Classic Baseball Radio – Détails, épisodes et analyse

MLB’s first three years of post-season action saw the Baltimore Orioles appear each year. In 1971, the Oakland Athletic appeared for the first time and would have their own consecutive run of five years, reaching the fall knockout.

The Orioles had come out on top in 1969 and 1970, winning the league pennant and making it to the World Series both years. Standing in front of them are the Athletes, looking to reach the World Series for the first time since the Philadelphia Athletics in 1931.

Your national broadcast callers are Bill O'Donnell and Chuck Thompson.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197110040.shtml

This game was played on October 4, 1971

As the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves meet for Game 161 and Game 162 to decide who goes into the 2024 Postseason, it's a chance to look back at some of the tiebreakers in the regular season, and specifically the last significant tiebreaker before the postseason expanded from just the World Series into the knockout format we recognise today.

It's back to 1962 and as the season ends, the Giants and the Dodgers are tied at the top of the National League on 101 wins. With just a single spot in the World Series, the teams faced each other over a three-game series. They split the first two games, leading to a win-or-go-home Game 165 and the record for the longest season in Major League history.

This is Game 165.

George Kell and Al Helfer take you through a remarkable quirk of a game.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196210030.shtml

This game was played on October 3, 1962.

It's the opening day of the 1955 season, and leading off for the Cardinals is Wally Moon, who won "Rookie Of The Year" in 1954, memorably hitting a home run during his first At Bat in the Majors. Second in the line-up is Bill Virdon, who would go on to win "Rookie Of The Year" for 1955, giving the Cardinals back-to-back Rookies.

Both would go on to pick up Gold Gloves and World Series Rings, although Moon would eclipse Virdon with three All-Star appearances and three rings, compared to Virdon's two rings. Virdon would head down the managers’ route after retiring in 1968, finishing with a winning record of .519.

Today's broadcast goes back to the start, with the 54 Rookie and 55 Rookie leading off against the Chicago Cubs. Gene Elston, Jack Quinlan, and Bert Wilson call the game.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN195504120.shtml

This game was played on April 12, 1955.

Dave McNally is a legend, first as a starting pitcher and finally as an arbitration reliever. He won more than 20 games in four consecutive seasons, was a three-time All-Star, won two World Series rings, and was the AL wins leader in 1970. He was part of the 1971 Orioles rotation that saw himself, Dobson, Palmer, and Cuellar all post 20 or more wins. He left Baltimore as the then greatest Orioles pitcher to date, with an 181-113 record and a 7-4 postseason record. But it was his short stint with the 1975 Expos that made history. Following poor starts after the trade, McNally pulled himself from the team, there's no ray of hope that it'll get better.” This moment changed baseball forever because McNally never signed his retirement players. Planning a legal challenge to the annual reserve clause, McNally’s status not being under contract yet still bound by the reserve clause saw McNally—a former Union Rep himself—named in the case… an insurance against the still-active Andy Messersmith being placed under contract before the arbitration date. The insurance was never needed, yet McNally's contribution guaranteed the case would proceed and ended Major League Baseball's reserve clause. Rather than a dry court transcription, let's head to the 1974 American League Championship Series, with McNally on the mound for the Orioles, facing off against the Athletics' Ken Holtzman. Your commentators are Herb Carneal & Darrell Johnson. You can find the boxscore here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK197410060.shtml This game was played on October 6, 1974.

As Baseball evolved during the expansion era, so did the role of the pitcher. Where the norm was once for starters to go for the full nine innings, the use of relief pitchers and the emergence of the closing pitcher took over.

And there is no better example of this new role than Rollie Fingers… and his flamboyant moustache.

He set the franchise record for saves at his three major league clubs (the Athletics, the Padres, and the Brewers), was the first pitcher to reach 300 saves (retiring with 341 saves), and continues to hold the record for 'long saves' that stretched over two or more innings, with 135 recorded.

Today's classic game sees the Oakland Athletics welcome the Baltimore Orioles to the Coliseum. The A's aren't yet at full power they would need to win three World Series in a row… but they're getting there.

Your radio team are Bill O'Donnell and Chuck Thompson.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK197104290.shtml

This game was played on May 29, 1971.

Bill James called him “the slowest man who played baseball,” yet his ten years with a batting average over .300 would make him attractive to any team. In his seventeen years, he was the first catcher to earn two NL Batting Awards.

He finished with a career .306, but it was one lapse of concentration in Game 4 of the 1939 World Series he would be remembered for. Taking a hard-hit ball without a protective cup in the tenth inning left him dazed while the World Series winning run stole home.

Rather than the fateful Game 4, let's step back a few days and remind ourselves that a World Series is more than a single play. Lombardi is still catching, Bucky Walters is his starting pitcher, and the game is in the oppressive and hostile Yankee Stadium.

The classic team of Red Barber and Bob Elson are behind the microphone.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA193910050.shtml

This game was played on October 5, 1939.

There are pitchers who have storied careers, workhorses who can support a team’s offence for many years, and pitchers who shine brightly and burn out in a single season.

Fritz Peterson was a workhorse. He had a winning record in seven of his eleven years in the Majors and posted a career 133-131 record. His time and productivity with the New York Yankees puts him currently in ninth-place in the all-time games started, and tent on innings pitched.

However, it was the year 1970 that truly illuminated his career. With a career-best winning percentage of .645, he reached the psychological milestone of 20 wins on the last day of the season. This was also the year he received his only call up to the All-Star Game, a testament to his exceptional performance. Yet, despite these achievements, he never had the opportunity to play in a post-season game.

As the Yankees visit the Athletics, Peterson holds a 2-2 record and he's looking to establish himself in the rotation. Frank Messer and Bob Gamere share play-by-play and color duties in today's classic game.

You can find the boxscore here.

This game was played on May 7, 1970.

Legendary manager and player Whitey Herzog died this week at the age of 92. Here at Classic Baseball Radio, we'd like to take a moment to remember a career that caught fire after the playing ended, with one of his last appearances on the diamond.

Herzog made it to the majors, playing for the Washington Senators in 1956. He spent time with the Athletics, Orioles, and Tigers before retiring from on-field duty in 1963.

Only then, with his playing career no longer a hindrance, would Herzog and his bleached near-white hair find the place the Baseball Gods had carved out for him. Working through various backroom roles, from scout and coach to general manager and director, Herzog found his joy one step back from the diamond.

As a manager, he excelled, racking up six division wins, three pennants, and one World Series-winning team.

For today's game, we're returning to the dead-rubber days of September 1961. The New York Yankees have the pennant pretty much sewn up, and the Orioles have earned third place. Herzog bats in the heart of the order, facing Ralph Terry of the Yankees.

Phil Rizzuto takes you up to the sixth inning, with Mel Allen closing out the microphone game.

You can find the boxscore here.

This game was played on September 20, 1961.

Imagine your playing career saw you selected seven times to play in the All-Star game, led the league in stolen bases, posted four seasons of .300 plus baseball, had a hitting streak of 34 games, and averaged over 100 runs per season throughout your career.

Yet his name is one that never stood out, partly because he's on a Red Sox team with the greatest hitter who ever lived… and his older brother was Joe DiMaggio.

This is the life of Dom DiMaggio, who spent eleven years of his eleven-year career in the Majors with the Boston Red Sox. As with almost every player in the forties, the prime playing career was given to service during World War 2.

David Halberstam called him "the most underrated player of his day”, and it’s not hard to see why.

Let’s remember Dom with today’s game, which is a classic. It's 1949, and the Red Sox are facing the New York Yankees. Boston's finest have posted a 96-57 season against the Yankees 96-57. Yep, it's a winner-takes-all game on the final day of the regular season. Dom is leading off for the Red Sox, with his brother Joe in the clean-up spot for the Yankees.

Speaking of legends… Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy will take you through this crunch game.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA194910020.shtml

This game was played on October 2, 1949.

Can you go through an entire season on First Base without having an error charged to you? Unless your name is Steve Garvey, the answer is no. As you might have surmised, Garvey did just that, posting his yet-to-be-equalled feat in 1984 with the San Diego Padres.

With a career .294 on 2599 hits and 272 home runs, Garvey's no slouch. A standout number, though, has to be his 1270 consecutive games played.

Let's rewind the clock to 1973. It's September 28th, and the Dodgers have sewn up the division and are in a dead rubber with the San Diego Padres. Garvey is camping out, as always, on first base. Years down the line, he’ll join the Padres from the Dodgers, but there were a few All-Star appearances and one World Series ring before that point.

Vin Scully has the microphone.

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN197309280.shtml

This game was played on September 28, 1973.