This Week In Baseball History

Mar 06 2025 100 ep. 79 mins 490
This Week In Baseball History Podcast artwork

This Week In Baseball History is a weekly podcast devoted to the history of baseball, hosted by Mike Bates and Bill Parker, the co-founders of The Platoon Advantage and writers on many fine websites.

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Episode 362 - What's All the Hooperla About Harry?

Mar 06 2025 68 mins  
Despite being a fine player for 17 seasons and a World Series hero three times over, Harry Hooper is one of the least discussed Hall of Famers in 2025. But 124 years ago this week, he was the only man who could replace Joe Jackson and return credibilty to the White Sox, who acquired him from Boston. On this anniversary, Mike and Bill look back on one of the best outfielders of the

Episode 361 - Pinstripes and More

Feb 28 2025 71 mins  
Over more than a century, the Yankee pinstripes have perhaps become the most iconic uniform element in all of sports, instantly identifiable to fans everywhere. And 113 years ago this week, the New York then Highlanders announced they'd be wearing them for the first time. Mike and Bill looks back at the history of the uniform pinstripes, as well as the Old English D on Tigers unifo

Episode 360 (Supplemental) - That Missing 6th Inning

Feb 23 2025 4 mins  
Mike accidentally deleted his description of the 6th inning and the unappreciated efforts of Frank McCormick from this week's episode, and so re-presents it here. Apologies!

Episode 360 - Random Game V

Feb 21 2025 90 mins  
With the baseball history cupboard relatively bare this week, Mike and Bill fire up the ol' randomizer, which settles on an early season Reds and Pirates game from April 24th, 1937. In the process of talking about the game, they learn about Paul Waner, Frank McCormick, pitchers who refuse to allow home runs, batters who don't strike out, Forbes Field and more! Plus, happy birthday

Episode 359 - The Rise and Fall of the Senior Professional Baseball Association

Feb 14 2025 75 mins  
After threatening for years, Mike and Bill finally get around to the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Assocation to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the league's only championship. How did this glorious thing come to be and why did it fail? What happened in between? Was its downfall inevitable, or could the idea actually work today? All these questions will be answered (or

Episode 136 (Re-run) - The Dodgers Break Up a Good Thing

Feb 06 2025 71 mins  
There has never been an infield that has played together longer, more often, or perhaps better than the Dodgers' incredible combination of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey, a dynamic foursome that lasted 9 years and 833 starts together. But it all came to an end 38 years ago this week, when Lopes was traded away. Mike and Bill examine the long and excellent care

Episode 358 - Earle Combs Slides Into Cooperstown

Jan 31 2025 90 mins  
More maligned than most inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Earle Combs has developed an unfair reputation over the last decade or so as one of the worst choices of the old Veteran's Committee, 55 years ago this week. Mike and Bill look back at the Kentucky schoolmaster to see whether that reputation is warranted and find a much better player than they expected. Plus, happy b

Episode 357 - The Many Lives of Bob Uecker

Jan 24 2025 85 mins  
In 1961, Chuck Dressen told Bob Uecker that there was no place in baseball for a clown. But Uecker proved him wrong over the next 64 years, becoming a beloved backup catcher, World Champion, scout, broadcaster, actor, raconteur and, eventually, Hall of Famer. He became the very manifestation of the American Dream, the son of an immigrant and high school dropout who found success th

Episode 356 (Re-post) - The Umpire Gets The W

Jan 18 2025 84 mins  
Apologies for the truncated version of this episode that appeared initially. This has been rectified in this re-posting. Bernice Gera tried exceptionally hard to become one of baseball's pioneers. And, in many ways, she succeeded when, 53 years ago this week, a court ordered the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues to hire her as the first professional female umpi

Episode 31 (Re-run) - Glenn Davis Gets Dealt To Baltimore

Jan 09 2025 72 mins  
Apologies for the re-run. Bill's family had a medical issue this week (everyone is fine, thankfully), so we are re-releasing our 2018 episode on the fascinating Glenn Davis and the disastrous trade that Orioles made to acquire him. In the long history of trades, few have ever been so disastrous for a team than the Orioles acquisition of Glenn Davis, 34 years ago this week, for Pete