Some weeks, we pick out a game that is a pivotal moment in a team's history. Other weeks, we have a classic matchup. Maybe it's a game of a storied player early in their career?
Not today. Today, it's just a game of baseball. Admittedly, it's one from nearly ninety years ago, but our game is still our game. Sit back as the Senators (31-45) take on the White Sox (50-33).
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA193707210.shtml
This game was played on July 21, 1937.
The 1969 season is underway, and the Minnesota Twins' Rod Carew is already raking up the hits. After seven games, he's posting .388. That form will continue through the rest of the year, his eventual .322 winning him the AL Batting Trophy for the first of seven times—enough for the title to carry his name from 2016. If you want another 1969 stat, Carew steals home seven times (just one short of Ty Cobb's record of eight).
Carew's career record notably contains 15 consecutive seasons batting over .300, starting in 1969; seven 5-hit games; and an overall .328, and elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991. As for legendary status, how about becoming only the 16th player in baseball history to reach 3000 hits?
For today's game, we're early in the season, though, and the 6-6 California Angels are visiting the 7-4 Twins at Metropolitan Stadium.
Monte Moore & Al Helfer take you through the game.
You can find the boxscore here:https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN196904210.shtml.
This game was played on April 21, 1969.
The New York Mets put up a strike-less game in the 2024 National League Championship game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's a rare feat, but even rare are both sides forgetting to get any strikes.
That was the case in the pivotal Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Naturally, everything is on the line. We know that starting pitchers Bob Turley and Vern Law will impress, but the journey makes it wonderful. So here's the journey, with Bob Prince and Mel Allen taking you through to the fairytale finish.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT196010130.shtml
This game was played on October 13, 1960.
MLB’s first three years of post-season action saw the Baltimore Orioles appear each year. In 1971, the Oakland Athletic appeared for the first time and would have their own consecutive run of five years, reaching the fall knockout.
The Orioles had come out on top in 1969 and 1970, winning the league pennant and making it to the World Series both years. Standing in front of them are the Athletes, looking to reach the World Series for the first time since the Philadelphia Athletics in 1931.
Your national broadcast callers are Bill O'Donnell and Chuck Thompson.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197110040.shtml
This game was played on October 4, 1971
As the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves meet for Game 161 and Game 162 to decide who goes into the 2024 Postseason, it's a chance to look back at some of the tiebreakers in the regular season, and specifically the last significant tiebreaker before the postseason expanded from just the World Series into the knockout format we recognise today.
It's back to 1962 and as the season ends, the Giants and the Dodgers are tied at the top of the National League on 101 wins. With just a single spot in the World Series, the teams faced each other over a three-game series. They split the first two games, leading to a win-or-go-home Game 165 and the record for the longest season in Major League history.
This is Game 165.
George Kell and Al Helfer take you through a remarkable quirk of a game.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196210030.shtml
This game was played on October 3, 1962.
He started in the major with the Pirates, and 21 years later, he retired from the majors, having never left Pittsburgh. But Willie Stargell was more than a one-club baseball player; he was the club. That's why the Pirates called him Pops.
They could also have called him Power. Stargell was one of the big hitters of the sixties and seventies, with a career .282 from 2,232 hits and 475 home runs. That career included two World Series rings and 7 All-Star appearances.
For today's game, we turn to a late-season match-up against the Phillies. The Pirates are at the top of the NL East, and the Phillies are 5.5 games back with 20 games left to play. This is a chance for the Phillies to draw themselves closer to the post-seasons and for the Pirates to cement their lead.
We join the Pirates broadcast with Bob Prince and Nelson King taking us through the game.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI197409110.shtml
This game was played on September 11, 1974.
In a decade packed with legends that echo through history, there will be players who rarely grab the historical spotlight. Brooks Robinson might not be the household name of the former, but he's very much a legend.
Starting his major league career in 1955, he played all of his 23 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. In that time, he made third base his own and is arguably one of the greatest third baseman the game has ever seen, with 18 call-ups to the All-Stars, 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, and 2 World Series rings.
To this day, he still holds the record for putouts (2,697), assists (6,205), total chances, and double plays at third base (618).
For today's game, we’re going to early in 1964. Robinson had an offensive slump in the back half of 1963 and has been working with the Orioles hitting coach to find his form again. Listen out for his at bats as the Orioles welcome the Yankees to Memorial Stadium.
It's the familiar team of Phil Rizzuto, Jerry Coleman, and Mel Allen… although 1964 is Allen's debut year, so enjoy his first steps into the radio world.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL196404180.shtml
This game was played on April 18, 1964.
Brought up into the majors by the Detroit Tigers in 152, Al Kaline spent 22 years playing for the Tigers before becoming the Tiger's color commentator until 2003, before heading into the front office until he died in 2020.
His playing record is impressive, passing the 3000-hit mark just before he retired in 1974. Today, nearly fifty years later, Kaline sits at number 32 in the all-time hits table, with 3007 hits to his name. That record includes eighteen all-star games, ten Gold Gloves, and one World Series ring from 1968.
For today's game, we're going back to the final series of the 1972 season. The Red Sox are in first place, just half a game ahead of the Tigers. With three games in the series, both teams need to take two wins to lift the pennant.
Detroit took the first game on October 2nd. One more victory and the season belongs to the Tigers. With four hits and two runs in the first game, Kaline wants to do the same and lift his team over the line.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET197210030.shtml
This game was played on October 3, 1972.
When you win eleven Gold Gloves in eleven years, you know you're one of the best. Keith Hernandez knew he was one of the best. A contact hitter with a career .296, he won two World Series rings, five All-Star appearances, and picked up the NL batting championship award in 1979.
Five years into his career, he cracked the .300 ceiling and never looked back. Yet for this week's game, we will go back to the very first month of his MLB career.
It's September 14th, and Hernandez has been in The Show for three weeks. He was brought up from the minors by the St Louis Cardinals for a challenging September as they unsuccessfully chased the Pittsburg Pirates for the NL East top spot.
Today, they're on the road to the Philadelphia Phillies, who have fallen out of the pennant race but still want a head-to-head victory over the Cardinals. Hernandez is fifth in the order and looking to make a difference…
Your KMOX Cardinals radio team of Jack Buck, Mike Shannon and Bob Starr take you through the game.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI197409140.shtml
This game was played on September 14,1974.
When you look for the winning pitcher across the 1960s, it's impossible to ignore Juan Marichal. The 'Dominican Dandy' gave the Giants their first no-hitter in San Francisco, the first no-hitter seen in Candlestick Park, the first Latin-american no-hitter in MLB history, and the first Dominican player to enter the Hall of Fame.
He also received one of the highest accolades any player can achieve… in 1975, the Giants immortalized his beloved #27, a testament in part to Marichal’s majestic run of 191 victories during the sixties.
Today's game takes us back to the start of his time in the majors. It's June 1962, and the Giants are on a roll with a .690 record. They're on the road to a .518 St Louis, and Marichal is facing Bob Gibson, another name soon to become a legend in his own right.
How about one more legend… your play-by-play comes from one Harry Caray (joined today by Jack Buck).
You can find the boxscore here.
This game was played on June 9, 1962.
What is there to say about Willie Mays, who passed away peacefully last night?
Legend.
There's only one game we could choose. There's only one moment we could highlight. It's Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, Mays is in centre field, and in the top of the 8th, Vic Wertz is going to send an impossible-to-catch ball deep to the outfield of the Polo Grounds.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1195409290.shtml
This game was played on September 29, 1954.
As the four-time NL batting champion, Bill Madlock has an impressive reputation as a hitter. It's even more impressive when you realise he is one of only three right-handed hitters to lift multiple NL batting titles since 1960. The other two are Roberto Clemente and Tommy Davis.
He finished his playing career over the .300 and 2000 mark, with a .305 batting average and 2,008 hits in total, 3 All-Star appearances, and one World Series Ring from 1979.
For today's classic game, we're going right back to the beginning. It is September 1973, and Madlock debuted in the MLB at the start of the month. In the dog days of the Rangers' season, he's finding his footing in The Show. As his team visit the Angels, Madlock is covering third base, and is seventh in the batting order.
Don Drysdale and Dick Enberg take you through the game.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL197309250.shtml
This game was played on September 25, 1973.
Frank Robinson could hit the ball hard. He ran the base paths even harder. A formidable player who has been named MVP for both the AL and NL, the triple crown in 1966, 14 All-Star appearances, and 2 World Series rings.
To this day, he holds the record for walk-off hits, with 26 winning moments to his credit.
In the final years of his playing career, he became the player-manager for Cleveland in 1975 and continued managing until he retired in 2006.
Today's broadcast celebrates the life and achievement of Frank Robinson as we turn the clock back to 1972. Robinson is debuting with the Dodgers on an Opening Day visit to the Reds. The Reds hold a special place in Robinson's career; he debuted in the Majors and won his first World Series with them.
Behind the microphone, you have Jerry Dogget and Vin Scully
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197204150.shtml
This game was played on April 15, 1972.
It's the opening day of the 1955 season, and leading off for the Cardinals is Wally Moon, who won "Rookie Of The Year" in 1954, memorably hitting a home run during his first At Bat in the Majors. Second in the line-up is Bill Virdon, who would go on to win "Rookie Of The Year" for 1955, giving the Cardinals back-to-back Rookies.
Both would go on to pick up Gold Gloves and World Series Rings, although Moon would eclipse Virdon with three All-Star appearances and three rings, compared to Virdon's two rings. Virdon would head down the managers’ route after retiring in 1968, finishing with a winning record of .519.
Today's broadcast goes back to the start, with the 54 Rookie and 55 Rookie leading off against the Chicago Cubs. Gene Elston, Jack Quinlan, and Bert Wilson call the game.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN195504120.shtml
This game was played on April 12, 1955.
As Baseball evolved during the expansion era, so did the role of the pitcher. Where the norm was once for starters to go for the full nine innings, the use of relief pitchers and the emergence of the closing pitcher took over.
And there is no better example of this new role than Rollie Fingers… and his flamboyant moustache.
He set the franchise record for saves at his three major league clubs (the Athletics, the Padres, and the Brewers), was the first pitcher to reach 300 saves (retiring with 341 saves), and continues to hold the record for 'long saves' that stretched over two or more innings, with 135 recorded.
Today's classic game sees the Oakland Athletics welcome the Baltimore Orioles to the Coliseum. The A's aren't yet at full power they would need to win three World Series in a row… but they're getting there.
Your radio team are Bill O'Donnell and Chuck Thompson.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK197104290.shtml
This game was played on May 29, 1971.
Bill James called him “the slowest man who played baseball,” yet his ten years with a batting average over .300 would make him attractive to any team. In his seventeen years, he was the first catcher to earn two NL Batting Awards.
He finished with a career .306, but it was one lapse of concentration in Game 4 of the 1939 World Series he would be remembered for. Taking a hard-hit ball without a protective cup in the tenth inning left him dazed while the World Series winning run stole home.
Rather than the fateful Game 4, let's step back a few days and remind ourselves that a World Series is more than a single play. Lombardi is still catching, Bucky Walters is his starting pitcher, and the game is in the oppressive and hostile Yankee Stadium.
The classic team of Red Barber and Bob Elson are behind the microphone.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA193910050.shtml
This game was played on October 5, 1939.
There are pitchers who have storied careers, workhorses who can support a team’s offence for many years, and pitchers who shine brightly and burn out in a single season.
Fritz Peterson was a workhorse. He had a winning record in seven of his eleven years in the Majors and posted a career 133-131 record. His time and productivity with the New York Yankees puts him currently in ninth-place in the all-time games started, and tent on innings pitched.
However, it was the year 1970 that truly illuminated his career. With a career-best winning percentage of .645, he reached the psychological milestone of 20 wins on the last day of the season. This was also the year he received his only call up to the All-Star Game, a testament to his exceptional performance. Yet, despite these achievements, he never had the opportunity to play in a post-season game.
As the Yankees visit the Athletics, Peterson holds a 2-2 record and he's looking to establish himself in the rotation. Frank Messer and Bob Gamere share play-by-play and color duties in today's classic game.
You can find the boxscore here.
This game was played on May 7, 1970.
Legendary manager and player Whitey Herzog died this week at the age of 92. Here at Classic Baseball Radio, we'd like to take a moment to remember a career that caught fire after the playing ended, with one of his last appearances on the diamond.
Herzog made it to the majors, playing for the Washington Senators in 1956. He spent time with the Athletics, Orioles, and Tigers before retiring from on-field duty in 1963.
Only then, with his playing career no longer a hindrance, would Herzog and his bleached near-white hair find the place the Baseball Gods had carved out for him. Working through various backroom roles, from scout and coach to general manager and director, Herzog found his joy one step back from the diamond.
As a manager, he excelled, racking up six division wins, three pennants, and one World Series-winning team.
For today's game, we're returning to the dead-rubber days of September 1961. The New York Yankees have the pennant pretty much sewn up, and the Orioles have earned third place. Herzog bats in the heart of the order, facing Ralph Terry of the Yankees.
Phil Rizzuto takes you up to the sixth inning, with Mel Allen closing out the microphone game.
You can find the boxscore here.
This game was played on September 20, 1961.
Imagine your playing career saw you selected seven times to play in the All-Star game, led the league in stolen bases, posted four seasons of .300 plus baseball, had a hitting streak of 34 games, and averaged over 100 runs per season throughout your career.
Yet his name is one that never stood out, partly because he's on a Red Sox team with the greatest hitter who ever lived… and his older brother was Joe DiMaggio.
This is the life of Dom DiMaggio, who spent eleven years of his eleven-year career in the Majors with the Boston Red Sox. As with almost every player in the forties, the prime playing career was given to service during World War 2.
David Halberstam called him "the most underrated player of his day”, and it’s not hard to see why.
Let’s remember Dom with today’s game, which is a classic. It's 1949, and the Red Sox are facing the New York Yankees. Boston's finest have posted a 96-57 season against the Yankees 96-57. Yep, it's a winner-takes-all game on the final day of the regular season. Dom is leading off for the Red Sox, with his brother Joe in the clean-up spot for the Yankees.
Speaking of legends… Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy will take you through this crunch game.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA194910020.shtml
This game was played on October 2, 1949.
