Two Strike Noise - A Baseball History Podcast

twostrikenoise
  • 4.8 (64)
  • Baseball
  • Updated Weekly

We talk to you about baseball history & have been described as specializing in Boston Red Sox history. Only one of those are true. It’s isn’t the latter.

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 332 - Somebody Let Us Talk to an Actual MLB Owner?

    It's not every day a real-life Major League Baseball owner agrees to talk to two jabronis from a baseball history podcast, but here we are. Jeff and Mark sit down with Baltimore Orioles chairman and principal owner David Rubenstein to talk about his new book, Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports. They ask what song he wanted to replace "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" with during the seventh-inning stretch, and why he walked away from buying the Orioles before coming back. He talks about the Adley Rutschman trade and how much of it crosses an owner's desk, Pete Alonso changing his own diapers at spring training, and whether spending money really buys wins. The guys also ask whether sports franchise values are in a bubble and what he collects outside of baseball, and he explains why the Tupac bobblehead outsold his own. Then Jeff closes with a personal question as a lifelong A's fan: John Fisher, the vote to move the team to Las Vegas, and whether owners would ever vote against one of their own. Also in this episode: How a Double-A walk-off home run by Michael Cuddyer kept a teammate off American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. Neil Patrick Harris plays the devil in a new Broadway Damn Yankees that moves the story to 2000 and makes the Orioles the team chasing the Yankees, with a Steinbrenner granddaughter producing. A planned community in Herriman, Utah, where every street is named after a Red Sox figure, and Jeff's grudge against the Salt Lake Bees' new ballpark. Mel Allen returns with a 1979 This Week in Baseball quiz on the last pitcher to win an MVP, and Wax Pack Heroes wraps up its season with 1991 Leaf cards sent in by listener Dave P. Topics: David Rubenstein, Baltimore Orioles owner, Inside the Owner's Box, Carlyle Group, MLB owner interview, Adley Rutschman trade, Pete Alonso, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Camden Yards, seventh-inning stretch, MLB CBA, MLB lockout, sports franchise valuations, John Fisher, Oakland A's relocation, Las Vegas A's, Joe Lacob, Michele Kang, Vida Blue, Charlie Finley, Michael Cuddyer, Brad Thomas, New Britain Rock Cats, September 11 baseball, Damn Yankees Broadway, Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough, Haley Swindal, Steinbrenner, Herriman Utah, Red Sox street names, Salt Lake Bees, This Week in Baseball, Mel Allen, MVP pitchers, 1991 Leaf baseball cards, Wax Pack Heroes Connect With Us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/. #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

  2. Sep 26

    Episode 331 - Tony Mullane, Baseball's First Sexy, Unwashed, Ambidextrous Jerk

    Tony Mullane hurt his right arm in a distance-throwing contest, taught himself to throw left-handed, and on July 18, 1882, became the first pitcher in Major League history to throw with both arms in the same game. Two months later he threw the first no-hitter in American Association history, a game that also featured Pete Browning getting called out as an illegal baserunner after forgetting he had a pinch runner. Jeff follows "The Apollo of the Box" from running away from home in Erie, Pennsylvania, to the Louisville Eclipse, the St. Louis Browns, Toledo, and Cincinnati: 284 wins, the all-time wild pitch record, contract jumping, a full-season suspension, and a game-fixing accusation. Then there's the other side of Tony Mullane: his treatment of Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first openly Black major leaguer, threatening his own team president, an arrest over a whiskey bill, a divorce granted on grounds of extreme cruelty, and a lawsuit claiming he hit a man with a baseball bat. It all ends with a stint as a Chicago police sergeant and a Hall of Fame case that Cooperstown has never answered.   Also in this episode: Bernie Williams joins Jose Iglesias in the Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway. Jeff quizzes Mark on the Hall of Famers who debuted after 1950 but don't have their numbers retired by any team. The guys run through the best teammate name combos in baseball history, from Black & Decker to Abbott & Costello to the Days of Wine and Rojas. An awkward Mets fan encounter at the grocery store, a check-in on Broccoli Man, and Mel Allen returns with a This Week in Baseball quiz about the last second baseman to hit 20 home runs before 1989. Plus, Wax Pack Heroes goes virtual with 1987 Topps.   Topics: Tony Mullane, switch pitcher, ambidextrous pitcher, first American Association no-hitter, Louisville Eclipse, Pete Browning, Guy Hecker, Moses Fleetwood Walker, baseball color line, Toledo Blue Stockings, Chris Von der Ahe, St. Louis Browns, Union Association, reserve clause, Cincinnati Reds history, 19th century baseball, American Association history, Apollo of the Box, Baseball Hall of Fame debate, most wild pitches, Bernie Williams Broadway, Buena Vista Social Club, Jose Iglesias, retired numbers, Hall of Famers without retired numbers, teammate name combos, This Week in Baseball, Mel Allen, Bobby Grich, 1987 Topps baseball cards, Wax Pack Heroes   The Broadcast Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1dmBOq4b8Ek2Z9sFZvm4dw?si=5JAkBiyRQv2q9M8IegOuDw   Connect With Us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com   Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/.   #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

  3. Sep 19

    Episode 330 - Red Ruffing From the Coal Mine to Cooperstown

    Red Ruffing started work 600 feet underground in an Illinois coal mine at 13, lost four toes in a coupling accident at 15, and turned to pitching because he could no longer run. He went 39-96 for a Red Sox team that finished last in each of his five full seasons there, then was traded to the Yankees in 1930 for Cedric Durst and cash and became the ace Joe McCarthy trusted to start Game 1 of six World Series. Mark tells the story of Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing: the 25-loss season in which he hit .314, four straight 20-win seasons from 1936 to 1939, six World Series championships, a hitting career that included 36 home runs and a .269 average, a no-hitter thrown while serving in the Army Air Corps, a comeback at age 40, a brief stint as pitching coach of the 1962 Mets, and a 1967 Hall of Fame election that required a runoff. Also in this episode: Jeff remembers Isao Harimoto, Japan's all-time hits leader with 3,085, who passed away at 86. The Cubs sign 24-year-old Kippei Mikawa, who pitched in just three games in four years at Rikkyo University and now throws 97 mph after a data-driven comeback. The Angels try to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history. A wave of new baseball media arrives: the Cubs' TikTok rom-com series "Nine Innings to Love," Mark Wahlberg as Pete Rose, and Robert De Niro in talks to play Tommy Lasorda in "Tommy and Me." Plus the TWIB trivia quiz, a listener's podcast recommendation, and Wax Pack Heroes with 1972 Topps cards.   Red Ruffing, Red Ruffing Hall of Fame, Red Ruffing Yankees, Red Ruffing Red Sox, Red Ruffing coal miner, Charles Herbert Ruffing, Red Ruffing 1967 Hall of Fame runoff, Joe McCarthy Yankees, Yankees dynasty 1930s, Isao Harimoto, Kippei Mikawa, Chicago Cubs, Angels 100 losses, Nine Innings to Love, Mark Wahlberg Pete Rose biopic, Robert De Niro Tommy Lasorda, Wax Pack Heroes, 1972 Topps, baseball history podcast, baseball podcast Connect With Us YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/. #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

  4. Sep 5

    Episode 329 - Tales From the Dugout - Ernest Hemingway Edition

    It's another Tales From the Dugout episode, and this one's got range: an 1886 outfielder attacked by a dog mid-play who later invented the rain tarp, Ernest Hemingway getting thoroughly beaten up by a Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher during a drunken boxing match at his own house, a "record" of eight stolen bases in a single inning that almost certainly wasn't real, and a top closer who retired from baseball to become an real-life Indiana Jones. Jeff and Mark also dig into two different ballplayers born at sea, Hoyt Wilhelm's remarkable career path, and a wild home run record set in an independent Canadian league played in a public park with no admission gate. Also in this episode: the guys react to Ted Lasso's new season writing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum into the show, another round of the This Week in Baseball quiz segment, and a Wax Pack Heroes battle using user submitted 1987 Sportflics cards. 00:00 Podcast Cold Open 01:06 Tales From The Dugout Setup 01:47 Ted Lasso Museum Debate 04:06 SABR Plug And Sea Births 07:34 Hoyt Wilhelm Longevity 09:56 Puig In Canadian League 12:23 TWIB Quiz 14:30 Dugout Tales Begin 14:51 Dog Attack And Rain Tarps 18:30 Hemingway Fights A Dodger 26:11 Eight Steals In One Inning 30:09 Brad Lidge The Archaeologist 34:55 Copyright Strike Chaos 35:50 Wax Pack Heroes - SportFlix Pack 01:02:33 TWIB Quiz answer 01:03:13 Wrap Up And Farewell Topics: baseball history, Tales from the Dugout, players born at sea, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ernest Hemingway baseball, 1886 baseball, stolen base records, Washington Senators history, Brad Lidge archeology, Etruscan civilization, Yasiel Puig Canadian baseball, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Ted Lasso, This Week in Baseball, 1987 Sportflics cards, baseball card collecting, Wax Pack Heroes, MLB history, baseball trivia Connect With Us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/. #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

  5. Aug 29

    Episode 328 - Shibe Park's Deadly Opening Day - The Doc Powers Story

    In 190, the Philadelphia Athletics were bursting out of tiny Columbia Park — so owner Ben Shibe built the first concrete-and-steel ballpark in Major League history. But on Shibe Park's opening day in 1909, catcher Doc Powers collapsed with mysterious abdominal pain and was dead two weeks later. Jeff and Mark dig into the real medical story behind his death, bust the myths that have followed him for over a century, and trace Shibe Park's full run — from Ruth's Yankees debut and Ted Williams' .400 season, through Jackie Robinson's record-breaking Philadelphia crowd, all the way to a scoreboard literally catching fire mid-game.   Also in this episode: the guys break down the history of the "Maddux" (a complete-game shutout thrown on fewer than 100 pitches), a listener-submitted WAR showdown between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros' all-time position players, a new recurring segment pulling quiz questions straight from old episodes of This Week in Baseball, the tragic on-field death of Detroit Lions player Chuck Hughes, and another round of Wax Pack Heroes with a fresh batch of 1972 cards.   00:00 Show Intro and Banter 02:01 100 Loss Teams Trivia 04:35 What Is a Maddux 05:21 Famous Maddux Games 09:32 Listener WAR Showdown 14:38 This Week in Baseball Quiz 16:08 Chuck Hughes Tragedy 18:58 Shibe Park Origins 22:45 Building Shibe Park 29:43 Meet Doc Powers 31:25 Eddie Plank and Patience 32:52 Doc Powers Falls Ill 33:30 Misdiagnosis Turns Deadly 34:36 Surgery and Final Words 35:49 Myths About His Injury 38:19 Funeral and Benefit Day 40:39 Shibe Park Spite Fence 43:25 Famous Games at Shibe 46:51 Final Game and Demolition 47:46 Wax Pack Heroes Returns 01:02:01 TWIB Quiz answer and Signoff   Connect With Us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com    Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/.   #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture   Topics: Shibe Park history, Doc Powers, Philadelphia Athletics, Connie Mack, Eddie Plank, dead ball era baseball, Jackie Robinson, Ben Chapman, Ted Williams .400 season, Babe Ruth Yankees debut, Greg Maddux Maddux game, Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, WAR comparison, Chuck Hughes, Detroit Lions, This Week in Baseball, 1972 Topps cards, baseball card collecting, Wax Pack Heroes, MLB history, baseball trivia

  6. Aug 22

    Episode 327 - Jim Creighton Baseball's Only Cricket-Related Death

    This week on Two Strike Noise, Jeff and Mark open the show with a tribute to Butch Huskey, the former Met and Mariner who passed away recently. From there, the guys warm up with some batting practice covering Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley's appearance at Game 2 of the 1986 World Series, complete with a camcorder that almost certainly lacked the express written consent of Major League Baseball. They also dig into the surprising smoking culture of Korean baseball, including the union-mandated mid-game smoke break and the hard-boiled eggs that apparently go with it. Jeff highlights Britt Apgar, a 22-year-old pitcher and outfielder for the LA Queens of the newly launched Women's Professional Baseball League, who has overcome a limb difference and an extraordinary set of obstacles to make her mark on the game. The guys also touch on Colby Rasmus's niece Kinley tearing it up at the Little League World Series.   The main topic this week is Jim Creighton, baseball's first superstar, who played when Lincoln was president, helped invent the art of actually trying to get hitters out, and died at 21 in one of the game's oldest and most debated mysteries. Then it's on to Wax Pack Heroes, where Jeff and Mark crack open Upper Deck Choice cans from the home run era — Mike Piazza, A-Rod, J.D. Drew, Jay Bell, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McLemore all make appearances, and Jeff extends his lead on the all-time scoreboard. 00:00 Podcast Intro and Tribute 01:35 Mariners Misery Check In 03:19 Billy Joel Mets Easter Egg 07:17 KBO Smoke Break Mystery 10:19 Women in Baseball Spotlight 16:06 Main Topic: Jim Creighton 56:09 Competitive Gamer Story 57:37 Wrap Up And Plugs Two Strike Noise, baseball history podcast, Jim Creighton, baseball's first superstar, Brooklyn Excelsiors, 1860s baseball, Billy Joel 1986 World Series, Christie Brinkley Shea Stadium, Korean baseball smoking break, Britt Apgar WPBL Women's Professional Baseball League, Colby Rasmus Little League World Series, Butch Huskey, Wax Pack Heroes, Upper Deck Choice cans, Mike Piazza, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, J.D. Drew, Jay Bell, Mark McLemore, baseball cards   Connect With Us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com    Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/.   #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

  7. Aug 8

    Episode 326 - The Best Worst Crawfords Team Ever

    The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords won the Negro National League championship with four future Hall of Famers on the roster — and their most famous player never put on the uniform all season. Jeff traces how numbers-racket money built a dynasty, why Satchel Paige spent the year pitching in Bismarck, North Dakota instead of Pittsburgh, and how a seven-game series against a first-year New York Cubans franchise came down to a 0-for-10 pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth. Also in this episode: a new baseball movie filming with Emma Stone and Chris Pine gets spotted live at a Mets game, Sesame Street's Elmo and Cookie Monster continue their surprise ballpark tour, a George Costanza calzone bobblehead gets announced in the Bronx, and Wax Pack Heroes returns with a batch of 2010s-era cards. Topics: Pittsburgh Crawfords, Negro National League, 1935 Negro National League Championship Series, New York Cubans, Satchel Paige, Gus Greenlee, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson, Sam Bankhead, Martin Dihigo, Leroy Matlock, Pat Patterson, Negro Leagues baseball history, Bismarck baseball, House of David baseball, Yankee Stadium 1935, baseball history podcast, vintage baseball cards Connect With Us: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com Support a Great Cause: Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/. #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

  8. Aug 1

    Episode 325 - Pepper Martin, Who Technically Still Hasn’t Actually Retired

    Before he was a two-time World Series champion and four-time All-Star, Pepper Martin was jumping freight trains to spring training to save a dime. After he retired, he was choking out an umpire in Havana. In between: smoke bombs disguised as a fire emergency, a painting crew that wasn't hired to paint, a hospital room cowboy band concert nobody asked for, a stint running an Oklahoma City hockey team, and a batting line across two World Series that's still a Major League record today. Jeff traces the full career of Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin — the Wild Horse of the Osage — from a cotton farm in Temple, Oklahoma to a fistfight in Cuba, with stops at Comiskey Park, the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (twice), and Branch Rickey's office.   Also in this episode: Jeff and Mark remember Blue Jays closer Duane Ward, who passed away at 62 during a reunion for Toronto's back-to-back championship teams. A position player picks up a two-RBI single off a catcher making his first career pitching appearance. Mets utility man Jose Iglesias/Canelita heads to Broadway for the Buena Vista Social Club musical. And Wax Pack Heroes returns with a batch of 1972 Topps cards sent in by a listener.   Topics: Pepper Martin, Wild Horse of the Osage, St. Louis Cardinals, Gas House Gang, 1931 World Series, 1934 World Series, Philadelphia Athletics, Connie Mack, Branch Rickey, Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Frankie Frisch, Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Mississippi Mudcats, Oklahoma City Warriors, Miami Sun Sox, Florida International League, Havana baseball history, Vallie Eaves, Duane Ward, Jose Iglesias, Buena Vista Social Club, 1972 Topps, Wax Pack Heroes   00:00 Cold Open Banter 01:31 Remembering Duane Ward 03:14 Pitcher Gets a Hit 05:41 Jose Iglesias Hits Broadway 08:32 Time Machine to Havana 11:17 Pepper Martin Revealed 12:28 From Oklahoma to the Cards 15:39 1931 Breakout World Series 16:46 Vaudeville and Sophomore Slump 21:07 Pranks and Gas House Gang 25:56 Barnstorming and Hospital Hijinks 27:50 Branch Rickey Lays Down Law 30:30 Final All Star and Mud Cats Band 32:23 Minor League Manager and 1944 Return 33:27 Pepper Martin Later Years 34:55 Freight Train To Spring 36:04 Clubhouse Legend Wrap 36:42 Wax Pack Heroes Begins 56:02 Scoreboard And Fan Poll 57:32 Outro And Socials   Connect With Us: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com   Support a Great Cause: Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/.   #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #popculture

See All (333)

4.8
out of 5
64 Ratings

About

We talk to you about baseball history & have been described as specializing in Boston Red Sox history. Only one of those are true. It’s isn’t the latter.

Information

You Might Also Like