Baseball History Podcast

Bert Blyleven was born April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands. His birth name was actually Rik Aalbert Blijleven. Blyleven carved out a great career by possessing the premier curveball of his era. His vicious curve was among the best in baseball for nearly twenty years.

Harold Joseph Traynor, nicknamed “Pie,” was born November 11, 1899 in Framingham, Massachusetts. The pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1920s and ’30s, Traynor was a superior third baseman and a skillful hitter. He batted .320 during his 17-year career, hit .300 or better 10 times, and never struck out more than 28 times in a season.

Charles Benjamin Adams, nicknamed “Babe”, was born May 18, 1882 in Tipton, Indiana. Best remembered for pitching three complete-game victories as a rookie to help the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1909 World Series, Babe Adams was one of the Deadball Era’s greatest control pitchers.

dwin Americus Rommel, nicknamed Eddie, was born September 13, 1897 in Baltimore, Maryland.

He is considered to be the “father” of the modern knuckleball. After retiring as a player he went on to have a successful second career as a major league umpire.