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Articles by Stew Thornley
SABR: Halsey Hall Biography
Excerpted from: Holy Cow! The Life and Times of Halsey Hall By Stew Thornley Published by Nodin Press, Minneapolis, August 1991 Copyright 1991 by Stew Thornley Holler "Holy Cow!" in the eastern United States and people might think of Phil Rizzuto, the New York Yankees' shortstop-turned-broadcaster while a cry of "Holy Cow!" in Chicago brings Harry Caray to mind.
Willie Mays Had a Spectacular-But Short-Stay in Minneapolis
This article was written by Stew Thornley This article was published in Willie Mays: Five Tools Willie Mays with the Minneapolis Millers in 1951. (SABR-Rucker Archive) The New York Giants purchased the Minneapolis Millers in 1946. It took five years for Minneapolis fans to fully process the impact. A charter member of the American Association in 1902, the Millers had a rich history that extended to the final decades of the nineteenth century.
The Elusive Fourth Out: What Teams Don’t Know Will Bite Them
Umpire Ed Montague, pictured here with Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella, had to send a member of his crew to check the rules in an April 2007 game in which Baltimore faced Cleveland. (Photo: Reuters) Your team clings to a lead in the late innings and is trying to get out of a first-and-third, one-out jam. Your pitcher gives up a long fly to right-center, and both runners take off. But your fleet center fielder seemingly saves the day.
Lost in the Ninth
Lost in the Ninth No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning Since 1961 No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning, 1871-1960 By Stew Thornley No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning Since 1961 Summary of No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning Since 1961 All Perfect Games Broken Up with Two out in the Ninth Inning All Other No-Hitters Broken Up with Two out in the Ninth Inning Near No-Hitter Trivia No-hitters are memorable events, and baseball fans get excited when they see one in the making.
The SABR Bookshelf: Winter/Spring 2021
Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Winter/Spring 2021. To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, make sure a review copy is sent to: The SABR Bookshelf, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004. An e-book file will also suffice; please send the e-book in PDF, EPUB or Kindle/MOBI format to jpomrenke@sabr.org.
October 16, 1909: Pirates' hopes rest in hands of a Babe
October 16, 1909: Pirates' hopes rest in hands of a Babe Corrections? Additions? If you can help us improve this game story, contact us. The first postseason meeting between the champions of the American and National Leagues to go the limit was in 1909, when the Pittsburgh Pirates faced the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates had played in what is customarily regarded as the first World Series, in 1903 against the Boston American League entry.
October 27, 1991: Jack Morris goes the distance
October 27, 1991: Jack Morris goes the distance Corrections? Additions? If you can help us improve this game story, contact us. After the 1987 World Series, it was another four years before the series went the distance again. Like 1987, the Minnesota Twins represented the American League. It’s not that the Twins had stayed near the top during that period.
Roberto Clemente in Montreal
By Stew Thornley “A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Although this quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, at least one Twain researcher claims a different source.1 Beyond the content of the quote, its disputed derivation highlights the need to resist the urge to assume something to be true just because it is repeated often enough or is viewed as “common knowledge.” So it is with Roberto Clemente’s sole season in the minor leagues, with the...
October 10, 1924: Big Train finally wins the biggest one of all
October 10, 1924: Big Train finally wins the biggest one of all Corrections? Additions? If you can help us improve this game story, contact us. The 1924 World Series marked the fourth straight post-season appearance for the New York Giants and the first for the Washington Senators. Despite having Walter Johnson, who is still regarded today as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, the Senators had experienced limited success since the American League became a major league in 1901.
Society for American Baseball Research
Even after the integration of minor- and major-league baseball in the mid-1940s, the Negro Leagues continued for another decade and a half. The top black players were now in Organized Baseball, but others filled the rosters of all-black teams. One was a Minnesota native, Marcenia Lyle Stone, better known as Toni Stone. In 1953, Stone became the first woman to play in the Negro American League.
Society for American Baseball Research
On his way to the big leagues, he outshined his teammates every step of the way. Once in the majors, he quickly established himself as one of the legends in Minnesota Twins' history, taking his place with stars like Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew. His image as a player and a person was sterling throughout his career, although his reputation became tarnished by allegations of abusive behavior after his playing days, which ended prematurely because of an eye disease.
Society for American Baseball Research
On August 26, 1995, Greg Maddux was at Wrigley Field in Chicago, formerly his home stadium. Now a member of the Atlanta Braves, Maddux was on the verge of tying a major-league record with his 16th consecutive road victory. With two out in the top of the third, Maddux singled to left, starting a five-run rally. He took the mound in the bottom of the inning with a 5-0 lead.
Nicollet Park (Minneapolis)
The Minneapolis Millers had a number of locales to hang their hats during their nearly 80 years of professional baseball, but the ballpark most closely associated with the team was the one described by former Minneapolis Tribune writer Dave Mona as "soggy, foul, rotten and thoroughly wonderful Nicollet Park." In 1896, Nicollet Park replaced a tiny ball park in downtown Minneapolis, Athletic Park.
Polo Grounds (New York)
Polo Grounds (New York) Corrections? Additions? If you can help us improve this article, contact us. The Polo Grounds, an odd name for an odd stadium, was home to several baseball teams, most notably the New York Giants until the team moved to San Francisco following the 1957 season. Its horseshoe-shaped grandstand and elongated playing area provided for ridiculously short distances down the foul lines and equally ridiculous long distances to the power alleys and center field.
Metropolitan Stadium (MN)
Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, served the American League’s Minnesota Twins for 21 seasons. However, it was originally the home of a minor-league team, the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. The drive for a new ballpark for the Millers began in the 1940s.
From Recorder to Judge: The Evolution of the Scorer in the Nineteenth Century
This article was published in the Fall 2017 Baseball Research Journal. The role of official scorers has evolved in many forms over the last century-and-a-half. Today’s official scorers sit in the hot seat, but until the 1870s, hits and errors were not routinely distinguished in game summaries. Official scorers in baseball make judgments about the game — whether a play is a hit or an error — that influence individual statistics.
Lost in the Ninth
Pitchers who had a no-hitter through nine innings are listed; italics indicate a perfect game. All hits to break up the no-hitter are singles unless otherwise indicated. 1961 1 no-hitter kept through 9 innings (Warren Spahn); 2 broken up in the ninth 9/25 (2nd game), Bob Shaw, Kansas City vs. Detroit, Bubba Morton (0 out-3 hits total) 9/27, Al Schroll, Minnesota vs.
October 16, 1912: Red Sox take advantage of Snodgrass's Muff
Game Seven (in the sense of an ultimate game) of the 1912 World Series was actually the eighth game, A 6-6 tie in the second game, called by darkness after 11 innings, required an extra game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants to decide the championship. The Giants, after dropping three of the first four decisions, had won the next two to tie the Series and had a chance to become the first team to win a best-of-seven World Series after having fallen behind three games to one.
Minnesota Baseball History | twinsbaseball.com: History
The roots of baseball in Minnesota are part of the post-Civil War baseball boom in America. The areas earliest teams were amateur nines, representing cities of all sizes throughout the state, a few of them even organized before the Civil War. Professionalism crept into Minnesota baseball through the 1870s. In 1884, a fully professional minor league, the Northwestern League, had teams in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Stillwater, and Winona..
With new Saints ballpark comes new Saints book
Just in time for the May 21 opening of the St. Paul Saints' CHS Field, Stew Thornley is launching his new book, "The St. Paul Saints: Baseball in the Capital City," at 7 p.m. April 1 at SubText bookstore, at Selby and Western avenues in St. Paul. He will also talk about his earlier book "Minnesota Twins Through Memorabilia." "Baseball in the Capital City" celebrates the team's players, owners, managers and fans.
Society for American Baseball Research
With a competitive, sometimes combative, spirit and a devastating split-fingered fastball, Jack Morris became the pitcher of the 1980s and continued his dominance into the early 1990s. His 162 victories in the 1980s were 22 more than those of runner-up Dave Stieb of Toronto. Four times Morris was a member of a world championship team, including a one-year stint in his home state, pitching a 10-inning shutout in the final game of the 1991 World Series for the Minnesota Twins.
Lost in the Ninth
Lost in the Ninth No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning Since 1961 No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning, 1871-1960 By Stew Thornley No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning Since 1961 Summary of No-Hitters Broken Up in the Ninth Inning Since 1961 All Perfect Games Broken Up with Two out in the Ninth Inning All Other No-Hitters Broken Up with Two out in the Ninth Inning Near No-Hitter Trivia No-hitters are memorable events, and baseball fans get excited when they see one in the making.
Society for American Baseball Research
Even after the integration of minor- and major-league baseball in the mid-1940s, the Negro Leagues continued for another decade and a half. The top black players were now in Organized Baseball, but others filled the rosters of all-black teams. One was a Minnesota native, Marcenia Lyle Stone, better known as Toni Stone. In 1953, Stone became the first woman to play in the Negro American League.
Nicollet Park (Minneapolis)
The Minneapolis Millers had a number of locales to hang their hats during their nearly 80 years of professional baseball, but the ballpark most closely associated with the team was the one described by former Minneapolis Tribune writer Dave Mona as “soggy, foul, rotten and thoroughly wonderful Nicollet Park.” In 1896, Nicollet Park replaced a tiny ball park in downtown Minneapolis, Athletic Park.
Polo Grounds (New York)
The Polo Grounds, an odd name for an odd stadium, was home to several baseball teams, most notably the New York Giants until the team moved to San Francisco following the 1957 season. Its horseshoe-shaped grandstand and elongated playing area provided for ridiculously short distances down the foul lines and equally ridiculous long distances to the power alleys and center field.
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente's greatness transcended the diamond. On it, he was electrifying with his penchant for bad-ball hitting, his strong throwing arm from right field, and the way he played with a reckless but controlled abandon. Off it, he was a role model to the people of his homeland and elsewhere. Helping others represented the way Clemente lived. It would also represent the way he died.
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