In 1951 a Hall of Fame sportswriter reacts to the advent of Willie Mays in a spectacularly stupid way and we are on the spot with a stern rebuke and a bit of historical background to that moment. Then we look at not the stars of the Negro Leagues, but a pitcher who was at the opposite end of the spectrum—his pitching made the stars possible—and he in turn prompts a visit to the Minnesota Twins of the early 1980s, as well as a spectacularly angry Kirk Gibson doing Kirk Gibson things.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman discusses the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?