Young, eager Choo-Choo Coleman was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1955, however he was soon released. He was picked up by the Brooklyn Dodgers but signed with the Philadelphia Philles in a Rule 5 draft. In 1961, after getting hit by a pitch in his first Major League plate appearance, he played in 33 …
Kevin Connors dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, one day playing for his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. At an imposing six-foot-five, the athletic Connors was a natural at first base, often yelling “Chuck it to me! Chuck it to me!” to his teammates on the neighborhood ball clubs, thus earning him the nickname “Chuck.” Equally …
Nineteen-year-old Ruth Steinhagen went to a Chicago Cubs game in 1947 and was never the same. She became obsessed with Eddie Waitkus, the Cubs’ good looking, young first baseman. Ruth began to gather every bit of information she could on Waitkus. She sought out photos and newspaper clippings about him. Her room in her parents’ …
Pascual Pérez wasn’t a great pitcher, but he certainly was an interesting one. After a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pascual was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He had two consecutive career seasons, winning fifteen games in 1983 and fourteen games in 1984, despite joining the team after an arrest in his native Dominican …
“Hey, Farney, I don’t know if that was you who really caught that ball, but that was pretty good if it was.” After an unremarkable debut with the Toronto Blue Jays, Ryan Freel came into his own with a free agency signing with the Cincinnati Reds. Ryan showed himself to be a pretty reliable and …
In its 130 year history, The Philadelphia Phillies have had their share of high points and low points. They have made it to the World Series several times, including two wins. Their line-ups have featured such celebrated players as Chuck Klein, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and the always controversial Pete Rose. Their …
In 1946, Abe Saperstein, enjoying success from his exhibition basketball team The Harlem Globetrotters, decided to try his hand at baseball. In the same fashion, he assembled a squad of barnstorming all-stars called the Cincinnati Crescents. He signed 6′ 4″ Luke Easter to play first base. Luke was thrilled, as he was only able to …
All-Star first baseman Dick Stuart hit 228 home runs in his 12-year career. Although he never was a league leader for homers, he finished in the top ten for five years. His career batting average was .264. Dick was in the on-deck circle when teammate Bill Mazeroski hit the ninth inning home run to win …
It was late in the 1977 baseball season. Dusty Baker, the Los Angeles Dodgers veteran right fielder, was coming around third base and trotting home on the final ninety feet of his 30th home run of the season. He was greeted at the plate by on-deck batter Glenn Burke, a youngster in his second year …
On September 4, 2012, the struggling Philadelphia Phillies dropped another heartbreaking loss – this time to the National League Central-leading Cincinnati Reds. It was during this game that shortstop Jimmy Rollins racked up his 2000th career hit as a member of the Phillies, joining an elite club of only three additional members – each in …
