E34: Kitchen Sink II: Back-to-Back No Hitters, Ultimate Grand Slams, the Eddie Waitkus Shooting & More

E34: Kitchen Sink II: Back-to-Back No Hitters, Ultimate Grand Slams, the Eddie Waitkus Shooting & More

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2569696/fan_mail/new] A movie cast quietly buying a minor league baseball team sounds like a punchline, until you hear the name Richmond Flying Mummies and realize baseball is still the best sport for pure, delightful weirdness. We start there, digging into why the team name exists, how fans show up for the spectacle, and what this kind of ownership says about the community heartbeat of minor league baseball. Then we shift from quirky baseball culture to a pitching feat that feels impossible in any era: back-to-back no-hitters. We break down what counts as a no-hitter versus a perfect game, why control is not always the deciding factor, and how Johnny Vander Meer ends up owning a record that may never be touched. Along the way, we add bonus baseball history and trivia, including a look at the Boston Bees and the kind of odd team naming debates that would never fly today. From there, we open the baseball dictionary for a modern term with a very exact meaning: the ultimate grand slam. We explain the rule clearly, why it is so rare, and why it hits fans like a lightning bolt when it happens. We also detour into a nostalgia story that turns into an accidental collectible, before closing with a true-crime-tinged chapter on Eddie Waitkus and one of the earliest notorious cases of celebrity stalking in American sports. If you like baseball history, smart trivia, and stories you cannot wait to repeat, hit play, subscribe, and share the show with a friend, then tell us which moment surprised you most. Email us at fungosandfastballs@gmail.com

E33: Ranking The Best Catchers In MLB History

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2569696/fan_mail/new] Rankings bring out the real baseball opinions, especially when the position is catcher, where greatness is part statistics and part survival. We put on the backwards cap, crack open Baseball Reference, and take on an impossible question: who are the best catchers of all time in Major League Baseball history? Jordan Dove joins me for our first ever rankings show as we each build a top 10 list, compare notes, and defend the choices. We dig into what matters at catcher beyond the box score: pitcher handling, leadership, durability, and the kind of defense that makes runners think twice. We also talk openly about the limits of modern metrics like WAR and JAWS, how they can favor offense, and why intangibles still belong in the conversation. Along the way we hit the hard historical question of Josh Gibson and why incomplete Negro Leagues records make all-time lists both necessary and imperfect. From Yadier Molina and Buster Posey to classics like Mickey Cochrane, Gabby Hartnett, Thurman Munson, Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, Roy Campanella, and Gary Carter, the arguments get sharper as we climb toward the top. Then we step into the heavyweight debate: Yogi Berra vs Johnny Bench vs Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, with rings, MVPs, Gold Gloves, and all-around impact all on the table. We also pay off the trivia question: the only catcher to catch two perfect games. Listen, then tell us what we missed, share the episode with a baseball friend, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. If you’re enjoying the show, leave a rating and review and help more fans find Fungos and Fastballs. Email us at fungosandfastballs@gmail.com

E32: The Hall Ball: One Man’s Journey to Photograph a Baseball with Every Hall of Famer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2569696/fan_mail/new] One random found ball near Cooperstown turns into an eight-year mission that sends a baseball fan deep into cemeteries, card shows, and the awkward seconds of face time you get with living legends. We sit down with baseball historian and SABR contributor Ralph Carhart to unpack the Hall Ball Project: photographing a single baseball with every National Baseball Hall of Fame member, whether they are memorialized by a headstone or standing right in front of you holding a pen and wondering what your deal is. We talk about the origin story behind the idea, including Ralph’s love of genealogy and historic cemeteries, and how that quiet world collides with the loud machinery of modern baseball memorabilia culture. Ralph explains the practical problems nobody thinks about at the start: restricted access, different cemetery “personalities,” players who are hard to reach, and the strange moment when Cooperstown will not help you connect with Hall of Famers even when your end goal is a museum-worthy donation. The most surprising choice is also the most revealing: Ralph does not want autographs. He wants photos only, so every member of the Hall is united by the same object instead of separated by ink. That decision leads to hilarious and human reactions from icons like Yogi Berra, Ernie Banks, Lou Brock, Reggie Jackson, and Johnny Bench, plus a deeper question about respect, legacy, and the point where a tribute can start to feel ghoulish. We also share what happened when the Hall of Fame declined the Hall Ball, and why the Baseball Reliquary ultimately became its home. If you care about baseball history, Cooperstown, the Hall of Fame, and the meaning behind collecting, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a baseball friend, and leave a review so more fans can find the story. Email us at fungosandfastballs@gmail.com

E31: Manager Earl Weaver + Book Review, 2026 MLB Update & The Midnight Sun Game

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2569696/fan_mail/new] A baseball game that starts at 10 p.m. with no stadium lights sounds impossible, yet Fairbanks pulls it off every year. We kick things off with the Midnight Sun Game, a summer solstice tradition that has been running since 1906, and the Alaska Goldpanners, a legendary college summer team with an alumni list that includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and more. If you love baseball travel, weird history, and the parts of the sport that still feel handmade, this story is a perfect entry point. Then we bring in our friend Edwin Nolan for a tight, energetic spin around MLB. We hit each division with the headlines that matter right now: surges, slumps, injuries that change the math, and the questions that are already shaping the trade deadline. It’s a quick way to recalibrate your baseball brain without drowning in hot takes. The main event is our deep dive into Hall of Fame Orioles manager Earl Weaver, guided by John W. Miller’s Casey Award winning book The Last Manager. We talk about Weaver’s winning track record, his famous philosophy (pitching, defense, and the three-run homer), and the surprising ways he looked like a modern analytics manager decades early, from matchup index cards to radar-gun obsession. And yes, we get into the legendary blowups: 96 career ejections, umpire theatrics, and the kind of dugout character baseball rarely produces anymore, plus the trivia answer that tops even Weaver. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, share this with a baseball friend, and leave us a review so more fans can find Fungos and Fastballs. What’s your favorite piece of baseball history that sounds made up but is 100% true? Email us at fungosandfastballs@gmail.com

E30: MLB’s Greatest Hitting Streaks & The (First) World Series That Wasn’t

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2569696/fan_mail/new] A World Series disappears from baseball history, and it has nothing to do with war. We start with the odd, dramatic story of 1904, when the New York Giants refuse to face the Boston Americans, turning the sport’s biggest prize into a feud about leagues, rivals, and pride. It’s a reminder that MLB history isn’t just stats; it’s people making stubborn decisions that end up shaping the rules for everyone else.  From there, we get obsessive about one of the most fun corners of baseball trivia: the hitting streak. We break down what officially counts, why a day off doesn’t kill a streak, and why 30 games is the unofficial line where the record books start paying attention. Then we walk through the names that held the crown before 1941, including the strange one-season rules that created “records” that don’t really belong in modern lists.  The heart of the show is the gold standard for baseball records: Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. We track how it starts, when the country catches on, how pitchers try to work around him, and why the streak becomes a daily headline. Then we relive the closest true chase in the modern era, Pete Rose’s 44-game run, complete with bunts, bad blood, and the kind of competitiveness that doesn’t quit even after the streak ends. We close by asking the big question: with today’s strikeouts, elite bullpens, scouting reports, and nonstop media pressure, will anyone ever touch 56?  If you love baseball history, MLB records, and the stories behind the numbers, subscribe, share this with a friend who argues about stats, and leave us a review. What do you think is the most unbreakable record in baseball? Email us at fungosandfastballs@gmail.com