Advertise on podcast: This Week In Baseball History

It's hard to believe that it's been 50 years since the Cincinnati Reds swept the Yankees to loudly and clearly declare themselves a dynasty. Perhaps the strongest lineup in baseball history, the Big Red Machine steamrolled through the postseason without a loss that year to claim its second straight title. Mike and Bill look back on how the Machine was built and then how it ground up the rest of baseball over the course of two summers, and two Octobers. Plus, happy birthday to George Hendrick and Burt Shotten! And farewell to Walpole Joe Morgan and Rollie Sheldon. Logo by Casey Barker

The World Series was seemingly made to create heroes, and Enos Slaughter became one 80 years ago this week when he made his mad dash from first base, scoring the winning run of Game 7 of the 1946 World Series for the Cardinals on a weak double (or perhaps a single) . Slaughter's baserunning immediately became a legend, and he seemingly immediately began undermining his own legacy. On the anniversary of his daring dash, Mike and Bill look back at a Hall of Fame ballplayer, who was perhaps not a Hall of Fame person. Plus, happy birthday to Buttercup Dickerson! And farewell to Larry Christenson. Logo by Casey Barker

It takes a career to make it into the Hall of Fame. But sometimes it just takes one swing or one pitch or one game to become a legend. That happened to the otherwise unremarkable Don Larsen 70 years ago this week, when Don pitched a perfect game against the Dodgers in the World Series. Mike and Bill look back at one of the more imperfect men to achieve baseball perfection, and the self-imposed struggles that may have prevented him from becoming something more. Plus, happy birthday to Sam West and Charlie Liebrandt! And farewell to Rich Rowland and Jim Rittwage.

If you think it's tough spending the Holidays with your siblings, you should try being in the same lineup. That's what happened 28 years ago this week to two sets of brothers: David and Aaron Boone, and Barry and Stephen Larkin. They were all in the same lineup. In the same infield, in fact. It was the kind of forced family therapy that only the Cincinnati Reds could pull together. It's also a great excuse for Mike and Bill to roll out their latest installment in their big league brothers series. So strap in, and let's learn about the Larkins, Glavines, Manushes, Pikes, O'Rourkes, and Gwynns! Plus, happy birthday to Jack Fournier and Todd Worrell! And farewell to Butch Huskey, Tommy John, and Pat Putnam. Logo by Casey Barker

At times, it seemed like Cy Young might just pitch forever. But everything, eventually, meets its end. And Cy won his last big league game 115 years ago this week. In honor of one of the game's true giants, Mike and Bill look back at his long and incredible career that spanned MLB's early and modern history, to discover a pretty decent man who happened to be an amazing hurler, and also that that final win may not have actually been his 511th. Plus, happy birthday to Zeke Bonura and Jeff Cirillo! And farewell to Ossie Blanco and Scott Brown Logo by Casey Barker

They don't really make players like George Sisler these days. A slick fielding, average dependent first baseman who demonstrated incredible bat control but almost no power, leading to two .400 seasons. But, before that, the St. Louis Browns tried to use him as a pitcher as well, culminating in a fantastic performance 110 years ago this week, when he beat Walter Johnson, 1-0. Mike and Bill look back at Sisler's bifurcated career and the random illness that radically altered it. Plus, happy birthday to Eddie Rommel and Thornton Lee! And farewell to Héctor Valle and Duane Ward.

Like the rest of the United States, the baseball world stopped 25 years ago this week when the country suffered the most devastating terrorist attack in its history. There aren't words to adequately describe the sum of the national trauma that still resonates today, but maybe there are words to describe baseball's response. Mike and Bill look back on the 2001 season as a whole, and the first World Series to bleed into November that followed as the sport and its players struggled to adapt to the new reality and traditional villains were embraced by (most) of the nation as heroes. Plus, happy birthday to Willie Crawford and Dave Foutz!

The Pirates proved themselves the best team in baseball in 1971, winning the NL East, the pennant, and the World Series against the Orioles. But they are celebrated these days for another accomplishment, fielding the first all-black and brown lineup in baseball history 55 years ago this week against the Phillies. It was an accidental accomplishment, the result not of social engineering, but of good scouting and good organizational philosophy, and was one of the reasons this team was so great. Mike and Bill look back on this charismatic club, their championship season, and the game that should not overshadow just how incredible they were. Plus, happy birthday to William Bell and Johnny Lindell! And farewell to Phil Regan and Gil Blanco.

Mike is still on vacation this week, so Bill talks to two of our friends who also presented really interesting information at the most recent SABR convention: Adam Daroski, on his quest to identify members of the elusive 400-win club, and Dan Cichalski, on Bruce Springsteen and whether or not you can call a fastball a "speedball" and still know ball (you can).

With Mike away, cruising around the Pacific Northwest, the podcast is on the briefest of hiatuses. But all of baseball was on hiatus until this week, 45 years ago, when the owners and the players finally agreed to resume the 1981 season after missing almost 40 percent of the regular season. Mike and Bill look at the reasons behind the strike, who was at fault, how it got resolved, what effect it had on a deeply weird season, and the uncanny parallels to 2020, when they originally recorded this episode. Plus, happy birthday to Tommie Agee and Bill Monbouquette!

Today, you can follow baseball on the radio, tv, laptops and phones. But that wasn't the case until 105 years ago this week, when the Pirates and Phillies game was sent out over the airwaves to the greater Pittsburgh area. It was the start of a surprisingly slow process that brought us to where we are today due to the owners' intransigence. In honor of this anniversary, Mike and Bill look back at the various ways that baseball broadcasting has changed over the years, from the telegraph to streaming. Plus, happy birthday to Dolf Luque and Red Ames! And farewell to Al Closter, Al Worthington, Ossie Blanco and Derrell Griffith.

With Mike and Bill at the 2026 SABR convention this week, they're reaching into the past to pull out one of their favorite SABR memories, when they got to speak to the great Mike Veeck, with their good friend, Mike Duncan. This was a special epsiode. Mike Veeck is, of course, the son of Bill Veeck, owner of the St. Paul Saints and Charleston River Dogs, business doer, book writer, fun haver, and family man. And there is a fantastic documentary about him and his family on Netflix, The Saint of Second Chances. But, before you watch that, listen to him here as he talks about his amazing life and career in baseball.

Though not talked about much today, there was a time when Joe Medwick seemed like he might become an inner circle Hall of Famer. And never more than 90 years ago this week, when he collected 10 straight hits over the course of three games. Mike and Bill look back at the man they called Ducky (very much against his wishes), and are surprised by his rapid decline after turning himself into one of the most dominant players in the game's history. Plus, happy birthday to Bob Meusel and Denis Menke! And farewell to Eddie Haas and Bob Lacey.

Beat writers and ballplayers have all the best stories, but it's the writers who tell them best. Mike and Bill are reminded of that this week when they talk with legendary Rangers beat writer T.R. Sullivan about his fantastic new memoir, The Texas Rangers and Me: A Baseball Writer's Thirty-Two Years in Arlington about his time covering the ballclub from 1989 through the 2020. T.R.'s candid and funny and his memory for details is incredible almost four decades after getting his start. You're gonna love this. Plus, happy birthday to Johnny Wyrostek! And farewell to Charlie Moore and Mark Bailey.

With Bill still on the mend this week, we're happy to revisit the crazily still relevent story of how and why Arky Vaughn walked away from baseball for three years. Vaughan was one of the most underappreciated superstars in history until his reputation was restored by Bill James. His disappearance has always been linked with an attempted players' strike with the Dodgers in 1943 that occurred 83 years ago this week. But that's not the whole story, as Mike and Bill discovered in talking to Steven Goldman, of Baseball Prospectus and The Infinite Inning. Plus, happy birthday to Tim Teufel and Willie Wilson!