The Phillies MVP Reliever, Jim Konstanty

You may be wondering why we are featuring Phillies’ reliever, Jim Kostanty today, a player most of you have probably never heard of…unless you’re a baseball history nerd like me! Vince Jankoski, in his third and final installment on the evolution of relief pitchers, shows how pivotal Jim was in the development of today’s the modern reliever…

The Great Baseball Tune, “Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio” Debuts 84 Years Ago!

Nineteen forty-one was one of the most notable years in baseball history. Ted Williams hit .406 that year, the last player to hit over .400. The great Lou Gehrig passed away on June 2. And the Dodgers won their first pennant since 1920.  But without doubt, the crowning event that will always mark 1941 as a special year in baseball history was “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio’s amazing 56-game hitting streak…

SELLING OUT THE HARTFORD DARK BLUES!

C’mon now…be honest! How many of you are aware that one of the original teams in the National League was the Hartford Dark Blues? That’s what I thought! Today Ron Christensen gives us a little refresher course in the early days of the National League and the role played by the Hartford Dark Blues. We always look for ways to enchance our knowledge of baseball’s early days,. I found Ron’s essay enlightening and I think you will too…

More Fun With Baseball Rarities: Cubs Andrew Kittredge Throws an “Immaculate inning”!

I had never heard of an “immaculate inning” until Chris Sale threw his on August 26, 2021. With many years of Catholic education under my belt, I was of course familiar with the term, “Immaculate Conception.” But an “immaculate inning”? What gives here? Was it something to do with the Pope? Was he in attendance at the game? Did it have something to do with Holy Water?…

Another Edition of Baseball’s Overlooked Stars! Eppa Rixey Jr.

It seems like a contradiction to say that a Hall of Famer is a forgotten star, but I think the term applies in the case of Eppa Rixley. I’d venture to guess that the vast majority of baseball fans have never heard of him. And does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Mike Janacek returns today with a detailed and interesting look into his career. You can decide for yourself the answer to the question…

Who Else Besides Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson Were Reinstated on May 13th? The Case For Shufflin’ Phil Douglas!

Amid all the media hoopla given to the recent reinstatements of Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, it’s easy to overlook that a total of seventeen players were given a reprieve by Commissioner Rob Manfred. One of the players reinstated was Sufflin’ Phil Douglas, a long forgotten ace pitcher from the early decades of the twentieth century…

I’ve Uncovered the Rarest Baseball Feat Of All! (Read on to find out what it is!)

I always enjoy trying to uncover rarities that occur on the baseball field. In the past, I’ve written about perfect games, unassisted triple plays, four home runs in a game, natural and reverse natural cycles, and the extremely rare “immaculate inning.” These are some of the rarest feats in the game…

“Schoolboy” Johnnie Taylor No-Hits the Satchel Paige All-Stars!

Ron Christensen returns today with an interesting essay about one of the unsung heroes from the Negro Leagues, Johnnie Taylor, shown in the featured photo with Satchel Paige. In one memorable matchup with the acclaimed Hall of Famer, he out-dueled Paige and even pitched a no-hitter! I always welcome the opportunity to enhance our knowledge of the Negro Leagues and it’s many stars, so I think you’ll enjoy reading what Ron has for us today…

The Sad Passing of Lee Elia: Always Be Careful About What You Say – Your Words May Come Back to Haunt You!

A very poignant lesson can be learned from the life of Lee Elia: One bad moment – usually involving a loss of self-control – can stay with us forever and sully our reputation. How many of us would like to have the worst moment of our lives serve as our epitaph? Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Lee Elia…

Let’s Remeber Bucky Harris: Grandfather/Godfather/Inventor of the Modern Relief Pitcher!

Vince Jankoski returns with another installmetn in his series on the evolution of relief pitchers. Today, he highlights the role that HOF manager “Boy Wonder” Bucky Harris played in the development of the modern relief pitcher…

Steve Blass: One Kid’s Home-State Hero!

Ron Christensen returns today with a detailed account of his youthful hobby of collecting baseball cards…and his discovery that pitcher Steve Blass was from his home state of Connecticut. Even though a Yankee fan, this started Ron off on a lifelong connection to the Pirates’ ace. Ron shares an interesting story to which – in many ways – we can all relate. -GL 

Let’s Recall Baseball’s Most Eloquent Moment: The Lou Gehrig “Luckiest Man” Speech, July 4, 1939

Amidst all the Fourth of July celebrations today, all baseball history fans (like us!) should take a few minutes to reflect upon the anniversary of one of the most memorable – yet saddest – days in baseball history. It occurred 83 years ago today on “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day,” at Yankee Stadium between games of a Yankees-Senators doubleheader: Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” Speech…

The Heart-Warming Story of Hall of Fame Slugger Roger Connor and a Little Orphan Named Cecilia

With all the “heavy writing” we do around here on Baseball History Comes Alive, it’s nice every once in a while to step back and simply enjoy a story that, while it has a baseball connection, has nothing to do with anything that happened between the white lines. And so we will today…

Here’s a Streak From 1941 You Probably Aren’t Aware Of! (And no, I’m not talking about DiMaggio!)

The 1941 baseball season is considered by many baseball historians to be one of the greatest ever. As we all know this was the year of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. It was also the year of Ted Williams’ .406 average, the last time a player hit over .400. In addition, the Dodgers won their first pennant since 1920, and faced the Yankees in the Fall Classic. But there was another memorable steak that year that often gets overlooked…

Ray Caldwell’s Unusual Contract – And that’s putting it mildly!

Today Mike Janacek returns with an interesting story of Ray Caldwell’s very unusual contract terms, given to him by his manager, that well-known “Doctor” of psychology, Tris Speaker. As weird as it appears, it seems to have worked!…

Another Edition of Baseball’s Forgotten Stars: John Montgomery Ward

We welcome back Ron Christensen with a detailed look into one of baseball’s forgotten stars from the nineteenth century, Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward. As Ron demonstrates, JMW was truly a “jack of all trades,” and one of baseball’s great innovators…

Bob and Irish Meusel – A baseball family affair

Mark Kolier returns today with an interesting essay about the two Meusel brothers, Emil (Irish) and Bob. Younger brother “Long Bob” had a near-Hall-of-Fame career and is better known due to being a part of the 1927 Yankees’ Murders’ Row. But older brother Irish had a fine career too, as you’ll soon see…

“And Don’t Call Me Catfish!” The Story of Bill Klem

We’re happy to welcome Mike Janacek back today with an interesting essay giving some equal time to the “Men in Blue.” Mike shares with us some interesting information on the career of Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem, who is not only recognized for introducing many innovations to the umpiring profession but is also considered by many historians to be the greatest umpire in baseball history…

Waite Hoyt and the Dead Body in the Trunk!

Amidst all the “heavy” writing we do around here on Baseball History Comes Alive, it’s fun to sit back every once in a while and have a good laugh. I guarantee that will be your reaction when you read Ron Christensen’s essay today about “Waite Hoyt and the Body in the Trunk”…

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