A gentleman in demeanour but a superman when slugging. That was Harmon Killebrew, Idaho's greatest home-run hitter and a legend at the plate. He was a 13-times All-Star, a 6-time AL home-run leader, a 3x AL RBI leader, and the 1969 MVP. When he retired, he was fifth in the all-time Home Run record, and his 573 bombs are still enough to hold twelfth place today. He could easily reach the edge of the yard, notably being the first of only four players to ever bat over the left field roof of Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The batting earned him the nickname of "killer" no doubt helped by his name, yet ..read more

He was the the first Caribbean and the first  Latin-American player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame; he hit .317 over 17 years with exactly 3000 hits in a career cut short in a tragic plane crash. He was selected for 15 All-Star games, won 12 Gold Gloves as an outfielder, and led the NL batting tables for four years. On top of that, he undertook countless opportunities to work with charities, always looking to make a difference in people’s lives. When the MLB renamed its trophy to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the ..read more

The Cleveland Indians were the team to beat in 1954, and frankly, nobody in the American League that year showed anything like the form needed to offer a consistent challenge. With a record of 111-43, the Indians walked away with the pennant and a record of .721—a record in the shorter 154-game seasons. They were the clear favorites going into the 1954 World Series, so it was a shock to lose two on the road to the New York Giants. With Game 3 in Cleveland, it was time to regain control from the Giants and get back on track to win the World Series. At least, that's what the Lakefront crowd hope ..read more

Knuckleballer Wilbur Wood may not be one of the first names that come to mind when you ask about notable pitchers, but he left his mark in the books. Take the 1968 season, where he set the record for games pitched (88). He held the AL record for starting games for four years running, with a record 49 games started in 1972.  And in 1972 he set a record that stands to this day. 376 and two-thirds innings pitched in a single season. Let's skip over the other record he still holds, namely the most hits allowed in a single season, with 381 in the 1973 campaign. Today's game is part of that mar ..read more

It would be hard for any pitcher to stand out with Sandy Koufax as a teammate. Don Drysdale made it look easy.  The left-handed Koufax and the right-handed Drysdale are arguably the best pairing in Los Angeles sporting history, no matter the sport.  Drysdale's lifetime ERA of 2.95 curiously matches his World Series ERA on a 3-3 record. Putting aside the first and last years of his 14-year career, he had more than ten wins per season, with 49 shutouts to his name. And he's sixth on the all-time 'Home runs by pitchers' table. Drysdale spent his entire time in the majors with the D ..read more

Minnie Miñoso earned his legendary status countless times. He was the first Afro-Latino in the Majors, the first black player for the White Sox, and one of the first Latin Americans in the All-Star Game. He picked up three Gold Gloves, batted eight seasons over .300, and was the second player to appear in major league games in five different decades. Of course the White Sox retired #9. Our broadcast today goes back to 1953, and Miñoso is on course to post a .313 for the year. The White Sox have 42 wins so far and welcome the Browns, with just 27 wins, to Comiskey Park. Al Helfer and Art Gleaso ..read more

Let's take another game to appreciate the legendary Nolan Ryan. A Hall of Famer who played in the major leagues for 27 years, Ryan laid claim to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time. A lifetime .526 record, a record 5714 strikeouts, a record seven career no-hitters, a joint-record 12 one-hitters, and appearances in four separate decades. Yet he never won a Cy Young Award… perhaps another record he holds (most career walks by a pitcher, at 2795) played a part in that. His career took off when the California Angels picked him regularly as a starting pitcher after the Mets traded him in la ..read more

Pitchers have it easy with their triple crown. Batters find it more of a challenge. Only 18 have achieved it, and only 12 in the live-ball era. Miguel Cabrera managed it in 2012, but you have to go back to 1967 to find the next. And there you'll find Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz racked up 44 home runs, 121 runs batted in, while batting .326. More than enough to take the Triple Crown, along with the MVP, an All-Star appearance, and a Golden Glove. Yastrzemski and the Red Sox in 1967 lived "The Impossible Dream." From a ninth place finish in the AL in 1966, the team lifted the AL pennant on the final d ..read more

Jim Perry made three appearances on the All-Star stage, won the Cy Young Award, lead the AL twice for wins, and in 2023 is 84th on the all-time wins list with 215 successful appearances. Yet you probably know him as the older brother of Gaylord Perry. Curiously, the two pitching brothers only met once. July 3, 1973 with Gaylord pitching for the Twins and Jim for the Tigers. Gaylord was charged with the 5-4 loss, and I'm pretty sure that Jim brought this up over Thanksgiving dinner for many years. Unfortunately, we don't have that game. Instead we're going back a few years to 1970, and the ALCS ..read more

Gaylord Perry won the Cy Young in both the American and National Leagues, had five seasons with over 20 wins, was the third pitcher to rack up 3,000 strikeouts, joined the 300 win-club in 1982, and many more achievements. As the 2023 season ends, Perry is ranked 17th in the all time winners list. Yet Gaylord Perry is remembered for one pitch in his arsenal, the spitball. A pitch with a wicked level of drop while offering a huge amount of control to break inside or out in the hands of a skilled pitcher. And the skill was not getting caught pitching this banned ball. Did Gaylord throw a spitball ..read more