Two Strike Noise - A Baseball History Podcast

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
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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
 
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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

Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, joins Two Strike Noise to talk about the museum's $50+ million capital campaign to build a new 30,000-square-foot facility and Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center in Kansas City. From there the conversation covers the story of Branch Rickey's real first choice to break the color line, why Kansas City Monarchs owner J.L. Wilkinson never saw a dime for Jackie Robinson's contract, the deliberate showmanship of players like Willie Wells and Goose Tatum, the case for Negro Leagues legends most fans have never heard of, and the connection between Banana Ball's Indianapolis Clowns revival and the original barnstorming era.
 
Also in this episode: Mark and Jeff open with a Family Ties rerun packed with unexpected Yogi Berra trivia, the surprise return of the Baseball Beyond Batting Average podcast, MLB reportedly floating a rain delay to protect World Series primetime ratings, and a ranking of MLB broadcast booths by their color commentators' combined career WAR. Then it's another round of Wax Pack Heroes with a run of vintage 1987 Topps cards.
 
Topics: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick, Buck O'Neil, Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey, Monte Irvin, Effa Manley, J.L. Wilkinson, Kansas City Monarchs, Bill Veeck, Clark Griffith, Willie Wells, Goose Tatum, Martin Dihigo, Mule Suttles, Bullet Rogan, Biz Mackey, Roy Campanella, Josh Gibson, Shohei Ohtani, Negro Leagues Japan tour, Philadelphia Royal Giants, Banana Ball, Indianapolis Clowns, shadow ball, NLBM capital campaign, Wax Pack Heroes, 1987 Topps
 
00:00 Welcome to Two Strike Noise
02:10 BP Pop Culture Baseball
04:45 Podcast Shoutout Return
06:02 World Series Rain Delay
08:35 Booth WAR Rankings
12:12 Movie Takes and Tease
13:02 Introducing Bob Kendrick
13:56 Museum Expansion Vision
16:53 Who Broke the Barrier
22:36 Showmanship and Shadow Ball
25:59 Unsung Greats Dihigo
29:29 Modern Players Fit Today
31:55 Negro Leagues in Japan
37:06 Josh Gibson Legends
41:25 Banana Ball and Atmosphere
46:34 How to Support the Museum
48:34 Museum Support Links
48:45 Fundraiser Plans
49:31 Wax Pack Heroes
01:15:38 Wrap Up and Ways to Follow
 
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Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com
 
Support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum:
Bob Kendrick and the NLBM are raising funds for a new 30,000-square-foot museum and the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center in Kansas City. Learn more and donate at www.nlbm.com.
Commons4Kids:
We pull a lot of commons in Wax Pack Heroes. Donate your unwanted cards to help spark a kid's interest in the game: https://commons4kids.org/C4K
 
Hashtags:
#podernfamily #podnation #baseball #mlb #history #podcast #baseballcards

A catcher catches a baseball dropped from a blimp and ruins his face in the process, and Jeff and Mark draft baseball players named after months, days, and holidays. Also: the answer to last week's puzzle — how many hits can a team get in one inning without scoring a run?
Also in this episode: A Rickey Henderson story from spring training with the Padres. The universal DH debate. The last time a pitcher stole a base in the American League. Zack Hample straps on a chest protector and tries to break an 80-year-old record. Johnny Bench holds baseballs and Blue-Emu has opinions about it. And Wax Pack Heroes returns with 1972 Topps.
Topics: Guinness World Records baseball, Joe 'Mule' Sprinz blimp catch, Zack Hample baseball record, Johnny Bench baseballs one hand, Gabby Street Washington Monument, Wilbert Robinson grapefruit drop, pitcher stolen bases history, Gene Nelson stolen base, Rickey Henderson spring training, Universal DH history, calendar player name draft, Daniel Vogelbach nickname, hits without runs baseball rules, Warren Cromartie Japan, 1972 Topps baseball cards, Wax Pack Heroes, Two Strike Noise
00:00 Open Banter 01:52 BP Rickey Storytime 03:29 Danny Burgers Nickname 04:42 Hits Without Runs Puzzle 05:10 Calendar Name Draft 14:20 Universal DH Talk 15:08 Pitchers Stealing Bases 18:21 Six Hits No Runs Answer 21:11 Guinness Record Attempts 22:36 Baseballs Dropped From Sky 27:28 Zack Hample Tries It 30:07 Weird Guinness Baseball Feats 33:25 Blue Emu And Bench Hands 36:29 Guinness Baseball Grip Rules 39:32 Wax Pack Heroes Returns1:06:35 Wrap Up And Where To Find Us
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/

Rabbit Maranville spent 23 seasons in the National League, holds the all-time putouts record at shortstop, and has been in the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1954. He also faked his own death, got dangled out of a 14th floor hotel window by Jim Thorpe, and dove headfirst through a moving subway car. Jeff makes the case that Rabbit belongs in one Hall of Fame — just not the one in Cooperstown.
Also in this episode: A minor league bat boy gets tossed for slamming baseballs into an umpire's mask. Jeff introduces a baseball puzzle and spring training stolen bases. And in this weeks version of Wax Pack Heroes, 2010 Topps.
Ump ejects ball boy for aggressive ball delivery - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rVdC3cDn43w
Topics: Rabbit Maranville, 1914 Miracle Braves, Tinker to Evers to Chance, Johnny Evers, Boston Braves history, Baseball Hall of Fame debate, dead ball era baseball, baseball folklore, baseball antics, Jim Thorpe baseball, Ozzie Smith comparison, Brayden Ward stolen bases, Rickey Henderson spring training record, bat boy ejection, 2010 Topps baseball cards, Wax Pack Heroes. 
 
Ump ejects ball boy for aggressive ball delivery - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rVdC3cDn43w
 
0:00 Podcast Cold Open
1:32 Bat Boy Gets Tossed
4:45 Brayden Ward Speedster
8:47 Inning Hits Quiz
10:48 The Trial of Rabbit Maranville
12:29 Subway Jewel Heist
15:40 Early Career and Errors
19:27 1914 Braves and Double Plays
23:56 Sobriety and Late Peak
26:22 Chaos Categories Begin
27:06 Holy Rollers and Japan
29:18 Hotel Pranks Gone Wild
31:09 Umpire Antics
32:52 Public Disturbances and Reflection
36:46 Rabbit’s Redemption Arc
37:47 Hall of Fame Case File
39:04 Defense Only Comparisons
41:14 Posthumous Induction Debate
42:18 Vaudeville Rabbit Stories
43:18 Wax Pack Heroes Begins
1:07:43 Wrap Up and Farewell
 
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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

Jeff and Mark open with light banter before diving into baseball odds and ends, including Aroldis Chapman’s “yes hitter” outing, the show’s odd placement on Red Sox and funny history podcast lists, and White Sox reliever Mike Vassal’s Harry Potter wand-and-hat home run celebration. They share Mets-themed items, from a velvet/velour Mets sweatsuit to the Brooklyn Cyclones’ King of Queens bobblehead night, plus Keith Hernandez’s first-class flight story where a Mets fan doesn’t recognize him until landing. The main history segment spotlights Hall of Fame Yankees pitcher and Reds broadcaster Waite Hoyt, covering his 1920s success, vivid storytelling, off-season funeral home work, and the infamous tale of detouring to Yankee Stadium while transporting a corpse, along with additional Hoyt anecdotes and vaudeville connections. The episode ends with Wax Pack Heroes using listener-sent 1972 cards.
 
00:00 Cold Open and Catch Up
02:32 Yes Hitter Explained
04:35 White Sox Wizard Gear
07:33 Mets Velvet Tracksuit
08:37 King of Queens Night
10:56 Keith Hernandez Flight Snub
14:13 Waite Hoyt’s Baseball Life
38:09 Wax Pack Heroes Returns
53:21 Sudden Death Rookie Stars
58:26 Wrap Up And Where To Find Us
 
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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

On this episode of Two Strike Noise, Jeff and Mark cover recent baseball chatter (Jazz Chisholm borrowing gear, a new baseball rom-com, and the 1986 Wally Joyner knife incident) before welcoming Baseball-Reference’s Adam Darowski for a deep dive on Julio Franco, from his Dominican upbringing and Phillies signing through stints with Cleveland, Texas, the White Sox, and extensive play in Japan, Mexico, Korea, and back in MLB with Atlanta and the Mets, highlighting his longevity, unique batting stance, training regimen, and age-related MLB records. They discuss Franco’s production peaks (including a 1991 AL batting title), his global hit totals and Darowski’s conservative “gap-filling” 4,000-hit-club research projecting Franco past 3,000 MLB hits, plus context from Negro Leagues/Latin American history and Hall of Fame considerations. The episode also closes with a 1987 Topps Wax Pack Heroes card pull and Adam’s Immaculate Grid favorites.
Awesome shot of Julio and other DR players looking fly AF - https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-mlb-shortstops-rafael-santana-julio-franco-news-photo/957081864?adppopup=true
Connect With UsYouTube: www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoiseTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoiseBlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.socialEmail: 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 #JulioFranco #DominicanRepublic #ImmaculateGrid #popculture

On May 17, 1998, David Wells showed up to Yankee Stadium having slept maybe two and a half hours, running on coffee, a single pancake, and whatever was left of Saturday night. He then threw the 15th perfect game in Major League Baseball history in front of 49,820 people who were mostly there for a Beanie Baby. That's the story this week.
We go deep on the whole thing — the legendary SNL after-party that didn't happen, the cast members who swear they were there and provably weren't, the Mandela Effect that turned one hungover pitcher into baseball mythology, and what Wells actually did in the nine years after the game nobody thought he had left in him.
Also in this episode: Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice stop by Letterman to deliver a top 10 list, Steve Garvey turns up as an extra in The Godfather Part II, Wade Boggs earns his nickname on the set of Cheers, and we finally finish that pack of 2003 Topps with Alfonso Soriano, Shawn Green, Al Leiter, and Sean Casey.
Topics include: David Wells perfect game, 1998 New York Yankees, SNL Mandela Effect, Jimmy Fallon David Wells party, Beanie Baby day Yankee Stadium, Chuck Knoblauch throwing yips, Tim McClelland umpire, Don Larsen perfect game, Dock Ellis no-hitter, Dallas Braden perfect game, David Cone knuckleball, Rickey Henderson Hall of Fame, Wade Boggs Cheers, Steve Garvey Godfather, 2003 Topps baseball cards, baseball history podcast, Two Strike Noise
00:00 Open
01:06 Rickey & Rice on Letterman
05:26 Garvey in Godfather
07:18 Boggs on Cheers
10:10 Towel Toss Ejection
12:40 Wells Perfect Game Intro
15:48 Gout and Yankees Context
19:10 The Mystery Party Night
23:28 Hangover to Perfection
30:37 Perfect Game Tension
33:00 Knoblauch Saves It
34:23 Twins Stall Tactics
35:26 Ninth Inning Drama
37:31 Perfect Game Celebration
38:51 Aftermath And Trivia
45:06 SNL Mandela Effect
47:33 Wax Pack Heroes Returns
01:00:50 Final Cards Winner
01:04:11 Wrap Up And Plugs
 
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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

The mailbag delivers. Listener emails this week include a baseball honeymoon, a Jeopardy-funded wedding (not a typo), and a fan who shipped over APBA game materials and a stack of 1972 Topps cards. That last one matters by the end of the episode.
In BP, Jeff and Mark work through the week's oddities: batters watching their own strikeout replays in real time, the phrase "circuit clout" making a comeback, Elmo showing up in the Phillies booth alongside John Kruk, Jazz Chisholm wearing Giancarlo Stanton's pants to break a slump, and a genuinely strange roster trivia note involving the Marlins, Cardinals, and Twins.
The main segment is 1988. Specifically, what happens when a pitcher gets so locked in that the league starts to feel likeit's 1968 all over again. Orel Hershiser threw 59 consecutive scoreless innings that year — breaking Don Drysdale's record — and won the Cy Young while doing it. Jeff puts it in context against Bob Gibson's 1968, the last time people seriously asked whether pitchers had broken the sport.
The episode closes with Wax Pack Heroes, using the 1972 Topps cards the listener sent in.
00:00 Cold Open and Welcome00:18 On Location and Mariners Talk01:31 Mailbag Honeymoon Baseball Stories04:15 APBA Surprise and Wax Packs07:19 BP Big Screens and Circuit Clouts09:11 Elmo in the Broadcast Booth10:52 Jazz Chisholm Wears Stantons Pants13:22 Weird MLB Three Team Trivia15:01 NCIS New Orleans Baseball Cameos16:54 Year of the Pitcher Part Deux44:35 Wax PackHeroes01:07:10 Thanks Plugs Signoff
Connect With UsYouTube: www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoiseTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoiseBlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.socialEmail: 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 #Yankees #RedSox #Cal #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise
 

Jeff and Mark return and open with BP topics including Bobby Witt Jr.’s inside-the-park homer and a minor-league inside-the-park home run created when a fielder slid on a ball and unknowingly plugged it under the turf. They discuss Cal Raleigh ending an 0-for-38 slump by showering in full uniform, then going on the IL, and debate complaints about constant in-stadium audio at Yankee Stadium, including claims Aaron Judge wants Madison Square Garden-style energy and even signals the production booth. In Tales from the Dugout, Mark explains “Eddie Sissons Syndrome” for exaggerated baseball biographies, while Jeff shares an 1883 carrier-pigeon score delivery system and the story of Clarence “Climax” Blethyn’s dentures biting him during a slide. The show ends with Wax Pack Heroes from 2003 Topps, and there's a manager card!.
 
00:00 BP Weird Baseball Moments
15:04 Grounds Crew to Dugout Tales
16:36 Eddie Sissons Syndrome
20:43 Pigeon Scoreboard in 1883
23:30 Dentures Bite Back Story
30:34 Wax Pack Heroes
46:58 Streams and Signoff
 
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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 #Yankees #RedSox #Cal #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise