Baseball History Podcast

Timothy John “Tim” Keefe, nicknamed Sir Timothy, was born January 1, 1857 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A superior submarine pitcher, Tim Keefe won 342 games in just 14 big league seasons. He ran off a record 19 straight victories during the 1888 season, twice won over 40 games and three times pitched his club to the pennant. He was the first pitcher to post three separate 300-strikeout seasons.

Atanasio Pérez Rigal, more commonly known as Tony Pérez and nicknamed “Big Dog,” was born May 14, 1942 in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. Perez was a fixture on Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine clubs of the 1970s. A native Cuban, he left a job in a Havana sugar-cane factory to sign with the Reds organization. In 1967, he notched the first of seven 100 Runs Batted In seasons.

Ronald Alan Swoboda was born June 30, 1944 in Baltimore, MD. As a 20-year-old Met rookie in 1965, Swoboda hit a career-high 19 home runs. Though his subsequent career performance was a relative disappointment, he was a key member of the 1969 “Miracle Mets.” He collected half of his 52 Runs Batted In in the last five weeks of the season, and hit two home runs to beat Steve Carlton 4-3 the night Carlton struck out 19.

Gregory Michael “The Bull” Luzinski was born November 22, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. Luzinski earned the nickname The Bull with his bulging arms, thick neck, massive body, and viscious righthanded batting stroke. As the Phillies’ left fielder in the 1970s, he teamed with third baseman Mike Schmidt to form a potent slugging combination and help the Phillies to four National League East championships in five years. As the cleanup man for the Phillies, he helped lead them in their most successful decade.

Howard Michael Johnson, nicknamed HoJo, was born November 29, 1960 in Clearwater, Florida. Originally a pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization, Howard Johnson became an infielder to allow his natural batting talents to blossom. When finally given a chance to play regularly with the New York Mets, Johnson established himself as one of the most well-rounded hitters in the game.