There’s exhilarating footage of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig taking batting practice before the 1927 World Series – a kind of perfect encapsulation of the knockout combination these two provided. Watching one finish and the other begin, there is a sense and acknowledgment of the devastation about to be wrought: […]
Frank Baker’s famous sobriquet, “Home Run,” flew into the baseball consciousness for his efforts in the 1911 World Series, when the third baseman touched Rube Marquard and Christy Mathewson for longballs in back-to-back games. The one off Mathewson came in Game 3, and arrived in the top of the ninth […]
During the 1995 regular season, the Cleveland Indians averaged 5.8 runs per game while winning 69 percent of their contests. This combination had last been seen (and perhaps ducked away from) in 1939, when the Yankees of Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Keller, Bill Dickey, Red Rolfe, Joe Gordon and George Selkirk […]
“Sandy Koufax for two weeks …” For nearly 20 years, that’s how I’ve thought of (and described to others) what Kenny Rogers did from October 6 through October 22 in 2006. That was, and is, overstating the case a little bit, but somehow the hyperbole seems appropriate, for what that […]
One of the reflective joys of the postseason comes in the echoes and reverberations, the links to the past that are constructed, seemingly, on the fly. Something happens in the present, or a series of somethings, and almost instantly, moments and performances and names from the past – often having […]
In 2001, Randy Johnson – author of 21 regular season wins, an MLB-best 2.49 ERA and a universe-vibrating 372 strikeouts – had the chance to continue his otherworldliness into the postseason. Chance received, challenge accepted, opportunity knocked outta the park. In six appearances that October and early November, the southpaw […]
There have been 32 Yankees to power through an August and come out at the end with at least nine home runs and at least 23 RBI. Babe Ruth did this on his way toward establishing a new home run record in 1921. Joe DiMaggio did it on his way […]
In 1925, Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett became the first player ever to position himself behind the dish for at least half his games and reach the 20-homer plateau, knocking the ball around for 24 four-baggers. Seemingly empowered by the feat, Hartnett then significantly raised the bar in 1930, producing […]
The Red Sox and Yankees have been tussling since 1903, a span that has seen the clash tally up to nearly 2,300 contests. For the team in Boston, this epic rivalry has witnessed Cy Young and Smoky Joe Wood emerge as the winningest pitchers, each collecting 20 victories against the […]
Rickey Henderson’s 25-year journey across the big leagues saw him don uniforms for nine different franchises, a voyage that ultimately produced 297 longballs to pair with his 1,406 thefts. Many of the members of the 250-homer, 250-steal club experienced a fairly nomadic existence, with 10 of them playing for at […]