His dad tried to mold him into the greatest player in baseball history, and almost succeeded, turning Mickey Mantle into a 5 tool, switch hitting idol to millions who homered from both sides of the plate for the first time 65 years ago this week. Mike and Bill look back on the early life of…

In one of the weirder innings in baseball history, 68 years ago this week, the Cincinnati Reds allowed a record 19 consecutive Dodgers to reach base in the bottom of the 1st. By the time the dust settled, 15 runs were allowed by four pitchers on 10 hits, seven walks, and two hit batsmen. Mike…

The second Zoom Hangout with TWIBHistory podcast patrons was really reenergizing for Bill and Mike, and the atmosphere is only improved by one attendee joining from England and two friends of the show, Jacob Pomrenke and Mark Simon. If this sounds like fun to you, head over to Patreon.com/TWIBH and become a patron. There will…

After so many years, it’s easy to forget just how amazing Carl Hubbell was. But he left us with a fantastic reminder, a 24 game winning streak between 1936 and 1937 that ended 83 years ago this week. Hubbell was at his best during the stretch, dragging the Giants to the NL pennant, and cementing…

The history of how the land was acquired to build Dodger Stadium is a long and sad one, involving the seizure of family homes and the eviction of thousands of families from Chavez Ravine. The home of the Dodgers was made possible 62 years ago this week, when Los Angeles residents voted to give the…

In a significant departure from the norm, Mike and Bill talk with renowned podcaster and NY Times best-selling author Mike Duncan (@MikeDuncan) about the computer game Outside of the Park Baseball, and its potential as a way into the sport for young baseball fans. Then (at 1:09:20 in the podcast for anyone not interested in…

It is unfathomable to Mike and Bill, especially on the 21st anniversary of his final appearance as a professional ballplayer at the age of 97, that Negro League great Double Duty Radcliffe has not yet been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Radcliffe’s professional career on the diamond spanned 35 incredible years, playing for…

One of the oldest and most tenured ballplayers of all time, Jack Quinn was also one of the most mysterious. No one, not even he, knew his real name, birthplace, or age. But they did know he was the oldest player to hit a home run, which he did 90 years ago this week. Mike…

It’s probably fair to say that no more important player in baseball history has been talked about less than Larry Doby, the second African-American to break the color line as a player and a manager, which happened 73 and 42 years ago this week, respectively. Mike and Bill try to rectify that just a little,…

Arky Vaughan was one of the most underappreciated superstars in history until his reputation was restored by Bill James. Vaughan’s disappearance has always been linked with an attempted players’ strike with the Dodgers in 1943 that occurred 77 years ago this week. But that’s not the whole story, as Mike and Bill discovered in talking…