 25 years in the major leagues and was considered the finest second baseman of his time. He led his league in fielding nine times, and he accepted more chances, had more assists, and made more putouts than any other pivot man in history. He was one of the best performers in World Series play, hitting .328 with 42 hits and 14 stolen bases in 34 games. Eddie Collins buried his bats during the off-season in shallow holes in his backyard that he called "graves" in order to keep them "lively." Keeler, who “hit ’em where they ain’t”, batted .341 and collected 2,932 hits. A master with a bat, Willie Keeler was a demon at the top of the lineup for Ned Hanlon's Orioles in the 1890s. Keeler led his team to four pennants, two each in Baltimore and Brooklyn, winning two batting titles. As a member of the 1890s Orioles' teams that revolutionized the way baseball was played, Keeler was adroit at laying down a bunt, chopping the ball into the ground to beat it out for an infield hit, performing the suicide squeeze, and parlaying the double steal. Keeler's 44-game hitting streak in 1897 was a record until surpassed by Joe DiMaggio in 1941. He is highlighted on the January 1 podcast – the Brooklyn Million https://www.baseballdailyrewind.com/wee-willie-keeler-the-brooklyn-millionaire/aire
ON JANUARY 23 https://https//thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-January-23/ 1962 — Pitcher Bob Feller and infielder Jackie Robinson are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their first year of eligibility. Jackie Robinson burst onto the scene in 1947, breaking baseball’s color barrier and bringing the Negro leagues’ electrifying style of play to the Majors. He quickly became baseball’s top drawing card and a symbol of hope to millions of Americans. With Robinson as the catalyst, the Dodgers won six pennants in his 10 seasons. He dominated games on the basepaths, stealing home 19 times while riling opposing pitchers with his daring baserunning style. Robinson was named National League MVP in 1949, leading the loop in hitting (.342) and steals (37), while knocking in 124 runs. Bob Feller’s blazing fastball set the standard against which all of his successors have been judged. Rapid Robert spent his entire 18-year career with Cleveland, amassing 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts, while leading the league in strikeouts seven times. He missed nearly four full seasons in his prime serving his country during World War II, for which he was decorated with five campaign ribbons studded with eight battle stars. Fresh from high school, Feller struck out 17 Athletics in 1936. The fireballer authored three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters while winning 20 or more games six times.
ON JANUARY 22 https://https/thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-January-22/ 1976 — Pitchers ROBIN https://thisdayinbaseball.com/robin-roberts-page/ ROBERTS https://thisdayinbaseball.com/robin-roberts-page/ and BOB LEMON https://thisdayinbaseball.com/bob-lemon-stats-facts/ are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Roberts led the National League in starts and innings pitched for five straight seasons and was tops in victories for four consecutive years on his way to 286 career wins. Lemon earned 20 victories six times and won 207 career games. Robin Roberts was the ace of the Phillies staff for most of his 14 years in a brilliant 19-season Major League career. The durable workhorse with a superior fastball and pinpoint control won 286 games and compiled six consecutive 20-victory seasons. In 1950, he paced the Phils to their first flag in 35 years with a 20-11 record. A tough competitor, he was a frequent league leader in victories, innings pitched, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts, topping the National League in wins from 1952-55. Bob Lemon realized his destiny as a pitcher eight years after making his professional debut as an infielder-outfielder. At the age of 25, he embarked on a Major League pitching career that included seven 20-win seasons over a nine-year span. The right-handed ace became a key factor in Cleveland’s 1948 and ’54 pennant drives, posting records of 20-14 and 23-7, respectively. After his playing days, Lemon became a successful manager, leading the Yankees to the world championship in 1978.
On JANUARY 21 https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-january-21/, 1953, pitcher DIZZY DEAN https://thisdayinbaseball.com/dizzy-dean-page/ and outfielder AL SIMMONS https://thisdayinbaseball.com/al-simmons-page/ are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America surprisingly bypasses former New York Yankees great JOE DIMAGGIO https://thisdayinbaseball.com/joe-dimaggio-biography/ in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot. DiMaggio will gain an election two years later. Dean gathers 209 votes while Simmons’ total of 199 is one more than needed. The colorful Dean had a .644 career winning percentage and won 120 games from 1932 through 1936, including 30 wins in 1934. Simmons, who drove in 100 runs in each of his first eleven major league seasons, was one of the most feared hitters of his time. Also joining DiMaggio, who finishes 8th in the voting, are in order Bill Terry, Bill Dickey, Rabbit Maranville, Dazzy Vance, Ted Lyons, Chief Bender (9th) and Gabby Hartnett (10th). All will eventually make it. The Yankee Clipper will have to wait until 1955 when 88.8% of the BBWAA scribes put his name on their ballot.
ON JANUARY 20 https://https/thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-January-20/ 1966 — The Baseball Writers Association of America elects former Boston Red Sox outfielder TED WILLIAMS https://thisdayinbaseball.com/ted-williams-biography/ to the Hall of Fame. Williams, the last major league batter to hit .400, receives 282 of a possible 302 votes. He won the Triple Crown twice, the American League MVP Award twice, and produced the highest career on-base percentage of all time (.483), even though he lost five years to military service. American League Triple Crown: 1942 and 1946. In neither of those years did Williams win the MVP Award; in todays game he would have won the award because he had the highest WAR, he also had the highest WAR in the AL 6 times including posting 10+ three times. He is one of 11 positions players since 1900 to post a War over 10 multiple times. Hit for the cycle on July 21, 1946; blasted three homers and drove in 8 runs on July 14, 1946; collected more RBI's 159 than games played 155 (1949); had RBI in 12 straight games (thru September 13, 1942); RBI in 11 consecutive games (thru June 10, 1950); homered in four straight at-bats (September 7th and September 22nd, 1957); combined with Bobby Doerr for 549 homers as teammates (Williams 333, Doerr 216)... During Ted’s speech in the summer of 1966 he may have done the most selfless thing during his association with baseball. Williams was born of Mexican decent and it was something he kept to himself, he may have never played MLB if he had not. He was sensitive to the color barrier and made a pitch for the Negro League players inclusion into Cooperstown. The voters will listen and begin with Satchel Paige in 1971. Here is Ted’s speech the day he learned he was voted in. If you want more Ted Williams interviews, and listen to games he played in checkout vintagebaseballreflections.com and use the code – thisday to get something extra off the membership!
On January 19, 1945, media reports say that Stan “The Man” Musial will enlist in the U.S. military for duty in World War II. Musial will miss the entire 1945 season before returning to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946. January 19, 1949 – Stan Musial announced he had purchased half interest in the former 66 Café operated by Julius “Biggie” Garagnani. The restaurant, at 6435 Chippewa would be known as Stan Musial and Biggies, Stan said. The National League batting champion and MVP was in the midst of a two-year contract paying him $50,000 per year and said his new interest wouldn’t interfere with his baseball. “I won’t be around much during the baseball season,” he said Greatly admired and respected by everyone in and around baseball, Stan Musial was one of the most popular players to ever don a major league uniform. Since big league ball wasn’t played any further west than the city of St. Louis until the Dodgers and Giants moved to California in 1958, Musial was a hero to virtually every young boy who lived beyond the banks of the Mississippi River during the 1940s and 1950s. The Cardinal outfielder’s warm, unpretentious, and easy-going manner also made him a favorite of teammates and opponents alike. Musial’s popularity was further enhanced by the greatness he displayed on the ballfield – a greatness that enabled him to win seven batting championships and three National League Most Valuable Player Awards during his 22-year career with the Cardinals. Stan Will pass away on January 19, 2013 in Ladue, MO In discussing Musial’s legacy on ESPN’s SportsCentury, Bob Costas noted, “He didn’t hit a homer in his last at-bat; he hit a single. He didn’t hit in 56 straight games. He married his high school sweetheart and stayed married to her – never married a Marilyn Monroe. He didn’t play with the sheer joy and style that goes alongside Willie Mays’ name. None of those easy things are there to associate with Stan Musial. All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being American Legion Baseball 1949 Stan Musial
On January 18, 1950, star right-hander Bob Feller tells the Cleveland Indians that he should receive a cut in pay after a subpar 15-14 season in 1949. The Indians agree to the suggestion, cutting the future Hall of Famer’s pay by $20,000. Feller will receive a salary of $45,000 in 1950. A farmboy from Van Meter, Iowa, in 1936 Feller was only 17 when he struck out eight members of the St. Louis Cardinals in three innings of an exhibition game. After this awesome display of pitching, Feller was advised to seek voluntary retirement from high school in order to sign a pro-baseball contract. In his first major league start, against the St. Louis Browns, Feller fanned 15 hitters and never looked back. For twenty years, all with the Indians, the teenage phenomena dominated AL batters with his blazing fastball and bending curve. He hurled three no-hitters, including the only opening day gem on April 16, 1940, he will also win the triple crown in 40. His second came in 1946 when he set the AL record with 348 strikeouts. He also notched 12 one-hitters, and won 19 games for Cleveland's lasy world series winner in 1948. You can listen to all 6 games on our Classic Radio Broadcasts. Feller career was put on hold when he became the second big league star to enter the service for World War II (following Hank Greenberg). He lost almost four seasons to military duty While in the U.S. Navy, Feller won eight battle stars. I am going to play him recalling his first game back from the War . . . it is one of dozens of audio gems we have on Vintage Baseball Reflections
On JANUARY https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-january-17/ 17 https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-january-17/, 1934 https://thisdayinbaseball.com/major-league-baseball-season-recap-1934/, the New York Giants come to contract terms with National League Most Valuable Player CARL https://thisdayinbaseball.com/carl-hubbell-page/ HUBBELL https://thisdayinbaseball.com/carl-hubbell-page/. “The King,” who won league honors unanimously in 1933, will earn $18,000 for the upcoming season. The Giants will be well rewarded as Hubbell will lead the league in ERA, CG and SV’s and finish 9th in the MVP Voting. The 1934 season is best remembered for HUBBELL’S https://thisdayinbaseball.com/on-the-50th-anniversary-of-carl-hubbells-legendary-five-consecutive-strikeouts-in-the-1934-all-star-game-national-league-pitchers-fernando-valenzuela-and-dwight-go/ HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ALL-STAR GAME https://thisdayinbaseball.com/on-the-50th-anniversary-of-carl-hubbells-legendary-five-consecutive-strikeouts-in-the-1934-all-star-game-national-league-pitchers-fernando-valenzuela-and-dwight-go/, when he struck out five straight future Hall of Famers, none of them familiar with the screwball. With two American Leaguers on base in the first inning at the Polo Grounds, Hubbell struck out Babe Ruth with three consecutive screwballs. Lou Gehrig took a ball and then swung through three more screwballs. Jimmie Foxx distinguished himself by comparison, at least managing one foul tip in the process of striking out. With the fans still buzzing, Hubbell struck out Al Simmons and Joe Cronin, the first two hitters in the second inning, before allowing a single to Bill Dickey.
MLB World Series Film 1957 Folks I hope you enjoy todays game. As I always say take this on a walk with you, play it in the back ground, invite a few friends over to listen. Find a way to embrase these treasures. Check out our getting started document here and what to expect with the broadcasts, If you want to score the game you can download a scoresheet here: Scoresheet & Get Started Guide http://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com If you want to see the box score, go to retrosheet and get the box and play by play of todays game (I would suggest doing that after wards) Box Scores http://www.retrosheet.org If you want to research the players and their career highlights go to: This Day In Baseball http://www.thisdayinbaseball.com Audio Credit goes to Internet Archieve
MLB Baseball's Seasons 1970 Folks I hope you enjoy todays game. As I always say take this on a walk with you, play it in the back ground, invite a few friends over to listen. Find a way to embrase these treasures. Check out our getting started document here and what to expect with the broadcasts, If you want to score the game you can download a scoresheet here: Scoresheet & Get Started Guide http://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com If you want to see the box score, go to retrosheet and get the box and play by play of todays game (I would suggest doing that after wards) Box Scores http://www.retrosheet.org If you want to research the players and their career highlights go to: This Day In Baseball http://www.thisdayinbaseball.com Audio Credit goes to Internet Archieve
MLB World Series Film 1970 Folks I hope you enjoy todays game. As I always say take this on a walk with you, play it in the back ground, invite a few friends over to listen. Find a way to embrase these treasures. Check out our getting started document here and what to expect with the broadcasts, If you want to score the game you can download a scoresheet here: Scoresheet & Get Started Guide http://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com If you want to see the box score, go to retrosheet and get the box and play by play of todays game (I would suggest doing that after wards) Box Scores http://www.retrosheet.org If you want to research the players and their career highlights go to: This Day In Baseball http://www.thisdayinbaseball.com Audio Credit goes to Internet Archieve
Folks I hope you enjoy todays game. As I always say take this on a walk with you, play it in the back ground, invite a few friends over to listen. Find a way to embrase these treasures. Check out our getting started document here and what to expect with the broadcasts, If you want to score the game you can download a scoresheet here: Scoresheet & Get Started Guide http://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com If you want to see the box score, go to retrosheet and get the box and play by play of todays game (I would suggest doing that after wards) Box Scores http://www.retrosheet.org If you want to research the players and their career highlights go to: This Day In Baseball http://www.thisdayinbaseball.com Audio Credit goes to Internet Archieve
MLB World Series Film 1953 Folks I hope you enjoy todays game. As I always say take this on a walk with you, play it in the back ground, invite a few friends over to listen. Find a way to embrase these treasures. Check out our getting started document here and what to expect with the broadcasts, If you want to score the game you can download a scoresheet here: Scoresheet & Get Started Guide http://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com If you want to see the box score, go to retrosheet and get the box and play by play of todays game (I would suggest doing that after wards) Box Scores http://www.retrosheet.org If you want to research the players and their career highlights go to: This Day In Baseball http://www.thisdayinbaseball.com Audio Credit goes to Internet Archieve
DON LARSEN'S ACCOUNT OF HIS PERFECT GAME IN THE 1956 World Series Folks I hope you enjoy todays game. As I always say take this on a walk with you, play it in the back ground, invite a few friends over to listen. Find a way to embrase these treasures. Check out our getting started document here and what to expect with the broadcasts, If you want to score the game you can download a scoresheet here: Scoresheet & Get Started Guide http://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com If you want to see the box score, go to retrosheet and get the box and play by play of todays game (I would suggest doing that after wards) Box Scores http://www.retrosheet.org If you want to research the players and their career highlights go to: This Day In Baseball http://www.thisdayinbaseball.com Audio Credit goes to Internet Archieve
October 16th 2004 The Yankees lead the ALCS two games to none over the Red Sox with Game 3 in Fenway Park. As in the first two games, the Yankees began by scoring in the first and quickly building a 3-0 lead. The Red Sox answered in the second inning with a leadoff walk by Jason Varitek and a Trot Nixon home run to right field. A double by Bill Mueller, an infield hit by Johnny Damon (his first hit of the series), and a Derek Jeter error led to two more runs. The Red Sox led for the first time in the series, 4–3. This lead was short-lived as ARod led off the third inning with a home run over the Green Monster and the Yankees would build a 6-4 lead. By the end of the third, the Sox would even things up at 6 apiece off a double by Orlando Cabrera. That was as good as it would get for the Sox for the rest of the night. When it was all over, the two teams combined for 37 hits and 20 extra-base hits, both postseason records. At four hours and twenty minutes, the game was the longest nine-inning postseason game ever played. The Yankees destroyed Boston, 19 -8 , amidst chants from Yankee fans of “Nine-teen -Eight-teen”...the last time the Red Sox won a World Series. With a 3 game to none, lead things looked bleak for the Red Sox. October 16, 1969 - The New York Mets win their fourth straight game from the Baltimore Orioles with a 5 - 3 triumph behind pitcher Jerry Koosman, who throws a five-hitter, to take the World Series in five games. In the third inning, Baltimore takes a 3 - 0 advantage after home runs by pitcher Dave McNally and outfielder Frank Robinson. After a strong argument by Mets manager Gil http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Gil_Hodges Hodges http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Gil_Hodges in the bottom of the sixth inning, Cleon Jones is awarded first base when shoe polish on the ball proves he was hit by a pitch, and Jones scores on a home run by Donn Clendenon. An inning later, Al Weis ties the game 3 - 3 with a solo home run, and in the eighth, Ron Swoboda's double and two Baltimore errors give New York two more runs and the World Championship. Clendenon is named Series MVP.
Jackie Robinson's Speech - October 15, 1972 - his last public speech Jackie Robinson is by no means the greatest player in baseball history. He holds no cherished records in the manner of a Hank Aaron or a Joe DiMaggio, and his career numbers fall far short of the statistical milestones by which we currently measure “greatness”. But as former Negro League star Buck O’Neill once observed, Robinson may not have been the best player of his era, but he was the right player for the task history set before him. As such, Jackie Robinson is the pivotal figure in baseball’s narrative and perhaps its greatest hero. Only a man with Robinson’s singular mix of talent, tenacity, and temperament could have taken up the lonely task of breaking baseball’s color barrier. No player before or since has had to perform under the weight of such a great burden. On one shoulder, Robinson bore the hopes and future aspirations of a people too long denied their share of the American promise; on the other, he bore the fierce scorn and violent enmity of those who preferred that baseball, and American life in general, remain a segregated affair. That he rose to the challenge and thrived under the pressure was an affirmation of America’s founding principle, the proposition that all men are indeed created equal. His triumph, coming a full seven years before Rosa Parks’ defiant “sit”, can be seen as the first great victory of the modern civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr, who followed Robinson’s exploits as a teenager, hailed him as “a pilgrim that walked in the lonesome byways toward the high road of Freedom… a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.” His success paved the way for a new generation of superstars – Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Frank Robinson, to name but a few - who would go on to revolutionize the game and help redefine American culture. Jackie's Career Highlights: https://thisdayinbaseball.com/jackie-robinsonjackie-robinson-career-highlights/
October 15, 1988 - With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Kirk Gibson hits a pinch-hit home run off Dennis Eckersley to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5 - 4 victory over the Oakland Athletics in Game One of the World Series. Gibson, who injured himself making a game saving catch in the National League Championship Series, never came out for game one introductions and never took batting practice spending the entire game on the trainer’s table receiving treatment with Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda checking on him between innings. Inning after inning, Lasorda checked and was given the thumbs down each time until the bottom of the ninth with the A’s leading 4-3 when the clubhouse boy told Lasorda that Gibson wanted to speak to him. ”I think I can hit for you, Skipper” was the message Lasorda heard when he arrived in the trainer’s room. Eckersley got the first 2 batters out. Alfredo Griffin was next up when Lasorda sent Mike Davis to the plate instead, with Gibson warming up unbeknownst to anyone. As Eck settled in to pitch, Lasorda sent Dave Anderson to the on deck circle. Eckersley took notice and decided he wasn't going to let Davis hit it out of the ballpark. He worked the count to 3-2 and walked Davis. “Now get out there Big Boy” Lasorda ordered Gibson, whose appearance sent the crowd into a frenzy. Lasorda decided Gibson had two swings to try and hit it out of the park and then he gave Davis the green light to steal 2nd. With 1st base open, the A’s chose not to walk Gibson who worked the count to 3-2 and Gibson launched the next pitch out of the park. Vin Scully’s call of the play say’s it all “"In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!" October 15, 1970 - For the third time, the Baltimore Orioles overcome a 3 - 0 deficit to bury the Cincinnati Reds, 9 - 3, and win the World Series in five games. Brooks Robinson won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award hitting .429 and breaking the record for total bases with seventeen. Robinsons stellar fielding earned him the nickname “Hoover”.
