Classic Baseball Radio

He started in the major with the Pirates, and 21 years later, he retired from the majors, having never left Pittsburgh. But Willie Stargell was more than a one-club baseball player; he was the club. That's why the Pirates called him Pops.

They could also have called him Power. Stargell was one of the big hitters of the sixties and seventies, with a career .282 from 2,232 hits and 475 home runs. That career included two World Series rings and 7 All-Star appearances.

For today's game, we turn to a late-season match-up against the Phillies. The Pirates are at the top of the NL East, and the Phillies are 5.5 games back with 20 games left to play. This is a chance for the Phillies to draw themselves closer to the post-seasons and for the Pirates to cement their lead.

We join the Pirates broadcast with Bob Prince and Nelson King taking us through the game.

You can find the boxscore here:

In a decade packed with legends that echo through history, there will be players who rarely grab the historical spotlight. Brooks Robinson might not be the household name of the former, but he's very much a legend.

Starting his major league career in 1955, he played all of his 23 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. In that time, he made third base his own and is arguably one of the greatest third baseman the game has ever seen, with 18 call-ups to the All-Stars, 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, and 2 World Series rings.

To this day, he still holds the record for putouts (2,697), assists (6,205), total chances, and double plays at third base (618).

For today's game, we’re going to early in 1964. Robinson had an offensive slump in the back half of 1963 and has been working with the Orioles hitting coach to find his form again. Listen out for his at bats as the Orioles welcome the Yankees to Memorial Stadium.

It's the familiar team of Phil Rizzuto, Jerry Coleman, and Mel Allen… although 1964 is Allen's debut year, so enjoy his first steps into the radio world.

You can find the boxscore here:

Brought up into the majors by the Detroit Tigers in 152, Al Kaline spent 22 years playing for the Tigers before becoming the Tiger's color commentator until 2003, before heading into the front office until he died in 2020.

His playing record is impressive, passing the 3000-hit mark just before he retired in 1974. Today, nearly fifty years later, Kaline sits at number 32 in the all-time hits table, with 3007 hits to his name. That record includes eighteen all-star games, ten Gold Gloves, and one World Series ring from 1968.

For today's game, we're going back to the final series of the 1972 season. The Red Sox are in first place, just half a game ahead of the Tigers. With three games in the series, both teams need to take two wins to lift the pennant.

Detroit took the first game on October 2nd. One more victory and the season belongs to the Tigers. With four hits and two runs in the first game, Kaline wants to do the same and lift his team over the line.

You can find the boxscore here:

When you win eleven Gold Gloves in eleven years, you know you're one of the best. Keith Hernandez knew he was one of the best. A contact hitter with a career .296, he won two World Series rings, five All-Star appearances, and picked up the NL batting championship award in 1979.

Five years into his career, he cracked the .300 ceiling and never looked back. Yet for this week's game, we will go back to the very first month of his MLB career.

It's September 14th, and Hernandez has been in The Show for three weeks. He was brought up from the minors by the St Louis Cardinals for a challenging September as they unsuccessfully chased the Pittsburg Pirates for the NL East top spot.

Today, they're on the road to the Philadelphia Phillies, who have fallen out of the pennant race but still want a head-to-head victory over the Cardinals. Hernandez is fifth in the order and looking to make a difference…

Your KMOX Cardinals radio team of Jack Buck, Mike Shannon and Bob Starr take you through the game.

You can find the boxscore here:

When you look for the winning pitcher across the 1960s, it's impossible to ignore Juan Marichal. The 'Dominican Dandy' gave the Giants their first no-hitter in San Francisco, the first no-hitter seen in Candlestick Park, the first Latin-american no-hitter in MLB history, and the first Dominican player to enter the Hall of Fame.

He also received one of the highest accolades any player can achieve… in 1975, the Giants immortalized his beloved #27, a testament in part to Marichal’s majestic run of 191 victories during the sixties.

Today's game takes us back to the start of his time in the majors. It's June 1962, and the Giants are on a roll with a .690 record. They're on the road to a .518 St Louis, and Marichal is facing Bob Gibson, another name soon to become a legend in his own right.

How about one more legend… your play-by-play comes from one Harry Caray (joined today by Jack Buck).