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In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in historic fashion. This book, published on the 20th anniversary of the 2004 championship, celebrates that team by collecting biographies all of the players on the roster alongside essays about that unprecedented postseason run and its ripples throughout New England. These biographies include everyone on the team, from the stars like David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Johnny Damon to a couple of guys who would later manage their own teams in the big leagues in Dave Roberts and Gabe Kapler, to the manager, Terry Francona, and his coaches.Seeing the team win the World Series for the first time in 86 years resonated throughout New England and "Red Sox Nation" beyond, tapping into the strong sentiments that people have rooting for the underdog. When Dan Shaughnessy wrote the book The Curse of The Bambino, the title resonated with every Red Sox fan. But the "curse" was reversed when the Red Sox avenged that and every other loss to the Yankees by becoming the first team to ever win a seven-game series after being down three games to none.Chicago Cubs and White Sox fans have had even longer waits, but only the Red Sox had so many excruciating last-minute losses along the way. We hope readers will enjoy the story of Kathryn Gemme, who finally saw her Red Sox win it all again, when she was 109 years old. Also in the book we include the memories of a few dozen fans and details of the first-of-its-kind "trophy tour" to all 351 towns in Massachusetts.This book began as a project of the Boston Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research, but grew to embrace the contributions of 68 different SABR members, including both Yankees and Cardinals fans. SABR's Digital Library has now passed 100 volumes, all created, researched, and written by SABR members.

In Going for the Fences, SABR researcher Bob McConnell has painstakingly compiled statistics, facts, and stories about home run records in the minor leagues from the nineteenth century through 2008- the only reference work dedicated to the minor league home run.Records in more than 50 categories are listed, and helpful annotation throughout enables the researcher or casual fan to place statistics in context. Categories include: - Players with 150 or more career home runs in the minor leagues- Interesting facts about the top 100 career home run hitters- Top ten career home run hitters by league- The evolution of the season home run record- The most 20 HR, 30 HR, 40 HR, 50 HR, and 60 HR seasons- Most home runs in a season by two teammates- Most home runs in a season by three teammates- Clubs with 200 or more home runs in a season- Year-by-year home run leaders by leagues

In 1975, the Boston Red Sox played in what was the most-watched World Series in history, an epic seven-game battle with Cincinnati's Big Red Machine that captivated the nation's attention and revived baseball's lagging popularity. '75 tells the life stories of the 37 players who made up the Red Sox roster, from stars like Yaz, Fisk, and El Tiante, to the mop-up men and bench-warmers who were along for the ride.Some 48 authors, researchers, editors, fact-checkers, and baseball enthusiasts from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) have collaborated to present their work in the volume. Drawing on many exclusive interviews with players and the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, '75 contains many stories not previously told and offers new details on the lives of these players who inspired so many in their time.This 2015 edition offers numerous items not contained in the original 2005 publication - full biographies of all of the coaches, the broadcast team, and owner Tom Yawkey - 10 new biographies.We have also added six game accounts (linking to SABR's Games Project, these are games written specifically for this book), as well as an essay on the ALCS, an essay on the World Series, and a "By the Numbers" piece.That makes a total of 19 new items - 10 bios, six game accounts, and three other items - in this edition. '75 remains a unique treasure for anyone who remembers Carlton Fisk waving his arms in the October night.Contributors: Ron Anderson, Mark Armour, Jonathan Arnold, Eric Aron, Ray Birch, Andrew Blume, Maurice Bouchard, Bob Brady, John Cizik, Clem Comly, John Contois, Herb Crehan, Jon Daly, Bob Donaldson, Alex Edelman, Greg Erion, Dan Fields, James Forr, Peter M. Gordon, Tom Harkins, Joanne Hulbert, Bob Hurte, Seamus Kearney, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, R. R. Marshal, Les Masterson, Wayne McElreavy, Chuck McGill, Max Miller, Tom Nahigian, Bill Nowlin, Mark Pattison, Jim Prime, Mike Richard, Carl Riechers, Doug Skipper, Curt Smith, Matthew Silverman, David C. Southwick, Mark S. Sternman, Brian Stevens, Wayne Strumpfer, Cecilia M. Tan, John Vorperian, Nick Waddell, Dave Williams, Gregory H. Wolf

The Black Sox Scandal is a cold case, not a closed case.When Eliot Asinof wrote his classic history about the fixing of the 1919 World Series, Eight Men Out, he told a dramatic story of undereducated and underpaid Chicago White Sox ballplayers, disgruntled by their low pay and poor treatment by team management, who fell prey to the wiles of double-crossing big-city gamblers offering them bribes to lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Shoeless Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, Eddie Cicotte, and the other Black Sox players were all banned from organized baseball for life. But the real story is a lot more complex.We now have access to crucial information that changes what we thought we knew about "baseball's darkest hour" -- including rare film footage from that fateful fall classic, legal documents from the criminal and civil court proceedings, and accurate salary information for major-league players and teams. All of these new pieces to the Black Sox puzzle provide definitive answers to some old mysteries and raise other questions in their place.However, the Black Sox Scandal isn't the only story worth telling about the 1919 Chicago White Sox. The team roster included three future Hall of Famers, a 20-year-old spitballer who would go on to win 300 games in the minor leagues, and even a batboy who later became a celebrity with the "Murderers' Row" New York Yankees in the 1920s.All of their stories are included in Scandal on the South Side, which has full-life biographies on each of the 31 players who made an appearance for the White Sox in 1919, plus a comprehensive recap of Chicago's pennant-winning season, the tainted World Series, and the sordid aftermath.This book isn't a rewriting of Eight Men Out, but it is the complete story of everyone associated with the 1919 Chicago White Sox. The Society for American Baseball Research invites you to learn more about the Black Sox Scandal and the infamous team at the center of it all.

Back in 1982, the Society for American Baseball Research was still young, barely a decade past its founding, and had grown to some 1600 members. One of their number, a "defrocked English Lit guy poking around in journalism," suggested to the board of directors that SABR, and the world, might benefit from a publication along the lines of American Heritage, only about baseball. Before long that member, John Thorn, found himself at the helm of the newly christened periodical, The National Pastime: A Review of Baseball History. The very first issue included names we think of today as luminaries in the field of baseball history and analysis: Harold Seymour, Lawrence S. Ritter, Pete Palmer, David Voigt, Bob Broeg, and more. Over the years the significance of that flagship issue has only grown, while the inventory has dwindled. SABR is pleased to present a replica edition here, with the addition of a new preface by John Thorn, now the official historian of Major League Baseball. This issue includes: Nate Colbert's Unknown RBI Record by Bob CarrollNineteenth-Century Baseball Deserves Equal Time by Art AhrensDandy at Third: Ray Dandridge by John B. HolwayHow Fast Was Cool Papa Bell? by Jim BankesThe Field of Play by David SandersLadies and Gentlemen, Presenting Marty McHale by Lawrence S. RitterRemembrance of Summers Past by Bob BroegThe Merkle Blunder: A Kaleidoscopic View by G. H. FlemingA Tale of Two Sluggers: Roger Maris and Hack Wilson, by Don NelsonBaseball's Misbegottens: Expansion Era Managers by David VoigtThe Early Years: A Gallery by Mark Rucker and Lew LipsetThe Egyptian and the Greyhounds by Lew LipsetAll the Record Books Are Wrong by Frank J. WilliamsGoose Goslin's Induction Day by Lawrence S. RitterThe Great New York Team of 1927-and It Wasn't the Yankees by Fred SteinModern Times: A Portfolio by Stuart LeedsBooks Before Baseball: A Personal History by Harold Seymour, Ph.D.Ballparks: A Quiz by Bob BluthardtRuns and Wins by Pete PalmerBaltimore, the Eastern Shore, and More by Al KermischDavid and Goliath: Figures by Ted DiTullioDouble Joe Dwyer: A Life in the Bushes by Gerald Tomlinson John Thorn is the Official Historian of Major League Baseball, an honor that reflects his incomparable contributions to baseball history. In partnership with Pete Palmer, he created The Hidden Game of Baseball and Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball, not only a complete record of the game's statistical history, but one that included sabermetric analysis. Thorn served as senior creative consultant to Ken Burns's Baseball, and in 2011, he published Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game, tracing baseball's American origins back to the 18th century. SABR is the Society for American Baseball Research, a group of over 6,000 enthusiasts about the game of baseball whose research interests range from the game's history to statistical analysis, records, cultural impact, and more. The BioProject is a SABR effort to research, write, and publish biographies of every player--and every person--ever connected with organized baseball. Anyone with a love of baseball can join SABR and become a part of these efforts.

It had taken three and a half decades, but the Detroit Tigers were finally crowned the best team in baseball in 1935. Coming on the heels of their hugely disappointing loss in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals the year before, the Tigers emerged victorious in a thrilling six-game October showdown against a talented Chicago Cubs team. It was Detroit's first World Series championship. For a city suffering from the Great Depression, it couldn't have come at a better time. The team was led by player-manager Mickey Cochrane, and featured an offense fueled by Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, and Goose Goslin (dubber the "G-Men"). On the mound were Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe, Tommy Bridges, Elden Auker, and General Crowder. With 93 victories that summer, the Tigers outpaced the New York Yankees by three games, taking their fifth American League title in club history. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of this great team, the Society for American Baseball Research is proud to present the 1935 Detroit Tigers in all their glory. With contributions from over 35 members of the SABR BioProject, this book is a delightful account of one of the most significant teams in sports history. "Navin Field was packed, and when we won Detroit really came alive. As a team we were like a bunch of brothers. Hank, Charlie, Billy, Goose, Schoolboy, Tommy...all of them. I think of those guys often. It was a wonderful time of my life." -Elden AukerContents: Introduction by Scott FerkovichSleeping Giant: Detroit in the 1930s by Gary GilletteThe Babe's Loss Was Detroit's Gain: The Cochrane Trade by John MilnerThe 1935 Season in Review by Greg Erion THE OWNER: Frank Navin by Marc Okkonen & David Jones THE PLAYERSElden Auker by Robert H. Schaefer Tommy Bridges by Rob NeyerFlea Clifton by Kent Ailsworth Mickey Cochrane by Charles Bevis General Crowder by Gregory H. WolfCarl Fischer by Jeff Bower Pete Fox by Gerald Nechal Charlie Gehringer by Ruth Sadler Goose Goslin by Cort Vitty Hank Greenberg by Scott Ferkovich Clyde Hatter by Frank Schaffer Ray Hayworth by Chuck AilsworthChief Hogsett by Rory Costello Roxie Lawson by Alan Cohen Firpo Marberry by Mark Armour Chet Morgan by Greg Erion Marv Owen by Mark Armour Frank Reiber by Gregg Omoth Billy Rogell by Raymond BuzenskiSchoolboy Rowe by Gregory H. WolfHeinie Schuble by Rodney Johnson Hugh Shelley by Scott Dominiak Vic Sorrell by Gregory H. Wolf Joe Sullivan by Gregory H. Wolf Gee Walker by David Raglin Hub Walker by Gregory H. WolfJo-Jo White by Kent AilsworthTHE COACHES
Del Baker by Rob NeyerCy Perkins by C. Paul Rogers IIIThe Corner of Michigan and Trumbull by Scott FerkovichBy the Numbers by Dan Fields"Good Afternoon, Boys and Girls" The Tigers on the Radio in 1935 by Matthew BohnA Mechanical Man, a Hammer, a Goose, and Black Mike: The 1935 Tigers in the Hall of Fame by Doug LehmanJuly 8, 1935: American League All-Stars 4, National League All-Stars 1 by Chuck AilsworthDetroit: "City of Champions" by Larry & Rob HilliardWorld Series Opponents: The 1935 Chicago Cubs by Gregory H. Wolf "I Thought I Never Would Get There" The 1935 World Series by Scott Ferkovich

Just as 1930s and 1940s Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants pitcher Van Lingle Mungo was surprised that Dave Frishberg wrote a song around his name back in 1969, so he might have been surprised to come across this book in the year 2014. Frishberg's song "Van Lingle Mungo" listed 37 ballplayers in the lyrics. A different version contained three different names. That's a total of 40, and all 40 are represented with biographies in this book. Dave Frishberg himself has been a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) since 1984. This book, largely comprised of biographies of all the players mentioned in the song, is the product of the hard work and dedication of 31 other SABR members. SABR is the Society for American Baseball Research, a group of over 6,000 enthusiasts about the game of baseball whose research interests range from the game's history to statistical analysis, records, cultural impact, and more. The BioProject is a SABR effort to research, write, and publish biographies of every player--and every person--ever connected with organized baseball. Anyone with a love of baseball can join SABR and become a part of these efforts. Included in the book Van Lingle Mungo are The SongwriterDave Frishberg by Stew Thornley THE PLAYERSHank "Heeney" Majeski by Mark HodermarskyJohnny Gee by Armand PetersonEddie Joost by Bill NowlinJohnny Pesky by Bill NowlinThornton Lee by Gregory WolfDanny Gardella by Charles WeatherbyVan Lingle Mungo by Alan CohenWhitey Kurowski by Rick SwaineMax Lanier by Gregory WolfEddie Waitkus by C. Paul RogersJohnny Vander Meer by James W. JohnsonBob Estalella by Joanne HulbertAugie Bergamo by Gregory WolfSigmund Jakucki by Gregory WolfJohnny Mize by Jerry GrilloBarney McCosky by Jim SargentHal Trosky by Bill JohnsonAugie Galan by Greg KingPinky May by Alan CohenStan Hack by Eric HanauerFrenchy Bordagaray by Norm KingPhil Cavaretta by Larry BaldassaroGeorge McQuinn by C. Paul RogersHowie Pollet by Warren CorbettEarly Wynn by David FleitzArt Passarella by Rob EdelmanJohn Antonelli by Jim SweetmanFerris Fain by Gregory WolfFrankie Crosetti by Tara KriegerJohnny Sain by Jan FinkelHarry Brecheen by Gregory WolfLou Boudreau by Ralph BergerFrankie Gustine by Gregory WolfClaude Passeau by Gregory WolfEddie Basinski by Dave Eskenazi, Steve Rudman, and Mark ArmourErnie Lombardi by Joe WanchoHughey Mulcahy by C. Paul Rogers THE ADDITIONAL PLAYERSRoy Campanella by Rick SwaineJohnny Kucks by Alan CohenVirgil Trucks by Gregory Wolf as well as the full lyrics to the song, how it was recorded, and other tidbits of interest.

The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals were one of the most colorful crews ever to play the National Pastime. Sportswriters delighted in assigning nicknames to the players, based on their real or imagined qualities. What a cast of characters it was! None was more picturesque than Pepper Martin, the "Wild Horse of the Osage," who ran the bases with reckless abandon, led his team-mates in off- the-field hi-jinks, and organized a hillbilly band called the Mississippi Mudcats. He was quite a baseball player, the star of the 1931 World Series and a significant contributor to the 1934 championship. The harmonica player for the Mudcats was the irrepressible Dizzy Dean. Full of braggadocio, Dean delivered on his boasts by winning 30 games in 1934, the last National League hurler to achieve that feat. Dizzy and his brother Paul accounted for all of the Cardinal victories in the 1934 World Series. Some writers tried to pin the moniker Daffy on Paul, but that name didn't fit the younger and much quieter brother. The club's hitters were led by the New Jersey strong boy, Joe "Ducky" Medwick, who hated the nickname, preferring to be called "Muscles." Presiding over this aggregation was the "Fordham Flash," Frankie Frisch.Rounding out the club were worthies bearing such nicknames as Ripper, "Leo the Lip," Spud, Kiddo, Pop, Dazzy, Ol' Stubblebeard, Wild Bill, Buster, Chick, Red, and Tex. Some of these were aging stars, past their prime, and others were youngsters, on their way up. Together they comprised a championship ball club."The Gas House Gang was the greatest baseball club I ever saw. They thought they could beat any ballclub and they just about could too. When they got on that ballfield, they played baseball, and they played it to the hilt too. When they slid, they slid hard. There was no good fellowship between them and the opposition. They were just good, tough ballplayers."-- Cardinals infielder Burgess Whitehead on "When It Was A Game," HBO Sports, 1991Introductory ArticlesBrief History of the pre-1934 Cardinals by Parker J. BenaAssembling the Team by John J. Watkins Sportsman's Park by Scott Ferkovich St. Louis in 1934 by Eric Aron 1934 St. Louis Cardinals Season Timeline The Cardinals in the 1934 Pennant Race by Charles F. FaberThe 1934 World Series by Matthew SilvermanThe PlayersTex Carleton by Gregory H. WolfRipper Collins by Cort VittyPat Crawford by Gregory H. WolfKiddo Davis by Don HarrisonSpud Davis by Andy SturgillDizzy Dean by Joseph WanchoPaul Dean by Paul GeislerBill DeLancey by Thomas AyersLeo Durocher by Jeffrey MarlettFrankie Frisch by Fred SteinChick Fullis by Jack MorrisBurleigh Grimes by Charles F. FaberJesse Haines by Gregory H. WolfBill Hallahan by Gregory H. WolfFrancis Healy by Greg ErionClarence Heise by J.G. PrestonJim Lindsey by Alan CohenPepper Martin by Norm KingJoe Medwick by Charles F. FaberBuster Mills by Bill NowlinJim Mooney by Charlie Weatherly and Gregory H. WolfGene Moore by Greg ErionErnie Orsatti by Lawrence BaldassaroFlint Rhem by Nancy Snell GriffithLew Riggs by Bob WebsterJack Rothrock by Bill NowlinDazzy Vance by Charles F. FaberBill Walker by Gregory H. WolfBurgess Whitehead by C. Paul Rogers IIIJim Winford by Clayton J. TrutorRed Worthington by Jimmy KeenanExecutivesSam Breadon by Mark ArmourBill DeWitt by Dwayne IsgrigBranch Rickey by Andy McCueCoachesMike Gonzalez by Joseph GirardBuzzy Wares by Charles F. Faber

"You talk about destiny, well, you can't rule that out. We were hard-nosed and that showed up in 1957." -- Braves catcher Del Crandall to editor Gregory H. WolfFew teams in baseball history have captured the hearts of their fans like the Milwaukee Braves of the 1950. During the Braves' 13-year tenure in Milwaukee (1953-1965), they had a winning record every season, won two consecutive NL pennants (1957 and 1958), lost two more in the final week of the season (1956 and 1959), and set big-league attendance records along the way.This book celebrates the Milwaukee Braves' historic 1957 World Series championship season. Led by the bats of National League Most Valuable Player Henry Aaron and slugging third baseman Eddie Mathews and the "Big Three" pitching trio (Cy Young Award winner Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, and Bob Buhl) the Braves won 95 games. The team enjoyed standout seasons by shortstop Johnny Logan, outfielder Wes Covington, and catcher Del Crandall And GM John Quinn pulled off the biggest trade of the summer, acquiring All-Star second baseman Red Schoendienst from the New York Giants. The Braves cemented their place in history by defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series. In one of the greatest performances in the history of the fall classic, crafty Lew Burdette tossed his second consecutive shutout (and third complete game) to defeat the Bronx Bombers in Game Seven, in Yankee Stadium. A collaborative effort of 32 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Thar's Joy in Braveland! The 1957 Milwaukee Braves portrays that memorable team with life stories of all of the roster players, the manager and coaching staff, the owner, the general manager, and sportswriters and radio announcers. Summaries of the regular season and World Series re-create the magic of that unforgettable season.Table of Contents: Introduction: The Milwaukee Braves Make History by Gregory H Wolf From Yawkey to Milwaukee: Lou Perini Makes his Move by Saul Wisnia THE BRAVES Henry "Hank" Aaron by William JohnsonJoe Adcock by Gregory H Wolf Bill Bruton by John Harry Stahl Bob Buhl by Gregory H Wolf Lew Burdette by Alex KupferDick Cole by Doug Engleman Gene Conley by John R HusmanWes Covington by Andy SturgillDel Crandall by Gregory H WolfRay Crone by Gregory H Wolf John DeMerit by Steven Schmitt Harry Hanebrink by Andy Sturgill Bob Hazle by Nancy Snell GriffithJoey Jay by Joe Wancho Ernie Johnson by Dana SpragueDave Jolly by Chip Greene Nippy Jones by Dan Fields Johnny Logan by Bob Buege Bobby Malkmus by Gregory H Wolf Felix Mantilla by Rick Schabowski Eddie Mathews by David Fleitz Don McMahon by John Vorperian Red Murff by Michael J Bielawa Danny O'Connell by Mel Marmer Andy Pafko by Dale Voiss Phil Paine by Chip Greene Taylor Phillips by Rick Schabowski Juan Pizarro by Rory Costello Del Rice by Norm King Mel Roach by David Fleitz Carl Sawatski by Gregory H Wolf Red Schoendienst by Kristen Lokemoen Ray Shearer by William Johnson Warren Spahn by Jim Kaplan Chuck Tanner by Dan Fields Hawk Taylor by Steven Schmitt Bobby Thomson by Jeff Findley Frank Torre by Norm King Bob Trowbridge by Nancy Snell Griffith THE MANAGERFred Haney by Jim Gordon THE COACHES Bob Keely by Gregory H Wolf Johnny Riddle by Nancy Snell Griffith Charlie Root by Gregory H Wolf Connie Ryan by John McMurray GENERAL MANAGERJohn Quinn by Rory Costello County Stadium by Gregg Hoffmann Jane Jarvis by Rory Costello THE SPORTSWRITERS Headlines and Deadlines: Wordsmiths of the Braves by Bob Buege

The team now known as the Boston Red Sox played its first season in 1901. The city of Boston had a well-established National League team, known at the time as the Beaneaters, but the founders of the American League knew that Boston was a strong baseball market and when they launched the league as a new major league in 1901, they went head-to-head with the N.L. in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. Chicago won the American League pennant and Boston finished second, just four games behind.The Boston Americans played in a new ballpark -- the Huntington Avenue Grounds -- literally on the other side of the railroad tracks from the Beaneaters and they out-drew the Beaneaters by more than 2-1, in part because they had enticed some of the more popular players -- player/ manager Jimmy Collins, pitcher Cy Young, and slugger Buck Freeman.This volume represents the collective work of more than 25 members of SABR --the Society for American Baseball Research. It offers individual biographies of the players, team owner Charles Somers, league founder Ban Johnson, and two of the team's most noted fans: Hi Hi Dixwell and Nuf Ced McGreevy. There is also a "biography" of the Huntington Avenue Grounds ballpark and a study of media coverage of Boston baseball in 1901, and a timeline running from the first spring training through that year's postseason games.

The comprehensive story of baseball in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, from the early formation of the National Association, through the shipyard leagues and Little League, all the way to the major league Athletics and Phillies. Includes all the articles found in the summer 2013 print issue of The National Pastime (vol. 43) as well as all the articles included in the unabridged digital issue. From The National Pastime, Volume 43, Print EditionPrelude to the Formation of the American Association by Brock HelanderThe Jefferson Street Ball Parks (1864-91) by Jerrold CaswayPhiladelphia-October 1866: The Center of the Baseball Universe by Jeff LaingDid New York Steal the Championship of 1867 from Philadelphia? by Richard HershbergerMundell's Solar Tips: The Intersection of Amateur, Trade, Professional, and Major League Baseball in Philadelphia by Paul BrowneTuck Turner's Magical 1894 Phillies Season, Or, Whatever Happen to Tuck? by Peter MancusoColumbia Park II: Philadelphia American League (1901-08) by Ron SelterThe Long Way To Philadelphia: The Strange Route Leading Rube Waddell To Join The Philadelphia Athletics by Joe NieseThe Strangest Month in the Strange Career of Rube Waddell by Steven A. KingTim Hurst's Last Call by Rick HuhnThe Delaware River Shipbuilding League, 1918 by Jim LeekeHarry Passon: Philadelphia Baseball Entrepreneur by Rebecca T. AlpertThe Real Jimmie Foxx by Bill JenkinsonThe Day Ted Williams Became the Last .400 Hitter in Baseball by Bill NowlinThe Philadelphia Phillies' 1943 Spring Training by James D. SzalontaiEddie Waitkus and The Natural: What Is Assumption? What Is Fact? by Rob EdelmanPhillies Bonus Babies, 1953-57 by Sam ZygnerTom Qualters's Amazing 1954 Season for the Philadelphia Phillies by Stephen D. Boren MD, FACEP1964 Phillies, Fans, and Media by Andrew MilnerDick Allen's Second Act by Mitch NathansonFan Perspectives on Race and Baseball in the City of Brotherly Love by Jen McGovernFrom The National Pastime, Volume 43, Unabridged Digital EditionConnie Mack by Doug SkipperThe Early Years of Philadelphia Baseball by Rich WestcottPhiladelphia Phillies by Rich WestcottWilliam T. Stecher: Ignominious Record Holder, Community Servant by Jonathan FrankelBaseball's Deadliest Disaster: "Black Saturday" in Philadelphia by Robert D. WarringtonThe Great Philadelphia Ballpark Riot by Robert D. WarringtonDropping the Pitch by Barbara GregorichConnie Mack's Second Great Athletics Team by Bryan Soderholm-DifatteThe 1929 Mack Attack by Jimmy KeenanBlack Tuesday by David JordanA Phil Named Syl by Matthew CliffordConnie Mack and Wartime Baseball-1943 by Norman MachtThe Sultan of Slap and Run by Francis KinlawKids Snatch a Flag by Francis KinlawA Final Season: The 1954 Philadelphia Athletics Finish Eighth, 60 Games Back by Thomas E. Van HyningHandy in a Pinch: Dave Philley by Cort VittyPhiladelphia Area Teams that Have Participated in the Little League World Series by Mark KanterMitch Williams' Amazing Month: Eight Wins Out of the Bullpen by Bob BogartPitch Perfect: Reexamining Brad Lidge's Performance in 2008 Using Win Probabilities Added and Leverage Index by Jim SweetmanPhiladelphia's Other Hall of Famers by Steven GlassmanContributors

Catcher Gus Triandos dubbed the Philadelphia Phillies' 1964 season"the year of the blue snow"a rare thing that happens once in a greatwhile.The Phillies were having a spectacular season in which everything wasgoing right. They held a 6 1/2 game lead at the conclusion of play onSeptember 20. With just 12 games to play, they seemingly had it made.But the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals never gave up, andwhen the Phillies lost ten consecutive games, it became a thrillingpennant race for Cardinals and Reds fans, but a horrific collapse forPhillies fanatics.But wait a minute. When it was seemingly too late, the Philliesfinally won a game--and the first-place Cardinals lost two games to thelowly New York Mets, so on the last day of the season there was thedistinct possibility of a three-way tie for first place. It would havebeen a first in baseball history. On the final day of the season, thePhillies beat the Reds handily, 10-0. All eyes and ears were fixed onthe Mets-Cardinals game. Could the Mets knock off the first-placeCardinals for a third straight game? The Mets carried a 3-2 lead intothe bottom of the fifth inning, but finally succumbed, 11-5.But what a season for Phillies fans. Jim Bunning had thrown the firstperfect game in the last 84 years of NL history. The hero of the 1964All-Star Game was the team's right fielder Johnny Callison, whobrought the National League victory with the third walk-off home runin the history of the All-Star Game. The team also boasted theelectrifying NL Rookie of the Year - the team's slugging third basemanRichie Allen (later called Dick Allen).St. Louis won the pennant, and went on to beat the Yankees in theWorld Series. But in Philadelphia, the '64 campaign left an ache thatlasted for years. The 1964 Phillies not only "lost" the pennant but, following 1964, they got steadily worse.This book sheds light on the facts for the reader to determine answersto lingering questions they may still have about the Phillies team inthe 1964 season--but any book about a team is really about the players.A collaborative effort by 37 members of the Society for AmericanBaseball Research (SABR), this work offers life stories of all theplayers and others (managers, coaches, owners, and broadcasters)associated with this star-crossed team, as well as essays of analysisand historical recaps.Includes: Foreword by Mel MarmerIntroduction by Mel MarmerOpening Day 1964Dick Allen by Rich D'AmbrosioRubén Amaro by Rory CostelloThe Amaro Chronicles by Rory CostelloTwo Gold Glove Shortstops by Rory CostelloJack Baldschun by Chip GreeneDave Bennett by Mark ArmourDennis Bennett by Mark ArmourJohn Boozer by Andy SturgillJohnny Briggs by John SaccomanJim Bunning by Ralph BergerJohnny Callison by John RossiDanny Cater by Brian EnglehardtPat Corrales by James RayWes Covington by Andy SturgillRay Culp by Mark ArmourClay Dalrymple by Rory CostelloRyne Duren by Gregory H WolfTony González by José Ramírez and Rory CostelloDallas Green by Gregory H WolfJohn Herrnstein by Brian EnglehardtDon Hoak by Jack V MorrisAlex Johnson by Mark ArmourJohnny Klippstein by Gregory H WolfGary Kroll by Neil PoloncarzBobby Locke by Paul GeislerArt Mahaffey by Ralph Berger and Mel MarmerCal McLish by Joe WanchoAdolfo Phillips by Rob NeyerVic Power by Joe WanchoEd Roebuck by Paul HirschCookie Rojas by Peter GordonBobby Shantz by Mel MarmerCosten Shockley by Chip GreeneChris Short by Andy Sturgill

A SABR BioProject BookThe 1984 Detroit tigers roared out of the gate, winning their first nine games of the season and compiling an eye-popping 35-5 record after the campaign's first 40 games--still the best start ever for any team in major league history. The tigers led wire-to-wire in 1984, becoming only the third team in the modern era of the majors to have done so. And Detroit's determination and tenacity resulted in a sweep of the Kansas City Royals in the AL playoffs and a five-game triumph over the San Diego Padres in the World Series. And Tigers fans will tell you that the bottom of the eighth inning in Game Five was the first time Kirk Gibson hit an iconic home run in the Fall Classic.Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish!, an effort by the society of American Baseball research's BioProject Committee, brings together biographical profiles of every Tiger from that magical season, plus those of field management, top executives, the broadcasters--even venerable Tiger Stadium and the city itself. A team of more than 40 writers and editors compiled the biographies and supporting essays that make up the most comprehensive look at this remarkable team.Includes biographies of: Glenn Abbott * Rod Allen * Doug Bair * Doug Baker * Juan Berenguer * Dave Bergman * Tom Brookens * Marty Castillo * Scott Earl * Darrell Evans * Barbaro Garbey * Kirk Gibson * Johnny Grubb * Willie Hernandez * Larry Herndon * Howard Johnson * Ruppert Jones * Rusty Kuntz * Mike Laga * Chet Lemon * Aurelio Lopez * Dwight Lowry * Roger Mason * Sid Monge * Jack Morris * Randy O'Neal * Lance Parrish * Dan Petry * Dave Rozema * Bill Scherrer * Nelson Simmons * Alan Trammell * Lou Whitaker * Milt Wilcox * Carl Willis * Tom Monaghan * Bill Lajoie * Sparky Anderson * Gates Brown * Billy Consolo * Roger Craig * Alex Grammas * Dick Tracewski * Paul Carey * Bill Freehan * Ernie Harwell * Al Kaline * George Kell * Larry OstermanAnd articles and contributions from these SABR writers: Adam J. Ulrey, Alan Reifman, Bill Bishop, Brian Borawski, Carl Shinkle, Charles Faber, Chip Greene, Cindy Thomson, Clifford Corn, Dan Scott, Dave Gagnon, David L. Fleitz, David Laurila, David MacGregor, David Raglin, Don Peterson, Doug Hill, Gary Gillette, Glen Vasey, Jason Lenard, Jeanne M. Mallett, Jeffrey Shand-Lubbers, Jerry Nechal, Joanne Hulbert, John McMurray, John Milner, Kent and Chuck Ailsworth, Larry Hilliard, Malcolm Allen, Matt Bohn, Maxwell Kates, Mike Lassman, Mike McClary, Nick Edson, Nick Waddell, Pat Kilroy, Paul Carey, Paul Geisler, Peter M. Levine, Richard L. Shook, Richard Newhouse, Rick Vosik, Stew Thornley, Tracy J.R. Collins, Trey Strecker.

A project of SABR's Nineteenth Century Committee, INVENTING BASEBALL brings to life the greatest games to be played in the game's early years, starting with a game in 1833. From the "prisoner of war" game that took place among captive Union soldiers during the Civil War (immortalized in a famous lithograph), to the first intercollegiate game (Amherst versus Williams), to the first professional no-hitter, the games in this volume span 1833-1900 and detail the athletic exploits of such players as Cap Anson, Moses "Fleetwood" Walker, Charlie Comiskey, Mike "King" Kelly, and John Montgomery Ward. Lavishly illustrated with almost 200 photos and images from the era. 42 SABR members contributed chapters to the effort, including Bill Felber, Bill Nowlin, Bob Bailey, Bob Tiemann, Casey Tibbitts, Charles Faber, Cliff Blau, Craig Waff, David Arcidiacano, Dick McBane, Donald Jensen, Edward Achorn, Frank Vaccaro, Greg Rhodes, Irv Goldfarb, James Rygelski, Jean-Pierre Caillault, Jeff Samoray, Jerry Casway, Jerry Grillo, Jim Overmyer, Jimmy Keenan, Joanne Hulbert, John Bauer, John Husman, John Thorn, John Zinn, Jon Barnes, Kathy Torres, Lyle Spatz, Mark Pestana, Mike Harrington, Parker Bena, Patricia Millen, Paul Browne, Peter Mancuso, Phil Dixon, Rich Bogovich, Richard Hershberger, Terry Gottschall, W. Lloyd Johnson, and William Lamb. Special thanks to Skip McAfee.

Calling the Game: Baseball Broadcasting from 1920 to the Present is an exhaustive, meticulously researched history of bringing the national pastime out of the ballparks and into living rooms via the airwaves. Every play-by-play announcer, color commentator, and ex-ballplayer who has presented a Major League Baseball game to the public is included here. So is every broadcast deal, radio station, and TV network. In addition to chapters for each of the game's thirty franchises, a history of national broadcasting and a look at some of the game's most memorable national broadcast moments are included, as are a foreword by "Voice of the Chicago Cubs" Pat Hughes, and an afterword by Jacques Doucet, the "Voice of the Montreal Expos, 1972-2004." Each team chapter presents a chronological look from how and when the team began broadcasting (since all of the original sixteen major-league franchises predate radio) through the 2014 season. Author Stuart Shea details the history and strategies that shaped each club's broadcast crews, including the highlights and scandals, the hirings and firings, the sponsorships and corporate maneuverings. From the leap to Brooklyn from the radio booth of the Atlanta Crackers by young Ernie Harwell, to the dismissal of Mel Allen by the Yankees, from the tutelage of the now-legendary Vin Scully under the wing of the already legendary Red Barber, to the ascendance of the great Jack Buck to the number one chair in St. Louis upon the ouster of Harry Caray, the stories of the personalities who connect us to the game are all here. Calling the Game is an illuminating look at the people and the story behind the soundtrack of summer for millions of baseball fans.

OPENING FENWAY PARK WITH STYLE: The 1912 World Champion Red Sox is the collaborative work of 27 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). This book, which contains over 300 period photographs and illustrations, has at its core the individual biographies of every player on the team, even Douglass Smith--who appeared in just one game. There are also biographies of owner John I. Taylor and American League founder Ban Johnson. The book also contains a detailed timeline of the full calendar year, with essays on the construction of brand-new Fenway Park and its first renovation, as the team (which won the pennant by 14 games) prepared for Fenway's first World Series. The 1912 World Series remains one of the most exciting in baseball history, extending to eight games because of a 14-inning tie game in Game Two. In Game Eight the Giants scored a tie-breaking run to take a lead in the top of the 10th inning, only to see Boston come back with two in the bottom of the 10th to win at home. Other articles in the book detail intriguing topics including a fascinating spring training, during which Sox players joined the hunt for a murderer in Hot Springs, life in Boston in 1912, and how the newspapers and telegraph reported the games in the days before radio, television, or the internet. It may surprise some to learn of the thousands of people who crowded outside the downtown offices of newspapers so they could get batter-by-batter updates on the progress of the World Series games-in-progress.There are more than a dozen books celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, but only this one is devoted to the 1912 season itself, providing the context for the then-new park which remains home to Boston baseball a century later.

Long before the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season, Boston's now nearly forgotten "other" team, the 1914 Boston Braves, performed a baseball "miracle" that resounds to this very day. The "Miracle Braves" were Boston's first "worst-to-first" winners of the World Series. Shortly after the turn of the previous century, the once mighty Braves had become a perennial member of the National League's second division. Preseason pundits didn't believe the 1914 team posed a meaningful threat to John McGraw's powerful New York Giants. During the first half of that campaign, Boston lived down to such expectations, taking up residence in the league's basement.Refusing to throw in the towel at the midseason mark, their leader, the pugnacious George Stallings, deftly manipulated his daily lineup and pitching staff to engineer a remarkable second-half climb in the standings all the way to first place. The team's winning momentum carried into the postseason, where the Braves swept Connie Mack's heralded Athletics and claimed the only World Championship ever won by Boston's National League entry. And for 100 years, the management, players, and fans of underperforming ball clubs have turned to the Miracle Braves to catch a glimmer of hope that such a midseason turnaround could be repeated. Through the collaborative efforts of a band of dedicated members of the Society for American Baseball Research, this benchmark accomplishment is richly revealed to the reader in The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions. The essence of the "miracle" is captured through a comprehensive compendium of incisive biographies of the players and other figures associated with the team, with additional relevant research pieces on the season. After a journey through the pages of this book, the die-hard baseball fan will better understand why the call to "Wait Until Next Year" should never be voiced prematurely.

In One-Win Wonders, we meet 78 players whose time in the major leagues included only a single pitching win. One-Win Wonders is a companion book to the 2021 SABR book One-Hit Wonders, which included biographies of players who had gotten only a single hit.The 78 players whose biographies are presented here are among the 915 players who completed their major-league career with just one win. An astonishing 229 of those never lost a game, ending with a career record of 1-0. Some simply had very brief stays in the majors, like Bill Ging "With the Wonderful Wing" who joined the Boston Beaneaters at the tail end of 1899 and secured a 2-1 complete game victory over the New York Giants, but found himself without a team when the National League contracted from 12 teams to eight in 1900. Then there's Nick Adenhart, whose career was tragically cut short by a drunk driver hours after securing his win for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Others, like catcher Brent Mayne, were position players who wound up on the mound and left with a victory. Mayne's win came in an epic extra-innings contest between the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves, after the last pitcher on the roster was ejected after a brawl. Each of the current 30 major-league franchises is represented by at least one such wonder, as are a number of other teams, some dating back to the nineteenth century. One-Win Wonders represents the collaborative work of nearly 60 researchers, authors, and editors from the Society for American Baseball Research.

Ebbets Field is one of the most cherished of baseball's lost ballparks. This book tells the story of Ebbets Field through several feature essays and stories of nearly 100 historic games played there.Relive the historic debut of Jackie Robinson, the 1949 All-Star Game, and the first start by 19-year-old Sandy Koufax-a two-hitter in which he fanned 19 batters. Brooklyn's triumphs and heartbreaks in multiple World Series are here, too, along with Jeff Pfeffer's 18-inning complete game in 1919, and Johnny Vander Meer's second straight no-hitter. These games encompass ample heroics of Cookie Lavagetto, Dolph Camilli, Don Newcombe, Sal Maglie, Babe Herman, and Joe Black.Named after Charles Ebbets, majority owner of the Brooklyn baseball club from 1902 until his death in 1925, Ebbets Field was the home of the Dodgers from 1913 until their relocation to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. Whether they were called the Superbas, the Robins (after skipper Wilbert Robinson) or the Dodgers, the club played over 3,400 games at Ebbets Field, as well as 28 World Series games in nine different postseasons. The games included in this volume reflect every decade in the ballpark's history, from the inaugural regular-season game, against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 9, 1913, to the last one, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, in front of just 6,702 spectators on September 24, 1957.This volume is a collaborative effort of dozens of members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

The Fall 2024 issue of the Baseball Research Journal features thirteen articles on a wide range of topics, from the minor leagues to biomechanics, including how the game is changing, or has changed, from the effects of tinkering with the rules (both recent and not), to pioneering personnel. We also have the second half of three two-parters, Ed Denta continuing his look into streaks, Charlie Pavitt wraps up his investigation of why batting average has plummeted, and we finish Peter Dreier's opus on Jews and baseball.   ON THE COVER: Leroy "Satchel" Paige was a living legend during his career, but his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was far from assured, given that many of his best years were spent in the Negro Leagues and were unrecognized by the baseball establishment for quite some time. In this issue, Mark Armour delves into the movement to get Paige into the Hall of Fame and the various obstacles to be overcome.   ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:   “Rachel Balkovec: A Comprehensive Profile” by Barrett Snyder   Rachel Balkovec’s résumé includes several firsts: the first woman to serve as a strength and conditioning coordinator in affiliated baseball; the first woman to do so for a major-league team in Latin American baseball; the first woman hitting coach and All-Star Futures Game coach; and the first woman to manage an affiliated team. In 2022-2023 she served as field manager of the New York Yankees' affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons. Today, she is the director of player development for the Miami Marlins. Based on extensive research and personal interviews, Barrett Snyder presents a detailed picture of this pioneer.   “The Pitcher's Cycle: Definitions and Achievers (1893-2023)” by Herm Krabbenhoft   The goal of this article is to create a "pitcher's cycle" that would be as rare but achievable as the batter's cycle, and then to examine pitchers who have accomplished the feat. I wanted to adhere to the basic definition of a cycle, “a sequence of a recurring succession of events or phenomena,” and create an equivalent to the batter’s cycle: a series of pitching achievements commensurate to a batter collecting the series of all four types of safe hit. A batter’s primary objective is to get on base, which he can achieve entirely by himself by getting a safe hit. A pitcher’s primary objective is to retire the batter, which he can do entirely by himself by striking out the batter. Since there are nine different players in the batting lineup, a reasonable cycle would be for the pitcher to strike out an opposing batter from each slot in the batting order at least once in a game.   "Ghost Stories and Zombie Invasions Testing the Myths of Extra-Inning Outcomes" by Connelly Doan, MA   The decision to introduce “ghosts” and “zombies” to MLB prompts two main questions “Does departing from the tradition of the game actually lead to shorter games?” and “Is the strategy of extra-inning games simplified to sacrifice-bunting the automatic runner to third and hitting a sacrifice fly or a single to score, thus making the game even less exciting?” This paper will present data from extra-inning games from 2018 through 2022 to try to answer these questions. We will look at average innings per extra-inning game, average extra-inning runs scored per game, frequency of extra-inning bunt attempts, bunt success rate, and the game situations when bunt attempts occurred.

In 1934, Ed Bolden's Philadelphia Stars joined the new Negro National League II (NNL2), which had been founded one year earlier. After fending off their intrastate-rivals, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the Stars claimed the NNL2's second-half championship and faced the first-half champions for the title. They defeated the Chicago American Giants to claim the NNL2 crown.Over two dozen SABR members researched the Stars' history for this book, which includes biographies of as many of the team's players as possible, even those who participated in only a single game. The 1934 Stars featured future Hall of Famers Raleigh "Biz" Mackey and Jud Wilson; stalwarts like Phil Cockrell, Webster McDonald, and Chaney White; shooting star Stewart "Slim" Jones; and temporary fill-ins like Frederick Coleman and Clifford "Whip" Irons.Majority owner Ed Bolden, a vital figure in the history of Philadelphia baseball, and minority owner/booking agent Eddie Gottlieb-who is better known to basketball fans-are both featured, as well, along with the history of the Stars' home ballpark in 1934, Passon Field, named after another prominent local baseball entrepreneur. Also included is a complete season timeline, articles about select games such as the epic September 9 Satchel Paige-Slim Jones pitching duel at Yankee Stadium, and a comprehensive write-up of the NNL2 championship series complete this portrait of the 1934 title-winning team.

Willie Mays thrilled baseball fans for more than two decades. He could do it all-in the outfield, at bat, and on the bases. Five Tools tells the story of arguably the greatest baseball player in the game's history, through more than 20 insightful essays and recaps of over 30 of the most significant games in his career. Some essays explore Mays' time in the Negro Leagues and minor leagues, while others examine the the relationship of Mays to his managers, the press, and his mentoring of Bobby and Barry Bonds.The National League Rookie of the Year in 1951 with the New York Giants, Mays made his big-league debut just four years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's shameful color line. He brought with him a dynamic blend of power and speed. Just a few years into his amazing career, he left with his teammates for San Francisco.Mays batted .301 lifetime and belted 660 home runs. He hit more than 50 homers in two seasons and led the National League in stolen bases four times. Mays also won 12 Gold Gloves for his fielding excellence in center field. The "Say Hey Kid" earned a spot on a record 24 All-Star teams. Incredibly, he won just two MVP awards.A collaborative effort of 51 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), this book celebrates a player who was known by some as "Wondrous Willie."

Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America's First Modern Ballpark represents a 100th anniversary celebration of the original Yankee Stadium. The work is the combined effort of 79 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), founded as a nonprofit in 1971.This was the first "modern" stadium; baseball had never seen anything like Yankee Stadium before it was built. It was the first ballpark to include three levels of seating, accommodating more fans by far than any in the country. In its 85-year existence, it hosted more World Series (37) than any other venue and stood as a shrine to baseball generations past in one of the nation's largest cities.Intended as a multipurpose venue from the outset, the Stadium is seen through 40 essays covering not only baseball, but memorable football games, boxing matches, soccer seasons, track and field meets, and wrestling competitions, not to mention rodeos, concerts, and religious and political assemblies. Baseball events at the Stadium embraced not only the New York Yankees-the facility also hosted more than 200 Negro Leagues contests, Hearst Sandlot Classics for developing youth stars, and even an AAGPBL exhibition game.Baseball was always central, though, and the book also includes accounts of 50 of the most notable games in the history of The House that Ruth Built.

The long-awaited third issue of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts is now available for all to enjoy. Featuring over 20 poems, and over 40 total pieces of fiction and creative essays, the issue also includes over 40 original photographs, paintings, and illustrations. Following in the tradition of publications such as Elysian Fields Quarterly, The Minneapolis Review of Baseball, and Spitball, Turnstyle continues the tradition of sharing baseball literature, artwork, and imagery. Writers, artists, poets, photographers, and others participate in and reflect on baseball and the arts. The first issue of Turnstyle interspersed contemporary creations by SABR members with examples of baseball literature from the past, while issue 2 was filled entirely with contemporary works. With issue 3, the number of submissions was so voluminous that work on issue 4 has already begun.For many of us, the spectre of COVID-19 meant that attending baseball games was not an option; solitude and quarantine became the norm. During the pandemic, a great number of SABR bards, biographers, photographers, memoirists, storytellers, and artists put pen to paper, brush to canvas, and fingers to keyboard. May we now enjoy the fruits of their labors.This issue includes poems by Kalwinder Singh Dhindsa and Ron Kaplan, essays by Margie Lawrence, Norman L. Macht, and George Skornickel, paintings by Paul Borelli, Adam Korengold, and David Holden, and a photo essay on Hinchcliffe Stadium by Donna Muscarelli, along with many additional contributions by John Jakicic, Joey Nicoletti, Richard M.Campbell,Jr., Dick Butler, Francis Kinlaw, John L. Green, Gabriel Bogart, Matthew Perry, Peter M. Gordon, George Skornickel, Joseph Stanton, William B.(Bryan) Steverson, Jared Wyllys, Duane Victor Keilstrup, Jack Buck, Ryan Isaac, Bruce Harris, Adam Young, Paul Moorehead, Jason A. Schwartz, Kyle Newman, and Justin Klugh.

Harvey Haddix pitched one of the most notable “near perfect” games in professional baseball history when he completed 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 26, 1959. Unfortuantely, Haddix lost the perfecto and the Pirates lost the game in the 13th inning. Although Major League Baseball decreed that such performances be removed from the “official” no-hitters list, those games make for an intriguing list of their own. Haddix’s career was not without other highlights. A three-time All-Star, and three-time Gold Glove winner, he was also the winning pitcher of Game Seven of the 1960 World Series. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: “The Death and Rebirth of the Home Team Batting First” by Gary Belleville In the early days of baseball, it was common for a home-team captain to choose to bat first, rather than last. Games could be played with a single ball, and so being the first team to take swings at a new sphere was believed to be advantageous. However, in the late 1880s Henry Chadwick was a strong proponent of batting last. He passionately advocated his position in print several times in 1888. In the August 8 edition of Sporting Life, he wrote, “Will the League captains kindly... point out wherein going to the bat first in a match equals the desirable advantage of having a chance for a winning rally which going to the bat last gives a team?” “Trades from Hell: A Tale of Two Cities” by William Shkurti The major league baseball clubs of Cleveland and Cincinnati have much in common. In the 1960s both teams traded away popular homegrown slugging outfielders. The Indians traded away Rocky Colavito, and the Reds traded away Frank Robinson. In both cases the fan base reacted negatively. Both players thrived for their new teams while their old teams continued to struggle. And both trades are still ubiquitous today on lists of “worst trades of all time.” Yet within a short period of time, the fate of these two clubs diverged. The Cincinnati Reds bounced back to enjoy a dominant decade of success as the Big Red Machine. The Cleveland Indians descended into a pattern of futility that lasted 35 years. “Quantifying the Effect of Offseason Contract Extensions on Short-Term Player Performance” by Muyuan Li, Greg Plithides, and Max Plithides Sabermetricians have studied the effects of free agency and long-term contracts on player performance, but they have spent far less time studying the effect of big offseason contract extensions on performance the following season. This line of inquiry has become increasingly important, as more contract extensions are being made and increasing amounts of money are being dedicated to them. In the 2019–20 offseason alone, pre-free agency player extensions amounted to $1.7 billion. Since 2020, many young stars including Wander Franco (21), Fernando Tatis Jr. (22), and Francisco Lindor (27) have foregone free agency to sign long-term deals with their clubs in excess of $200 million.

Welcome to the windswept plains, lakeshores, towns, and church ballfields in the heart of the Midwest. In this issue of The National Pastime, we barnstorm through Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin, as well as several stops in Illinois, both in Chicago and in towns just a train ride away. The last time the SABR convention was in Chicago, in 2015, the focus was very much on the urban center. So when we found out SABR would be returning to Chicago for the 2023 summer convention, we wanted to broaden the horizon of the publication to see what interesting stories could be discovered if we included not just Illinois but its bordering states. SABR members responded with a plethora of tales. Some of them do concern favorite Chicago topics like beloved Bill Veeck and bedeviled Buck Weaver, and both Smiling Stan Hack and Hack Wilson, Cap Anson and Ken Holtzman, but we’ll also meet a Mexican women’s baseball team based in East Chicago (Indiana), minor league teams from Michigan City (also Indiana) and Wausau, Wisconsin, some baseball-savvy politicians (like Col. Frank Leslie Smith), a card-collecting magnate (Larry Fritsch), and hear all about the Negro Leagues teams who barnstormed through Iowa on a regular basis—often playing each other in league play.

Ty Cobb has reigned over baseball history as a titan of the game, and according to quotes repeated by Cobb’s biographers, he believed the name “Tyrus” to be unique to him. Was the name an invention of his father’s, meant to be a historical or Biblical reference of some kind? In this issue, Dr. William “Ron” Cobb debunks the spurious explanations given by previous chroniclers as to the origin of the name, and offers insight into Cobb family history. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: “More Relief Pitchers Belong in the Hall of Fame: Which Ones?” by Elaina and John Pakutka Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The National Baseball Hall of Fame, reminds us each year on inudction day that the Hall contains the top 1% of major-league players. But that 1% is not evenly distributed across eras or positions. If the “best 1%” standard were applied to the subset of relief pitchers we study in this article, 20 to 30 of them would be in the Hall of Fame. Only nine have won induction. Relief pitchers generate about 10% of the total WAR each year, but constitute only 3% of Hall of Famers. “Balancing Starter and Bullpen Workloads in a Seven-Game Postseason Series” by David J. Gordon, MD, PhD In general, the strategy of routinely removing a starting pitcher in the fifth or sixth inning when the batting order turns over for the third time may win some games by rescuing starters from the Third Time Through the Order Penalty (TTOP), but it leaves a shortfall of innings that must be covered in a seven-game series, leading to overexposure of a limited pool of relievers. The deleterious effect of repeatedly using relievers—an increase of as much as .076 in wOBA—substantially outweighs the effect the TTOP on starters (approximately a .030 increase in wOBA). Protecting starters from the significant but relatively small TTOP does no good if your best high-leverage relievers become fatigued and/or “old hat” to opposing hitters by the time they are needed in the deciding game of a seven-game series. “Keith Hernandez and Cooperstown: A Data Synthesis and Visualization Project” by Stephen D. Dertinger, PhD Our player performance analyses provide interesting insights into Keith Hernandez’s Hall of Fame case. A key component of the ToxPi methodology involves synthesizing multiple, carefully chosen performance metrics into composite scores. Player performances are distilled into single values, while the associated visuals provide a clear indication of where they excelled (and where they did not). Hernandez’s ToxPi Profiles reveal defensive excellence both compared to his contemporaries and compared to Hall of Fame first basemen... [but also] make it clear that his offense also contributes to his Hall of Fame case. Whether considering traditional or advanced statistics, these analyses support the contention that Keith Hernandez belongs in Cooperstown.