FROM LEFT FIELD. A COLLECTION OF CLASSIC BASEBALL ANECDOTES

The Phillies crushed Miami with four home runs in their 9-3 victory. Bryson Stott's three-run blast and Brandon Marsh's two-run shot led the power surge, while Max Kepler and Harrison Bader added solo shots. Trea Turner collected four hits, and Cristopher Sánchez dominated over seven innings for Philadelphia. 

Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies Box Score - September 06, 2025 - The Athletic 

Gaylord Perry was baseball's notorious spitballer who turned deception into an art form, winning 314 games and becoming the first pitcher to win Cy Young Awards in both leagues. He  gained notoriety for doctoring baseballs with Vaseline and K-Y Jelly. etc. His psychological warfare was legendary, but beyond the antics, Perry was truly dominant, throwing a no-hitter in 1968 and joining the exclusiv

Branch Rickey—the "Mahatma"—was baseball's most unlikely revolutionary. This Methodist executive who refused to attend Sunday games transformed the sport by signing Jackie Robinson, breaking the color barrier. He invented the modern farm system, pioneered statistical analysis, and won multiple World Series championships, proving moral conviction and shrewd business sense could reshape America's pa