Baseball History Podcast

Wayne Kirby Simpson was born on December 2, 1948 in Los Angeles, California. In his first season, Simpson started the year by winning 13 of his first 14 decisions, including a one-hitter, a two-hitter, and a three-hitter. But shoulder problems limited him to just two appearances after July.

Richard Hirschfeld Williams was born on May 7, 1929, in St. Louis, MO. Williams’s intense competitiveness and versatility earned him 13 years as a major league utility player. He parlayed those strengths into one of baseball’s most successful managerial careers.

Joseph Oden Rudi was born September 7, 1946 in Modesto, California. It took Rudi several years and hard work to mature as a major-leaguer. His quiet, low-key nature on a team with many flashy characters gave him a reputation as “underrated.” He was an excellent defensive player, a smart hitter, and a good baserunner. His arm was strong and accurate, and he was outstanding in the clutch.

Ronald Ray Fairly was born July 12, 1938 in Macon, Georgia. A competitive player and highly disciplined hitter, Fairly had a short and compact swing with occasional power to all fields. He also walked often enough to post good-to-excellent on-base averages. With his glove, he was a competent first baseman and outfielder.

Cecil Grant Fielder was born September 21, 1963 in Los Angeles, California. Often weighing in at over 250 pounds, Fielder put to full use his considerable girth, massive arms and powerful legs, uncoiling a ferocious, all-or-nothing swing in the classic power-hitter mold that routinely generated both tape-measure blasts and prodigious strikeout totals.

John Alexander “Andy” Messersmith was born August 6, 1945 in Toms River, New Jersey. Messersmith was a good pitcher who spent more than a decade in the majors, but his mound performances will forever be overshadowed by the role he played in the advent of free agency.

Frank Robinson was born in Beaumont, Texas, on August 31, 1935. His aggressive hitting style won the support of fans, with a plate-crowding stance that earned him frequent knockdowns and a hefty number of hit-by-pitcher passes to first.

William Henry Davis, nicknamed “Three Dog,” was born April 15, 1940 in Mineral Springs, Arkansas. Widely considered to be one of the fastest players of the 1960s, Davis had 20 or more stolen bases in eleven consecutive seasons. Along with Maury Wills, he provided speed at the top of Los Angeles lineup, being part of three pennant-winning Dodgers teams.

Jimmie Reese was born October 1, 1901, in New York City.
Jimmie was born in New York City but raised in Los Angeles. At the age of 12 he was a batboy for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. For six years he held the batboy job except for a one-year stint in the U.S. Navy in 1918, where he was a mascot for a Navy team.

JBaseball,history,Baseball History Podcast,Bob Wright,Baseball,World Series,SABR,SABR Baseball Biography Project, was born April 4, 1942 in San Francisco, California. Forever known as the man traded to the New York Mets for Nolan Ryan, Fregosi was the premier power-hitting shortstop in the American League during the 1960s. In the Los Angeles & California Angels first eleven years of play, he became its first star as the team’s most productive and popular player.