Rounders: A History of Baseball in America

Foul Play Files: Death at 13,000 Feet


Listen Later

The story of Leonard George Koenecke, an outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, is mostly etched into baseball history books not because of his incredible plays, but because of the absolutely shocking and bizarre way he died.

His death, which happened violently mid-flight, immediately grabbed public attention. It took what was a pretty promising career and, as one history writer put it, turned it into "a footnote, a trivial oddity."

Imagine the chaos on a small plane, leading to a fatal blow from a fire extinguisher – it paints a picture so tragic that it forever overshadowed Leonard’s on-field achievements.

This episode is all about the complete story of Koenecke's life and his tragic death. We'll even dig into whether his death could have been ruled as foul play. Let’s peel back the layers and explore the man behind those wild headlines and the unanswered questions that still define his legacy today.


Get Deeper Into the Episode

Subscribe to the FREE Substack newsletter for videos, photos, and other content related to this episode.


Liked the Show? Leave Me a One-Time "Good Game" Tip!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tip on Stripe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tip on PayPal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Connect on Social Media:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Send Me a Question for a Future Show!

Email me at [email protected]

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Rounders: A History of Baseball in AmericaBy Shaker Road Media, LLC.

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

112 ratings


More shows like Rounders: A History of Baseball in America

View all
On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,183 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,555 Listeners

Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney by ESPN, Buster Olney

Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney

4,128 Listeners

Baseball America by Baseball America

Baseball America

426 Listeners

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast by Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

2,582 Listeners

This Week In Baseball History by Mike Bates and Bill Parker

This Week In Baseball History

243 Listeners

Talkin' Baseball (MLB Podcast) by Jomboy Media

Talkin' Baseball (MLB Podcast)

3,456 Listeners

The Windup: A show about Baseball by The Athletic

The Windup: A show about Baseball

439 Listeners

Baseball Today by Jomboy Media

Baseball Today

532 Listeners

Lost Ballparks by Mike Koser

Lost Ballparks

485 Listeners

Foul Territory by iHeartPodcasts

Foul Territory

306 Listeners

Pablo Torre Finds Out by Pablo Torre, Le Batard & Friends

Pablo Torre Finds Out

1,990 Listeners

Fair Territory with Ken Rosenthal by Foul Territory Network

Fair Territory with Ken Rosenthal

125 Listeners

Is This A Great Game, Or What? by Tim Kurkjian, Jeff Kurkjian

Is This A Great Game, Or What?

219 Listeners

MLB Morning Lineup Podcast by MLB.com

MLB Morning Lineup Podcast

214 Listeners