He was supposed to be too injured to run. But you don't need to run when you hit a baseball as far as Kirk Gibson did 35 years ago this week, when he hit a flat-footed pinch-hit, walk off home run against the most dominant pitcher and team in baseball, setting the stage for a tremendous World Series upset. Mike and Bill talk all about that moment, the series that surrounded it, and how the two clubs got there as they revisit one of the most vivid memories of their childhoods.

Plus, happy birthday to Moose Haas and Mel Harder!

If the foul pop off Luis Castillo's bat in Game 6 of the NLCS had landed a foot either way, the life of one ordinary Cubs fan would have remained anonymous and thoroughly normal. Instead, 20 years ago this week, that fan was thrust into a maelstrom of controversy he didn't deserve when the Marlins took advantage and staged a massive comeback at Wrigley Field with the help of several culprits on the Cubs, all far more culpable than Steve Bartman ever could have been. Mike and Bill look back at the Marlins' surprising run to the National League pennant and decide exactly who should have gotten the scorn that was unfairly heaped on a guy who only ever wanted to watch his favorite team get to the World Series.

Plus, happy birthday to Brian Downing and Doc Crandall!

120 years ago this week, Barney Dreyfuss's big idea came to fruition, as his Pirates took on the Boston Americans from the upstart American League to try to prove the NL's dominance. But a funny thing happened, as the Junior Circuit champs would turn the tables and legitimize the new enterprise with an underdog victory. How would they do it? Listen to this episode, and to  Mike and Bill hilariously try to pronounce Deacon Phillippe's last name to find out.

Plus, happy birthday to Jeff Reardon and Eddie Guardado!

In honor of two great ballplayers who have fallen in the past week, Mike and Bill re-release portions of episodes 253 and 162, which catalogue the lives of the great Brooks Robinson and TIm Wakefield

He looked, according to so many, like a choir boy. But on a pitcher's mound, with a ball in his hand, Orel Hershiser became Tommy Lasorda's bulldog. And his bite was never stronger than it was 35 years ago this week, as he finished off his record-setting 59 consecutive scoreless innings streak to set a new standard for dominance that has yet to be matched. Mike and Bill look back at one of the finest pitching performances of all time and see how Hershiser combined exceptional pitching with exceptional luck to reach this seemingly impossible height.

Plus, happy birthday to Kevin Millar and Larry Dierker!

Has there ever been a player as inextricably linked to his team as Ernie Banks was to the Chicago Cubs? Perhaps not. That beautiful, tragic relationship began 70 years ago this week when Banks suited up for the first time for the team he'd come to represent as Mr. Cub, the first black player to play for the Northsiders. Mike and Bill go back through the bifurcated career of one of baseball's best shortstops and, due to injury, one of its most average first basemen.

Plus, happy birthday to Ezra Sutton and Harvey Haddix!

It remains hard, at times to be brothers. We covered that back in January with a set of siblings who fell well short of their illustrious kin. But there are still so many bad (or just mediocre) brothers out there! So Mike and Bill go back to the well to find more stories of those who just never could measure up. On this anniversary of Larry Yount not actually throwing a pitch in his one and only game, get ready for Cansecos, Boyers, Torres, O'Connors, Delahantys and, yes, Younts. 

Plus, happy birthday to Stan Lopata and Ted Kluszewski!

When is a no-hitter not a no-hitter? When Fay Vincent decided, 32 years ago this week, that it shouldn't be. Specifically, he decreed that any no-hitters shorter than nine full innings or that was broken up after the ninth no longer counted, consigning 50 no-hitters to the dustbin of history. That's where Mike and Bill found them in this re-run from 2020, polished them up, and presented them for your enjoyment. Plus, happy birthday to Tug McGraw and Ed Konetchy!

50 years ago this week, the Mets lost and fell back into the cellar in the National League East. Five short weeks later, they would finish the season at the top. And then, shortly thereafter, facing the A's in the World Series. Mike and Bill look back at one of the most remarkable and unlikely comebacks of all time, and just how the Mets turned a joke of a slogan into the rallying cry of all rallying cries.

Plus, happy birthday to Bing Miller and Ernie Broglio!

The Joker thinks all it takes to turn a good man bad is one bad day. And, in the eyes of many baseball fans, that's what happened to Juan Marichal 58 years ago this week when he attacked Dodgers catcher Johnny Roseboro with his bat. But this incident was so much more complicated than a hotheaded ballplayer losing control, and Marichal's exceptional career cannot fairly be boiled down to his worst day. Mike and Bill detail the life of The Dominican Dandy to explain why.

Plus, happy birthday to Julio Franco and Kal Daniels!