TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Nicknamed "Big Poison," Paul Waner passed away on August 29, 1965.

Waner was a hard-hitting outfielder who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning three batting titles and finishing in the top five in MVP voting four times, despite a serious drinking problem. He compiled a lifetime .333 batting average over twenty seasons, and he and brother/teammate Lloyd Waner hold the career record for hits by siblings.

Waner was a legendary drinker. According to his brother Lloyd, "Paul thought you played best when you relaxed, and drinking was a good way to relax." When Pirates management asked Waner to give up drinking in 1938 because Pittsburgh considered themselves contenders for the pennant, he agreed and hit only .280. This marked the only year in his Pirates career that he failed to hit .300. One of the methods Waner would use to sober up before a game was to perform several back-flips on the infield.

Waner collected his 3,000th hit by singling off his old teammate, Pirate hurler Rip Sewell, on June 19, 1942. Waner became the first National Leaguer since Honus Wagner, 28 years before, to reach the milestone.

The Bums of '44
Based on age, the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers were one of the most peculiar teams in baseball history. On their roster, the Dodgers had 17-year old Eddie Miksis, and 18-year olds Ralph Branca, Gene Mauch, and Cal McLish. But the club also had 43-year old veteran Johnny Cooney, and 41-year old Paul Waner.

Best Season, 1927
In just his second season in the major leagues, Waner emerged as the top left-handed batter in the loop. He led the circuit with a .380 batting average, 237 hits, 342 total bases, 18 triples, and 131 RBI. Many of his hits drove in brother Lloyd, who batted .355 and scored 133 runs. Waner won the MVP Award and led Pittsburgh to the World Series, where they were crushed by the Yankees in four straight. Paul hit .333 in the loss - his only post-season appearance.

Most Career Hits, Brothers
The 5,611 hits by Paul and Lloyd Waner exceed those of the five Delahanty brothers and the three DiMaggio brothers.

Notable Achievements
4-time NL All-Star (1933-1935 & 1937)
NL MVP (1927)
3-time NL Batting Average Leader (1927, 1934 & 1936)
2-time NL Runs Scored Leader (1928 & 1934)
2-time NL Hits Leader (1927 & 1934)
NL Total Bases Leader (1927)
NL Singles Leader (1937)
2-time NL Doubles Leader (1928 & 1932)
2-time NL Triples Leader (1926 & 1927)
NL RBI Leader (1927)
100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1927 & 1929)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 9 (1926-1930, 1932-1934 & 1936)
200 Hits Seasons: 8 (1927-1930, 1932, 1934, 1936 & 1937)
Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1952

Todays Podcast

August 29, 1915 — George Sisler again pitches against Walter Johnson and this time wins, 2 – 1. He will be 4-4 for the Browns and 1-2 next year before moving permanently to 1B. Sisler is helped in the 8th inning when Brownie 2B Del Pratt nabs pinch runner Horace Milan, in his major league debut, with a hidden ball trick. Horace is the brother of teammate Clyde Milan.

August 29, 1925 – After a night on the town, Babe Ruth shows up late for batting practice. Miller Huggins suspends Ruth and slaps a $5,000 fine on him for disobeying orders on the field and team rules off the field. Ruth is forced to apologize before he’s reinstated nine days later. The day after his return to the lineup, Ruth hits career home run number 300. A few days later, Ruth will take his case to Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert, who sides with Huggins.

August 29, 1948 — Jackie Robinson hits for the backward cycle when he homers in the first inning, triples in the fourth, doubles in the sixth, and completes the rare event with a single in the eighth. In addition to his ten total bases, the Brooklyn Dodger second baseman drives in two runs, scores three times, and steals a base, helping Brooklyn beat the St Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park, 12-7.

August 29, 1966 — Robin Roberts, getting the Cubs’ 4-2 win in relief, becomes the first and only pitcher to beat the Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta Braves. On Independence Day in 1948, the future Hall of Famer went the distance to notch his third career big league victory, beating the Boston Braves at Shibe Park in his rookie year with the Phillies.

George Altman delivers a 2 run pinch hit single, Roberts pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief. This will be Robert’s last career victory and finish the season with a 5-8 record and 286 career wins. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

August 29, 1966 — Detroit’s Denny McLain tosses 229 pitches, gives up eight hits, walks nine and strikes out 11 in a 6-3 win vs the Orioles his 16th victory on the season.

August 29, 1972 – During a 3-0 win over St. Louis, San Francisco’s Jim Barr retires the first 20 batters to face him, his no hit bid was broken up by a pinch hit double by Bernie Carbo. Six days earlier, Barr had gotten out the last 21 Pittsburgh Pirates to face him in a 8-0 Giants victory, the only Pirates to reach in the game were second inning singles by Willie Stargell and Milt May and a walk to pitcher bob Moose in the third inning. This gave Barr a major league-record of 41 consecutive batsmen retired, which stood until Mark Buehrle broke it 36 years later in 2009 retiring 45 straight.

August 29, 1977 — After four seasons and 1,382 major league at-bats, Duane Kuiper hits his first and only homer. The Indians’ second baseman will come to bat 3,379 times in his 12-year career.

August 29, 1977 – St Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock steals second base in a 4-3 loss to the Padres. It is career steal 893 for Brock, breaking Ty Cobb’s modern record. Brock wasted no time, leading the game off with a walk, he stole second base off the battery of Danny Freisleben and Dave Roberts, he advanced to third and scored on Jerry Mumphries single. Brock would steal another base in the seventh after a force out and was left stranded in the 7th at third in the Cardinal loss.

August 29, 1993 — Joining Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, George Brett becomes only the third player in baseball history to swipe his 200th stolen base as well as collecting 3,000 hits and 300 home runs. The Royals’ third baseman’s historic heist takes place during a 5-4, 12-inning victory over the Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER:  LEFTY O’DOUL

- Ans. O'Doul's New York team stints were…

    1. (1919, 1920), NYY

    2. (1922), NYY

    3. (1923, BOS

    4. (1928), NYG

    5. (1929, 1930) PHI

    6. (1931-1933) BRO

    7. (1933, 1934) NYG

PCL: 1917, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927. (& 19 G in Des Moines)

* The auditors felt it was fitting and proper to correct the number.

- #1 He had 254 hits and batted .398 playing for PHI in 1930.

- #2 His pitching record for BOS in 1923 was 1-1.

Thank you Horsehide Trivia

JOIN CLASSIC BASEBALL BROADCASTS TODAY