Bill Mazeroski spent 17 seasons becoming one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball history, and one home run in the World Series made everyone forget that. Maz eventually earned his flowers in both Cooperstown & Pittsburgh, and he deserved every one of them. Read more of his career here:

In a decade as a player, and even longer as a coach, Doug Camilli never eclipsed the individual fame of his MVP father. But the former Dodgers catcher, who died this week at 89, got something that eluded Dolph: a World Series ring.

A .500 win-loss record is the very definition of an average pitcher, but a lifetime .500 record can often obscure a very productive career. Our latest Weird Stats column from Al Doyle takes a look at a couple of the best .500 pitchers, Howard Ehmke and Charlie Hough.

Venezuela vs USA in the Chinga Tu Yanquis Game.

Thanks to the "bonus baby" rules of the 1940s-50s, high schoolers like Bobby Henrich went straight to the majors if they signed a big enough contract. Henrich, who died on Feb. 9 at age 87, was fast enough that he appeared in 48 games with the Reds from 1957-59, mostly as a pinch-runner.

Some sad news this morning. Gary Wagner, a reliever who pitched in the majors from 1965-70, died on March 11. He was 85. The Bridgeport, IL, native played for the Phillies & Red Sox and recorded 22 saves in 162 games. www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wa... www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/r...

RIP to Joe Nossek, who spent more than 40 years in baseball as a player, scout and coach — though his reputation a stealer in baseball had some people believing he had missed his calling by not joining the CIA. Nossek played for the Twins, Athletics & Cardinals, and much of his coachi

George Elder was born on this day in 1921, and he lived up to his name. He played in 41 games for the 1949 St. Louis Browns and batted .250. He became one of MLB’s centenarians and was baseball’s oldest living ballplayer when he died at age 101 on July 7, 2022. ripbaseball.com/2022/07/11/o...

Farewell to the great Augie Meyers, founding member and keyboardist for both the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornadoes and a genuine Lone Star legend.

Roy Face never received more than 20% of the vote on any Hall of Fame ballot. But this first-generation closer was considered one of the game's greatest relievers ever when he retired, and his excellence helped change the perception of a reliever as more than just a failed starter.

Gary Blaylock spent 1 season in the majors -- 1959 with the St. Louis Cardinals & New York Yankees. He spent nearly 50 years in baseball as a player, scout, minor-league manager and coach, and he won a World Series as the Royals' pitching coach in 1985. Blaylock died on Feb. 7 at age 94.

An old school, fireman style closer, Wayne Granger saved 108 games across 9 seasons, including 19 with the #MNTwins during his only season with the team (1972). He was the first pitcher to appear in 90 games in a single season (1969, w/the Reds). He died Wednesday at the age of 81. RIP Wayne.

Since Mickey Lolich all too often played second fiddle to a flashier pitcher, let's give him his recognition as one of the greatest Detroit pitchers ever, the hero of the 1968 World Series, and the maker of many a tasty donut.

Chris Krug isn't a household name, but he played a key role in Sandy Koufax's perfect game and literally built the Field of Dreams. He died on Jan. 16, which had not been reported outside his family's social media pages.

The Pirates announced that Bill Mazeroski has died. RIP to a Hall of Famer and the man who hit the most dramatic home run in World Series history.

The late Ron "Schoolboy" Teasley may have just 2 games with the 1948 New York Cubans on his major-league register, but his baseball career lasted most of his life. Teasley played on Detroit sandlots, set records in college, was a Dodgers minor-leaguer & spent decades as a high school teacher/coach.

The original Baseball Immortals cards were some of the first cards I ever owned. That was how I learned baseball went back to the 1800s. It would be a beautiful thing to see this series resurrected.

Rick Renick began his big-league career with a bang, homering off Mickey Lolich in his 1st at-bat. Injuries limited him to 5 years in the majors, all of which were spent with the Twins. But he had a lengthy career in pro ball as a major-league coach & manager in the minors. Renick, 81, died Jan. 31.

Happy 138th Birthday to Frank Bettcher, who played in 35 games for the 1910 St. Louis Cardinals & hit .202 with a .500 OPS. So that career didn’t go so well, but he made up for it by becoming a renowned salesman and best-selling author. Read more here: ripbaseball.com/2019/05/01/g...

I had nothing better to do yesterday, so: here are all 18 ballplayers buried in Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery in Alsip, IL. Special thanks to Cemetery Dog for protecting me from geese.

Zack Monroe joined the 1958 Yankees as a reliever and emergency starter, and he won a World Series ring for his efforts. Monroe, who pitched for the Yankees for 2 seasons, died on Jan. 18 in Peoria. He was 94 years old. He's a member of the Bradley University Hall of Fame.

There was one sure-fire sign that your favorite baseball team was serious about the postseason: They added Terrance Gore to the roster. Gore weaponized his speed like no other player since Herb Washington and ended his career with more World Series rings (3) than RBI (1). RIP to a unique talent.

Fuck it, give Bad Bunny the Super Bowl MVP award. Nothing’s topping that.

People say baseball is boring, but I would much rather be watching a Reds vs. Pirates game. And not even a Skenes start.

I don’t want to live in a world where “Take a look at your pee” is considered a viable marketing slogan.

I actually would like to hear Brandi Carlile sing the phone book, because she’d probably crush it.

Terrance Gore was the Braves player who Facetime’d Charlie Morton from the field after winning the World Series so Charlie could celebrate with the guys despite his broken leg. RIP to by all accounts a legitimately great dude and teammate.

Awful news this morning. Terrance Gore, one of the fastest men in baseball in the last 20 years, died last night, evidently from unexpected complications during a routine surgery. He was 34 years old.

Rob Maurer hit one of the most significant home runs in the University of Evansville's baseball program & was a 6th Round Draft pick by Texas in 1988. Multiple knee surgeries ended his career after he appeared in 21 games with the Rangers in 1991 & 1992. Maurer, 59, died on Jan. 21.

Rob Maurer hit one of the most significant home runs in the University of Evansville's baseball program & was a 6th Round Draft pick by Texas in 1988. Multiple knee surgeries ended his career after he appeared in 21 games with the Rangers in 1991 & 1992. Maurer, 59, died on Jan. 21.

Weird stats can come at any time and from any player. Khris Davis' streak of hitting .247 each year between 2015 and 2018 is definitely one of the weirder accomplishments in the modern era. Al Doyle takes a look at Khris Khonsistent and his remarkable just-short-of-.250 stretch.

DAY AHEAD: Fulton County (Ga) officials warn they fear Trump Admin could be “tampering” with 2020 ballots ====> youtube.com/shorts/9QeBd...

Mickey Lolich, the All-Star pitcher of the Detroit Tigers, has died at the age of 85. He won 207 games for the Tigers and was a two-time 20-game winner. He finished in the Top 3 in Cy Young Award voting in 1971 and ‘72 and was a 3-time All-Star. www.freep.com/story/sports...

RIP Ron Teasley.

Former #MNTwins player and coach Rick Renick died over the weekend. He was the 3rd Base Coach for the 1987 World Series championship team. RIP Rick.

His major-league career lasted for just 15 games in 1981, but Dave F. Schmidt once beat out Wade Boggs for a minor-league batting title. After his career, he wrote the screenplay for "Racing Stripes," which was released in 2005. Schmidt, 69, died on January 19.

The only man to be chosen three times in the first round of an MLB Draft doesn't have any stats on his Baseball Reference page. Learn about Mike Bates, who died this week at 67:

Stu Tate pitched in 2 games for the 1989 San Francisco Giants. All the outs he ever recorded in the majors came in 1 game, and all the hits he ever allowed came in the other. Rotator cuff surgery the following year derailed his career. Tate died from a heart attack on January 13 at age 63.

Clinton "Tiny" Forge, a Negro Leagues catcher who played for the Detroit Stars in the 1950s, died on January 25 at the age of 90. He was one of 4 Birmingham ballplayers who threw out a ceremonial first pitch when the Giants and Cardinals played at Rickwood Field in 2024. www.al.com/sports/2026/...

There’s out of touch, there’s wildly delusional, and then there’s whatever the fuck this is from Rep. Nancy Mace.

So much of Wilbur Wood's career is one statistical anomaly after another: 88 appearances in 1968, 376.2 innings pitched in 1972, 90 wins in a 4-year span. It's a long career to cover, but the story of how Wood went from a failed prospect to one of the best pitchers in the game is a good one.

Only two players from the champion 1957 Milwaukee Braves are alive - OF John Demerit (a Wisconsin native) & pitcher Taylor Phillips. Only Demerit, with one pinch running appearance, played in World Series. Ray Crone was traded to NY Giants that June.

Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest American songwriter that no one remembers, Blaze Foley. Give him two minutes and he might change your life.

Pictured: one birdbrain. And one emperor penguin.

Ray Crone began his major-league career with the Milwaukee Braves on April 13, 1954 -- the same game as Henry Aaron's AL/NL debut. Crone, the last survivor from that historic game, died on January 15 at age 94. He pitched for the Braves & Giants for 5 years and then became a long-time scout.

After learning that we need an entirely new heating/AC unit days before a blizzard is expected to blast central PA, I’ll now be happy to take sponsored articles on RIP Baseball. The first 30 features about gambling and crypto will post tomorrow!

January 21, 1793: King Louis XIV of France fails to improve country’s financial woes, is executed by guillotine. January 21, 2026: President Donald Trump worsens country’s financial woes, travels to Switzerland & threatens to take over Greenland in a speech. Which he calls Iceland repeatedly.

The Dave Giusti story is about more than a great 1970s closer. It's about overcoming your self doubts and believing in your own abilities, and it's about standing up for your principles when you have nothing to win. Giusti, a 15-year MLB veteran, died at the age of 86 on Jan. 11.

Unfortunately, the New York Times now is reporting the death of Wilbur Wood at age 84 Link: behind a paywall unfortunately (www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/s...)

RIP Baseball typically dives deeper into the sports's history than... last year. But a historic team like the 2025 Colorado Rockies is the perfect subject for a Weird Stats column. Before we start focusing on 2026, let's take a last look at a terrible team & a fanbase that deserves so much more.