Baseball History Podcast

Floyd Caves Herman, nicknamed “Babe,” was born June 26, 1903 in Buffalo, New York. He was one of the most noted power hitters of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Rickey Henley Henderson was born December 25, 1958 in Chicago, Il but Rickey moved to Oakland, California at age 7. He is baseball’s major-league all-time leader in stolen bases, by a very wide margin. He is also its most prolific run scorer ever.

Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel was born April 29, 1934 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Aparicio came from a baseball family. His father, Luis Sr. was a notable shortstop in Venezuela and owned a Winter League team with Aparicio’s uncle, Ernesto. Playing side by side with Nellie Fox during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Aparicio helped form the nucleus of one of the slickest-fielding infield combinations in baseball.

Leo Ernest Durocher was born July 27, 1905 in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Nicknamed “Leo the Lip”, Durocher was a controversial and outspoken character whose career was dogged by clashes with authority, umpires, and the press.

William Julius Johnson, nicknamed “Judy,” was born October 26, 1899 in Snow Hill, Maryland. Although his father wanted him to be a boxer, Johnson, who was 5 ft 11 in and only 150 lb, was far better suited for a career in baseball. Johnson began his baseball career in 1918, reaching the top-level Negro Leagues in 1921 with Hilldale, a team for which he played through 1929.

Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez was born October 20, 1937, in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic. When he was signed out of the Dominican Air Force at age 19, high-kicking Juan Marichal already had pinpoint control of his curve, slider, screwball, and blinding fastball, all thrown with a variety of motions.

Charles Herbert Klein was born October 7, 1904 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was known as the “Hoosier Hammer.” He was one of the most prodigious sluggers of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was known as “Babe”, “The Great Bambino”, “The Sultan of Swat”, “The Colossus of Clout”, and “The King Of Crash”. Widely considered to be the best player of all time, Ruth was the prototype of the modern superstar. He was the first player to hit 30, 40, 50, and 60 home runs in a season, and his slugging style forever changed the way baseball was played.

William Stanley Mazeroski was born September 5, 1936 in Wheeling, West Virginia. Although primarily a sterling defensive player, he is best known for winning the 1960 World Series with a game-ending home run in the seventh game. It r emains the only Game 7 “walk-off” home run in World Series history.