Baseball History Podcast

Arthur Charles Vance, nicknamed “Dazzy,” was born March 4, 1891 in Orient, Iowa. Although he didn’t play his first full season until age 31, Vance was the dominant National League pitcher of the 1920s. After a decade in the Minors, Vance joined the Dodgers in 1922 and used his blazing fastball to win 187 games for them over the next 11 seasons.

Clayton Errol Dalrymple was born December 3, 1936 in Chico, California. Remembered mainly for his strong-armed defense, Dalrymple actually won the Phillies’ regular catching job in 1960 with his bat. While Dalrymple’s hitting declined after his fourth year with the Phillies, his skills behind the plate kept him employed. He handled pitchers deftly and threw out a superior 49 percent of the runners who tried to steal against him during his career.

Salvatore Anthony Maglie, nicknamed “Sal the Barber,” was born on April 26, 1917, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Between 1950 and 1956 Maglie was among the most feared hurlers in baseball. Although he had an ever-present “five o’clock shadow,” Maglie was called “The Barber” for his practice of throwing close to, or shaving, the batter’s chin. He explained, “When I’m pitching, I own the plate.”

Edward James Delahanty, nicknamed “Big Ed”, was born October 30, 1867 in Cleveland, Ohio. The eldest of five brothers who reached the Major Leagues, Ed Delahanty was a powerful slugger in an era of place hitters. He connected for four home runs in one game on July 13, 1896, but was not merely a long-ball threat. He had career average of .346, strengthened by a pair of .400 seasons. He went 6-for-6 in a game on two separate occasions, and exactly one year after his home-run barrage, batted 9-for-9 in a doubleheader.

George Joseph Mullin, nicknamed “Wabash George” or “Big George”, was born July 4, 1880 in Toledo, Ohio. Powerfully built with a fearful fastball and biting curve that Johnny Evers once referred to as a “meteoric shoot,” George Mullin was Detroit’s stalwart right-handed pitcher for 12 years.