Diamond Days

23/09/2025

With all the 'heavy writing" we do around here, every once in a while it's fun to step back and just have a little fun. So I thought this might be a good time to pull out of my old file cabinet an essay I wrote about four years ago on an overlooked baseball topic: ejections. In the featured photo above, we see Leo Durocher doing what he did best - jawing with an umpire. This one was probably taken a few moments before or after he was ejected, one of 94 he received as a manager! -GL

Fun With Baseball Ejections!

In writing about Stan Musial recently, someone mentioned that - not surprising - Stan had never been ejected from a game over his 22-year career. This little tidbit of information got my wheels spinning; and so I thought it would be fun to delve a little further into a topic that is almost always overlooked: baseball ejections.

I wondered how many other prominent players there are that had never been ejected from a game. With a little research, I unofficially came up with the following names, ranked by the number of games played.

Players Never Ejected From a Game (Minimum 1700 Games)

1. Stan Musial – 3,026, 2. Willie Mays - 2,992, 3. Brooks Robinson – 2,896, 4. Robin Yount 2856, 5. Tony Perez* – 2,777, 6. Derek Jeter – 2,744, 7. Paul Waner – 2549, 8. Ernie Banks – 2528, 9. Harmon Killebrew - 2,435, 10. Willie Stargell – 2360, 11. Charlie Gehringer – 2323, 12. Jimmie Foxx – 2317, 13. Ted Williams – 2292, 14. Dale Murphy – 2180, 15. Jim Rice – 2089, 16. Gil Hodges* - 2071, 17. Lloyd Waner – 1993, 18. Bobby Doerr – 1865, 19. Joe DiMaggio – 1736, 20. Vern Stephens, 1720.
*Tony Perez was ejected once as a manager, never as a player.
* Gil Hodges was ejected 7 times as a manager.

Looking at the numbers above compiled from my "unofficial" research, we can see that Stan Musial has played the most games in the long history of the major leagues without an ejection. While not an achievement as coveted as home run records or batting titles, it's still a legacy of which the Musial family can be proud.

In a game where adolescent, juvenile behavior is readily on display and considered acceptable, Stan always conducted himself with proper decorum on and off the field, while always treating the game, his opponents, and the umpires with respect. It goes a long way to demonstrate something we always said: Stan Musial, while a terrific player - one of the all-time greats - was an even better human being.

Let's move on to look at more aspects of baseball ejections.

Most Manager Ejections (Top-15):

Bobby Cox – 161, John McGraw – 132, Earl Weaver - 94, Leo Durocher – 94, Tony LaRussa – 87, Paul Richards – 87, Frankie Frisch - 87, Bruce Bochy - 77, Ron Gardenhire – 73, Jim Leland - 68, Joe Torre - 66, Lou Piniella - 63, Clark Griffith - 58, Bill Rigney – 51, Charlie Manuel – 50, Clint Hurdle – 50, John Gibbons – 50.

Manager Ejections by Percentage of Games Managed (Top-10):

Paul Richards - 4.4%, Earl Weaver – 3.7%, Bobby Cox – 3.7%, Frankie Frisch – 3.6%, Ron Gardenhire – 3.5%, Charlie Manuel – 2.8%, Leo Durocher – 2.5%, John McGraw – 2.4%, Jim Leland – 2.1%, Clark Griffith – 2.1%.

Players Ejected the Most:

Leo Durocher – 21, Milton Bradley – 17, Jackie Robinson - 16, Babe Ruth – 12, Casey Stengel -11. Feel free to add to this list.

Notable Total Ejections, Counting As Player, Manager and Coach:

John McGraw – 147 (132 as manager, 15 as player), Leo Durocher - 125 (94 as manager, 21 as player, 10 as coach), Frankie Frisch - 95 (8 as player, 87 as manager), Tony LaRussa - 88 (87 as manager, 1 as player), Casey Stengel - 54 (11 as player, 40 as manager, 3 as coach), Billy Martin - 55 (6 as player, 49 as manager), Sparky Anderson - 50 (1 as player, 49 as manager).

Most Ejections By Umpire (Top-15):

Bill Klem – 256, Cy Ringler – 192, Hank O'Day – 185, Bob Davidson – 156, Joe West – 151, Silk O’Laughlin – 145, Ernie Quigley – 141, Bob Emslie – 127, Derryl Cousins – 118, Jocko Conlan – 116, Lord Byron – 115, Gary Darling – 111, Frank Dascoli – 106, Augie Donatelli – 103, Rich Garcia – 103.

A Few Ejections Odds and Ends:
-Lou Gehrig was ejected 9 times!
-Eddie "The Brat" Stanky, a known umpire baiter who learned the trade from Leo "The Lip" Durocher, was ejected a total of 49 times (27 as a player, 22 as a manager).
-Mild-mannered Honus Wagner was actually ejected from more games than the irascible Ty Cobb (16-15).
-Saintly Connie Mack was actually ejected once from a game, by umpire Hank O'Day in 1895.
-Cal Ripken, Sr. was ejected 31 times including 23 times as a coach, which may be a record for coaches.
-Some of the reasons for ejections are hilarious. Frankie Frisch was once ejected from a game for "bringing out an umbrella to protest the weather." Another time Frisch was ejected after a call at first base when he "faked fainting."
-John McGraw was ejected for "abusing Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss," another time because "he told umpire he should wear glasses."
-Here's a good one: Leo Durocher (once) and Earl Weaver (twice) were ejected from the pre-game meeting for arguing a call from the previous day!
-Earl Weaver was once ejected for "piling dirt on second base."
-Umpire Paul Pryor, whose autobiography I helped edit two years ago, ejected only 33 players over a 21-year career.
-It's surprising to see Charlie Gehringer on the no-ejections list. He always seemed like a sour puss and it's almost impossible to find a photo of him smiling.

Other notable players and managers: Hank Greenberg – 3, Dizzy Dean – 5, Lefty Grove – 0, Rogers Hornsby - 3, Hank Aaron -1, Mickey Mantle – 8, Tris Speaker – 11, Frank Chance – 23, Yogi Berra - 27, Joe McCarthy -13, Shoeless Joe Jackson - 3, Joe Medwick - 8.

These lists I compiled are all unofficial, so feel free to add to any of the lists. If you have a player who you’d like to know how many times was ejected, just indicate his name below and I’ll give you the answer, as I know where to find the info!

23/09/2025

Fenway Park, Boston, MA, October 9, 1946 - St Louis Cardinals catcher Joe Garagiola, with his mask tossed aside, steps wide of the plate to take pitches from starting pitcher Murry Dickson as Boston Red Sox Ted Williams is giving an intentional pass in the first inning of Game Three of the World Series.

But St Louis skipper Eddie Dyer's strategy would backfire as the next batter in Rudy York with hit a three-run home run scoring Williams and Dom DiMaggio, who doubled ahead of Williams, to give Boston an early 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox would add an insurance run in the eighth inning for a 4-0 advantage and combined with ace Dave Ferriss splendid pitching, a complete game shutout giving up just six Cardinal hits, would give them a 2-1 lead in the series. But Boston would eventually lose the series in seven games despite taking a 3-2 edge, the Cardinals would win Game Six 4-1 and then the deciding game 4-3 to capture their sixth World Series title.

23/09/2025

Negro League Featured Piece by Kevin L. Mitchell

The 1942 Negro League Baseball World Series

After the Chicago American Giants (Negro National League) defeated the Bacharach Giants of the Eastern Colored League (ECL) in 1927, the Negro League Baseball World Series was discontinued. Although never the financial success of the Negro League East-West All-Star Game, the Negro League fall classic gave an indication of black professional baseball’s attempt at relative stability in the face of its economic and racial discrimination barriers. However, the ECL‘s financial problems became fatal and it went out of business before the 1928 season. Also, the NNL had administrative problems due to the lengthy illness of founder Andrew “Rube” Foster. By the time he died in 1930 and with the country in the midst of the worst economic depression in history, Negro League baseball began the new decade having no formal functioning league.

However, by 1942 the state of black baseball had improved. The Negro NNL was resurrected in 1933, this time consisting of teams along the eastern seaboard. The Negro American League (NAL) was established in 1937 consisting of teams in the upper midsection and the southern segments of the country. With the beginning of the country’s involvement in World War II, there occurred a huge rise in military defense industry jobs. This increased employment opportunities and improved the overall economic condition for African Americans in northern and eastern cities of Negro League franchises. It was the beginning of the best years financially for Negro League teams as game attendance increased.

This set the stage in 1942 to revive the Negro League World Series. It pitted two of the most renowned franchises in Negro League baseball history against each other; the Kansas City Monarchs who had won the first black fall classic in 1924 and the Homestead Grays. Each had consistently dominated their league. Since the NAL’s beginning in 1937, the Kansas City Monarchs had won five of the first six league pennants only losing it in 1938 to the Memphis Red Sox. The Homestead Grays also had won five NNL pennants since 1937. Seven of the players in this Series would eventually be enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame: Satchel Paige, Willard Brown, and Hilton Smith of the Monarchs and Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Raymond Brown, and Jud Wilson of the Grays. Also, both owners, the Grays Cum Posey and J. L. Wilkinson of the Monarchs, became Hall of Fame inductees.

The Monarchs won the Series 4 games to 0. Monarch pitchers Paige, Smith, and Jack Matchett stymied the powerful bats of the Grays. For the Series, Leonard hit .250 and Gibson .206. Willard Brown, Buck O’Neil, and other Monarch hitters hammered the Grays starting pitchers; Ray Brown, Roy Partlow, and Roy Welmaker. Kansas City outhit the Grays .345 to .206 and scored 34 runs to the Grays’ 12.

After the Monarchs were ahead three games to none, the Grays’ owner took drastic action. For Game Four, his team’s line up included three players from the Newark Eagles; including Hall of Fame pitcher Leon Day, and one from the Philadelphia Stars. With Day pitching for his team, Posey’s Grays won 4 – 1. But, the Monarch’s filed an official protest because the Grays used players from other teams. Posey claimed he had prior approval from the Monarch’s for the roster changes because the sudden loss of players due to injury and the military draft had decimated the Grays. J. L. Wilkinson denied giving Posey such approval and the Grays saw their victory voided.

After arriving at the ballpark late for Game Four supposedly due to being stopped and given a traffic ticket, Satchel Paige did not start on the mound for the Monarchs. However, he entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Grays winning 5 – 4. He held them scoreless the final five innings and the Monarchs rallied to win the game 9 – 5.
The Homestead Grays would win three Negro League World Series titles over the next six years: 1943, 1944, and 1948. After the 1948 season, the slow but irreversible racial integration of Major League baseball eroded Negro League baseball’s fan base. The NNL disbanded and the Negro League World Series never returned.

23/09/2025

Featured Story by Author Ronald T. Waldo

Today, I share an interview given by one of the players I consider to be my favorite to research and write about connected to baseball’s Deadball Era. After suffering from some self-inflicted issues in 1905, covered in the chapter of a book I am currently working on titled: “Deadball Mayhem: Scoundrels, Scandalous Behavior, and Tragic Events,” George Edward “Rube” Waddell experienced a subpar season one year later. Although Rube went 27-10 in 1905, supported by a 1.48 ERA, he had his share of problems. That record dropped to 15-17 in 1906.

In July 1906, Waddell injured the thumb on his pitching hand. Despite the painful injury, Rube took the mound for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Detroit Tigers at Columbia Park, on July 14. Waddell only lasted three innings, surrendering four runs and six hits, as Philadelphia claimed a 5-4 victory. After removal from the game, Rube held court with a sportswriter that asked an interesting question, since the southpaw hurler did not shy away from enjoying alcohol at times.

“How long ought a good pitcher to last who takes care of himself?” the reporter asked when Waddell walked off the field.

“That’s a hard thing to say,” replied Rube. “No one can tell when an accident is going to happen. There’s Cy Young; he’s been at it 20 years, and I think he’s the best man in the business today. But there’s been men just as good who have to join the down-and-outs almost as soon as they started. I knew a man named Woods [pitcher Walter “Walt” Woods, Rube’s teammate in 1899], of Louisville, that was apparently a comer. A better arm than he had I never saw. He had the speed, the curve, the control; he could put the ball where he wanted it. But one day, right in the middle of a game, he felt something give and his arm was gone. What was the matter no one knew. He was out of it for good, and there was one of the best pitchers I have ever seen gone.”

“There’s been days when Cy Young, good man as he is, couldn’t find the plate. It happens to all of us, and we can’t tell why. All we know is we’re up before a big crowd of people and the ball simply won’t go where it ought to. I feel I’m just as liable as not to throw it over the grandstand when it gets coming that way. That’s all there is to it when a pitcher goes up in the air.”

“How long do you yourself figure on lasting?” asked the sportswriter.

Rube Waddell sighed briefly before responding.

“That’s a hard question, too,” Waddell said. “I’m only 29 years old and ought to have 10 to 12 good years ahead of me, figuring on Cy Young as a basis. But you can’t go on that. These two accidents I’ve had haven’t hurt my pitching arm to any extent, but I think I’ve got rheumatism. If anything gets me it will be that. But I’m going to stay by the game as long as it’ll stay by me.”

Unfortunately for Rube Waddell, his major league career did not last as long as the southpaw hurler hoped. This may not have been the worst thing for his managers, Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns’ James “Jimmy” McAleer, who had to deal with Rube’s stunts. As someone who enjoys reading and writing about Waddell, it’s splendid to come across an interview where the iconic hurler waxes philosophic about his career and craft. For Rube and all players competing for love of the game and to reach magnificent heights, as REO Speedwagon says: “Keep pushin’ on.”

23/09/2025

23/09/2025

“Roy Campanella Night”

On this date in 1959, a record crowd of 92,103 packed into Los Angeles Coliseum to see an exhibition game played between the Dodgers and the Yankees. The occasion was a benefit game played to honor the Dodgers’ great catcher, Roy Campanella. The eight-time Brooklyn Dodger All-Star was only 36 when a car crash on Jan. 28, 1958 – just days before he was scheduled to leave for Spring Training – left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.

22/09/2025

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds."

22/09/2025

The Joe McCarthy Era Begins in New York!

“…The square-jawed little Irishman from Buffalo, New York won more World Series championships than John McGraw and Connie Mack.” –Sportswriter Arthur Daley, speaking of Joe McCarthy

Ninety-two years ago this month, on April 13, 1931, Joe McCarthy made his debut as Yankee manager, beating the Red Sox at Yankee stadium, 6-3. That was the beginning of one of the most successful runs in baseball history. In 16 seasons at the Yankee helm, all he did is go 1460-867 (.627) with eight pennants and seven World Series championships. And all this came after a pennant with the Cubs in 1929, their first in eleven years.

In the featured photo, we see Babe Ruth and Joe McCarthy. But who's the player in the middle? Want to take a guess? The answer is at the bottom of the post.*

McCarthy’s success over 24 seasons ranks him as one of the greatest managers in baseball history. He’s number one in many significant categories, including holding the highest winning percentage during both the regular season (2125-1333, .615) and post-season (26-13, .667), and was the first manager to win pennants in both the National and American Leagues. In a total of 32 years managing in the major and minor league level, his 1922 Louisville club was the only team to finish either with a losing record or below fourth place.

McCarthy cited “health reasons” for his resignation as Yankee manager three months into the 1946 season, but there were also persistent rumors that he resigned due to a personality conflict with the volatile new Yankee president, Larry MacPhail. After two years out of baseball, McCarthy was hired by the Red Sox for the 1948 season after they had finished 14 games behind the Yankees in 1947.

McCarthy continued his winning ways in Boston, compiling a remarkable 229-145 (.606) record. Although he failed to win a pennant in Boston with two heart-breaking second-place finishes, he came awfully close. In 1948, his Red Sox finished in a tie for first with the Indians, but he lost a one-game playoff to the Tribe; and in 1949, he lost the pennant in the final weekend of the season to the Yankees. Ted Williams felt the two emotionally draining second-place finishes took the heart out of McCarthy, adding, “He finally quit during the ’50 season, I think, out of his own extreme disappointment.”

Some detractors believed Joe McCarty’s success was simply due to being fortunate enough to have talented teams. He was once described by White Sox manager Jimmy D***s as a “push-button” manager. Yet McCarthy was an outstanding teacher and developer of talent, and was particularly adept at handling temperamental players such as Hack Wilson, who thrived under McCarthy’s direction, and Babe Ruth. After McCarthy left the Cubs, Hack Wilson’s career decline began almost immediately under the tactless and abrasive Rogers Hornsby, and he was never again the same player.

Joe McCarthy, unquestionably one of the greatest managers in baseball history, died of pneumonia at the age of 90 on October 13, 1979. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1957.

*The player in the middle is pitcher Johnny Broaca, who joined the Yankees on June 6, 1933 out of college after being suspended by Yale varsity coach, "Smoky Joe" Wood.

22/09/2025

West Side Grounds, Chicago, IL, June 1907 - Here is a very cool action shot of a game between the NY Giants, managed by the ornery John McGraw, and the formidable Chicago Cubs led by manager/player Frank Chance. Here we see a Giants batter hustling to first base and two runners, one advancing to third and another advancing home.

The date on this photo is June 1907 and the only time the Giants were in Chicago was June 5th to 8th with an off day on the 7th. I suspect by the size of the crowd, which has many of the spectators overflowing onto the foul grounds, that this game was on June 8th, a Saturday.

The Cubs would sweep the Giants in all three games by 8-2, 3-2 and 4-3 scores to improve their impressive record to 34-9 on the season. They would finish the season with a 107-45 record and would win their first World Series title beating the Detroit Tigers four games to none with one game finishing in a tie.

22/09/2025

Willie Mays Hits His 50th Home Run of the 1955 Season!

“What can I say about Willie Mays after I say he’s the greatest player any of us has ever seen? If he could cook, I’d marry him!” –Leo Durocher

Seventy years ago yesterday, September 20, 1955, 24-year-old Willie Mays hit his 50th home run of the season, connecting twice off the Pirates Vern Law in the Giants 14-8 victory at the Polo Grounds. Willie became the seventh player in history to have a 50-home run year. This occasion, of course, gives me the chance to write about my favorite subject:

The “Say-Hey Kid,” Willie Mays!

The superlatives seem to come easily in any discussion of Willie Mays, arguably the greatest center fielder of all time. Few players in the history of the game have combined the grace, athleticism, intelligence, and accomplishments of Willie Mays. He was unique, combining all of baseball’s key offensive and defensive skills into the quintessential five-tool player, with four pennants and a World Series championship on his resume.Best video game consoles

On top of all that, he combined an infectious glee with a boyish enthusiasm that lifted the spirits of all around him. Cap flying, wall crashing, legs churning, Willie Mays is one of the most beloved figures in the history of the game.

Willie Howard Mays was so athletically advanced by age 14 that he was competing with the men on his father’s steel mill team. He played semipro ball at age 16 and was on the Birmingham Black Barons by 1947. He was one of the last players – and likely the best – to come from the Negro Leagues.

Willie’s Great Career

Over his 22 years in the majors (1951-1973), he hit .302 with 3,283 hits (11th all-time), 1903 RBIs, 660 home runs (fourth all-time), a .557 slugging percentage, a lifetime .384 on-base percentage, and 338 stolen bases. Willie hit over 35 homers in 10 seasons, hit 40 homers six times, and won five slugging crowns. He’s one of the few players with 300 steals and 500 home runs. His defensive skills won him 12 Gold Gloves (the award wasn’t even started until he was six years into his career).

Willie Mays is one of only five National League players to have had eight consecutive 100 RBI seasons. In addition, he won four stolen base and three triples titles, six top-three finishes in National League batting races, and he played in a whopping 24 All-Star games, tied for the most ever. He won two MVP Awards and was a two-time All-Star game MVP. His lifetime total of 7,095 outfield putouts remains the major league record.

22/09/2025

Kansas City Municipal Stadium (1923-1976) - Originally built for the American Association minor league team, the Kansas City Blues, this ballpark was host to various sports teams in its 53 year lifespan. From the Blues to the legendary Negro League team Kansas City Monarchs to two Major League ball clubs, the Athletics (1955-67) and the Royals (1969-72). It was also home to the NFL Chiefs from 1963 to 1971.

It also took many shapes, when first built it was a simple single-tier ballpark fit to hold a modest capacity of 17,476. In 1954 when it looked like Kansas City would finally join the Major Leagues, plans to add a second deck to the already existing structure took place, only to find the footing was too weak to hold the additional deck, so the old ballpark was razed and in its place, in a hurried fashion of 90 days, a new structure was built to hold 30,296. I suspect the photo is when the finishing touches were put on newly rebuilt Municipal Stadium.

Once the Athletics moved in from Philadelphia in 1955, the new team in town was a hit drawing 1,393,054 fans in their first year, only the New York Yankees had better attendance in the American League.

But over the years bad baseball put a damper into fan enthusiasm and by 1965 attendance for A's games in Kansas City reached a low with just 528,344 showing up to the gate.

By the next year the Athletics franchise was on the move again, this time to Oakland.

But the ballpark wouldn't stay vacant long for baseball, in 1969, MLB added two new teams, the Seattle Pilots and in Kansas City, the Royals, who would play at Municipal Stadium from 1969 through 1972.

Once the Royals left after the 1972 season for Royals Stadium, the end was near for this historic ballpark, in 1976, Municipal Stadium was demolished and in its place was a municipal garden.

22/09/2025

Smokey Joe Williams strikes out 27 in a game

Many people believe that Satchel Paige was the best pitcher in the Negro Leagues. But there was a man named Smokey Joe Williams who would challenge people's opinions. Williams played for the Homestead Grays. In 1930, Homestead Grays played the Kansas City Monarchs, Williams would strike out 27 batters, allowing just one hit. Williams was 44 years old at this time. Chet Banner of the Monarchs would go toe to toe with Williams by striking out 19. The game was scoreless until The Grays scored one in the 12th inning.