The Official Baseball History Thread

Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
Discuss baseball history here.

In the 1946 World Series, the Cards used the shift against Ted Williams, he was too proud and stubborn to adjust, and the Cards won the World Series.
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
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15,009
connie mack managed the A's for 50 seasons (1901-1950) and won 3,731 games which obviously no one even has a chance of coming close to

imagine an active manager today having been that same team's manager since the 1969 season
 

Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
In 1980 Nolan Ryan became the first million dollar per year player when he signed a four year deal with the Astros. Thanks, Curt Flood
 

Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
connie mack managed the A's for 50 seasons (1901-1950) and won 3,731 games which obviously no one even has a chance of coming close to. Imagine an active manager today having been that same team's manager since the 1969 season
Babe Ruth lived until age 53.
 
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Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
All right everyone. Line up alphabetically according to your height. Casey Stengel
 

Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
It ain't over til it's over.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
It's like deja vu all over again.
You can observe a lot just by watching.
The future ain't what it used to be.
No one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded.

Yogi Berra
 

darko

Registered User
Feb 16, 2009
70,265
7,786
Dave Winfield was once traded for a dinner. Got traded during 94 strike and the season got cancelled so PTBNL never happened. Execs of 2 teams had a dinner and Winfield's new team forked out for the bill.
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,599
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four players have been traded for themselves

the last was john mcdonald in 2005
 

Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
"Mickey Mantle would have been even better if he was healthier and drank less". Meh. Not so much. In a perfect fantasy world everything could be a little bit better. Mantle wrecking his knee his rookie year on a raised sprinkler head in the outfield was certainly not his fault. If you want a smaller, more graceful player gliding around the outfield and drinking less, take Joe DiMaggio and his 155 OPS+.

Mantle was a big, strong, bullish linebacker from OK who played baseball like football and was the best switch hitter ever with incredible power who hit 536 dingers, 1509 RBIs, slugged .557, had a .977 OPS, and his 172 OPS+ is the 6th highest ever (if you don't count Trout). Mantle was a little bit clumsy and he had his demons. After his father died he drank with Billy Martin a lot. Don't ask the 6th best hitter ever to be someone else. Just be grateful he played baseball at all.
 

garnetpalmetto

Jerkministrator
Jul 12, 2004
12,476
11,841
Durham, NC
The shortest professional baseball game ever occurred at Asheville, NC's McCormick Field on August 30th, 1916 between the Asheville Tourists and the Winston-Salem Twins (Class D, North Carolina State League). The two teams had a 2:00 PM game scheduled, but, unfortunately, the Twins had a train to catch (literally) at 3:00 PM. The teams agreed to start half an hour early and in the name of expediency pitchers would lob the ball, batters would swing at everything, and runners would run until tagged out. Both teams forgot to advise the umpires, who arrived somewhere around the 3rd inning. Total time of the game? 31 minutes for 9 innings which saw the Twins win 2-1.
 
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Mr Fahrenheit

Valar Morghulis
Oct 9, 2009
7,764
3,254
In September of 1908 the Giants got a walk off win over the Cubs that was ruled a tie when Merkle, his first start in his career and was on first, didnt touch second on the walk off single. A little controversy as the fans mobbed the field and supposedly the umpire told Merkle to leave and the game was over, also supposedly the Cubs saw him not touch and called for the relay to get the force out but Giants pitcher and first base coach that day saw what they were doing, intercepted the relay and chucked the ball into the stands and some reports said that the Cubs retrieved the ball from a fan and some have said they used some other random ball to get the force out.

Either way at the end of the season the Cubs and Giants were tied for first, with the Pirates half a game back, they played a make up game that would decide the Pennant. The Cubs won the game that sent them to the World Series where they won their last championship for 108 years.

in 1954 when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World, Jackie Robinson stayed on the field to make sure Thomson touched all the basis because of this play, Merkle's Boner
 

Bob Richards

Mr. Mojo Risin'
Feb 9, 2011
10,099
14,967
Jersey
I still think about Fernando Tatis hitting two grand slams in the same inning.

SB Nation talked about it in a recent video and it constantly fascinates me. Has to be one of the most unbreakable records in sports.
 

Say Hey Kid

The best all around player ever
Dec 10, 2007
23,621
5,496
When the Dodgers finally won the 55 World Series, it was a great moment.

When they moved to LA in 58, it was almost as good, because there was hope that Ken Burns would talk about something besides the 3 NYC teams. ;)
 
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Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,599
15,009
I still think about Fernando Tatis hitting two grand slams in the same inning.

SB Nation talked about it in a recent video and it constantly fascinates me. Has to be one of the most unbreakable records in sports.

yeah that'll never happen again
 

GIN ANTONIC

Registered User
Aug 19, 2007
18,786
14,617
Toronto, ON
In 1996 Jim Leyritz hit a three run home run off Mark Wohlers to tie Game 4 at 6-6.

Not sure that one exactly makes the Mount Rushmore of baseball moments but seeing as Jim Leyritz had an 86 OPS+ that year and Wohlers was a 39 save all-star with an ERA + of 146 it was fairly unexpected.
 

tony d

Registered User
Jun 23, 2007
76,590
4,550
Behind A Tree
Since realignment of the divisions in 1994, the following divisions have won the World Series:

AL East: 8 NY Yankees-1996, 1998, 1999, 2000,2009 Boston-2004, 2007, 2013
AL Central: 2 Chicago White Sox-2005, Kansas City-2015
AL West: 2 Anaheim-2002, Houston-2017
NL East: 4 Atlanta-1995, Florida-1997, 2003, Philadelphia-2008
NL Central: 3 St.Louis-2006, 2011, Chicago Cubs-2016
NL West: 4 Arizona-2001, San Francisco-2010, 2012, 2014
 

Bob Richards

Mr. Mojo Risin'
Feb 9, 2011
10,099
14,967
Jersey
Still always curious as to how they figured the lengths of some of these home runs for vintage players. Statcast is cool and its the 21st century so it works for me.

Basically what I'm saying is, how the f*** did Mickey Mantle hit a 565 ft home run? I may be skeptical....
 

darko

Registered User
Feb 16, 2009
70,265
7,786
Still always curious as to how they figured the lengths of some of these home runs for vintage players. Statcast is cool and its the 21st century so it works for me.

Basically what I'm saying is, how the **** did Mickey Mantle hit a 565 ft home run? I may be skeptical....

I'm skeptical too. Plus things get bigger as the story is re-told.
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,599
15,009
carl yastrzemski's .301 avg is the lowest to ever lead a league (1968)

from 1898-1902 the cubs were known as the chicago orphans
 
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