Baseball History Podcast

John Tortes Meyers, nicknamed “Chief”, was born July 29, 1880 in Riverside, California. Meyers was a member of the Cahuilla tribe, also called the Mission Indians. On the field, the strong but slow-footed Meyers was almost certainly the best offensive catcher of the Deadball Era.

John Andrew Beazley, Jr. was born May 25, 1918 in Nashville, Tennessee. Beazley had a marvelous season in 1942, going 21-6 with a 2.13 Earned Run Average. He capped it off with two wins in the Cardinals’ World Series upset of the Yankees. While serving in the Air Force during WWII, he was sent to pitch for an Army team and severely hurt his arm.

George Albert Tyler, “Lefty”, was born December 14, 1889 in Derry, New Hampshire. Tyler was especially known for his great “slowball”. He employed an unorthodox, overhand crossfire delivery that allowed him to hide the ball longer, making his fastball more effective and aiding his sweeping curve.

Charles Henry Barrett, nicknamed “Red”, was born February 14, 1915 in Santa Barbara, California. Barrett was a right-handed control pitcher who went on to pitch the shortest complete night game with the fewest number of pitches in history.

Walter James Vincent Maranville, nicknamed “Rabbit”, was born November 11, 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Maranville compensated for his lack of size with an overabundance of spunk and determination. Over his 23-year Major League career, spent exclusively in the National League, the wide-ranging shortstop accumulated a record 5,133 putouts and developed a reputation for his eye-popping basket catches.

Thomas Francis Holmes, nicknamed “Kelly” and “Tommie”, was born March 29, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. A .302 lifetime hitter who set a then-National League record with a 37-game hitting streak in 1945, Holmes was one of the toughest men in history to strike out.

Richard Rudolph, nicknamed “Baldy”, was born August 25, 1887 in New York, New York. Spitballer Dick Rudolph rotated in a trio that pitched the 1914 Braves from last place on July 4 to the pennant. Rudolph paced the staff with 27 wins and added two more in the World Series as the Braves swept the Athletics in four games.

Edward Raymond Stanky, nicknamed “The Brat”, was born September 3, 1916 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His original nickname, “The Brat from Kensington,” is a reference to the neighborhood where he grew up. Stanky’s manager Leo Durocher once summed up Stanky’s talents: “He can’t hit, can’t run, can’t field. He’s no nice guy… all the little SOB can do is win.”

John Joseph Evers, nicknamed “The Human Crab,” was born July 21, 1883 in Troy, New York. An excellent bunter, accomplished base stealer, and pesky hitter who usually had the League’s best walk-to-strikeout ratio after his first few seasons, Johnny Evers was considered one of the Deadball Era’s smartest and best all-around players, but he was just as well known for his fiery disposition.

William Walker Cooper was born January 8, 1915 in Atherton, Missouri. Cooper was a solid defensive catcher as well as a strong hitter, making the National League All-Star team every year from 1942 to 1950.