podcast

HOF Pitchers | Palmer vs Eckersley | Ep 20

Posted on by garygft

Ah, the joy of it all, listening to this conversation between two of MLB’s most renowned HOF pitchers, former rivals and good friends: Jim Palmer and Dennis Eckersley.

These two-faced one another in opposing uniforms between 1975 and 1984. Both would enter Baseball’s Hall of Fame and the competitiveness that got them there can be heard in this edition of the SPORTS RIVALS.

The HOF Pitchers

Jim Palmer

Palmer pitched for the Orioles, and only the Orioles, from 1965-1984. His extraordinary career includes three Cy Young Awards, six World Series appearances, three World Series rings and a record of 268-152.

To say he was a dominating pitcher would be an understatement. For an amazing eight seasons, he was a 20-game winner, simply unheard of in the modern baseball era.

Jim finished with a 268-152 record, a 2.86 career ERA and entered the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Dennis Eckersley

Eckersley spent 24 years pitching in the majors. He began his career as a starter with the Indians, Red Sox and Cubs before becoming a preeminent closer with Oakland. He is the only pitcher in MLB history with 100 complete games and 100 saves.

His final career numbers include 197 wins and 390 saves, averaging 44 saves per season between 1988 and 1992.

As a closer in 1992, he was both the Cy Young Award winner and the league MVP with a 7-1 record, 51 saves and a 1.91 ERA. He was a control master who in the last 10 years of his career walked just 86 in 600+ innings.

Dennis entered the Hall of Fame in 2004.

These are two gregarious masters of pitching. They are friends who love to talk the game, their careers and their relationship.

Here is the story of how they first became aware of one another as opposing pitchers, their memories of head-to-head games on the mound and their appreciation for one another as pitchers and friends.

You get to drop in on this conversation right now.

Enjoy. 

Further Listening:

Be sure to subscribe to the Sports Rivals podcast to listen to this rivalry on your favorite podcast app:

If you loved this episode, check out our others:

2002 World Series | Giants vs Angels | Ep 5

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They had been teammates on a World Champion Dodger team.

Dusty Baker and Mike Scioscia had a history that went back even further than that 1981 Dodger team.  Scioscia viewed Baker as a vital mentor in his career. Baker saw in Scioscia the drive to win and work at getting there-the kind of drive Baker has to this day.

Now they were a dugout apart. Baker managing the National League Champion Giants and Scioscia the AL champ Angels in the 2002 World Series.

2002 World Series

Would they talk before the Series? What were they thinking when they looked across the field at a lifetime friend they were each trying to beat.

The Series would go 7 games and the Angels would be World Champions, but this was a contest between two powerhouses where every decision mattered.

Would either have done differently if they had a redo on those decisions? What are the memories for each manager that first come to mind about this Series?

After all these years, they will recount the moments they felt most important and they will remember every pitch as though thrown moments ago.

Dusty will tell you about his 3-year-old bat boy son almost getting run over at the plate only to be saved by J.T. Snow.

Scioscia will tell how why he told his coaches not to talk to Dusty before or during the World Series and why he himself did not.

Most amazing, you are going to hear these two discuss with each other this World Series for the first time!!! They have never set down to talk about these games-never.

Each does so here, honestly, with an underlying respect for one another that shines through.

Enjoy, This is a piece of baseball history you will find nowhere else.

Mike Scioscia with the Commissioner’s Trophy

Further Listening:

Be sure to subscribe to the Sports Rivals podcast to listen to this rivalry on your favorite podcast app:

If you loved this episode, check out our others:

1984 Tigers vs Blue Jays | Ep 4

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The Players

Jack Morris is a Hall of Fame pitcher who never intended to leave a game he started until it was over.  In 1984, he helped lead the Detroit Tigers to a World Championship. 

Buck Martinez was a catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays (later to be their manager).  He never intended to lose to the Tigers or Morris during the 1984 season’s race to lead a then 7 team division.

They were the two teams that would finish 1 and 2 that year and both teams were loaded.

This rivalry between the Jays and Tigers, Morris and Martinez, is the subject of our latest The Sports Rivals Podcast.

The Rivalry

While the Tigers went on to win it all that year, Toronto stayed close until September when this rivalry heated up even more. Buck and Jack will let you in on how those games went down in front of packed ballparks.

How intense was this rivalry? Morris confirms a rumor that he placed a clubhouse call to opposing Jays’ pitcher Dave Steib, who was preparing to come out of the game before the 9th, telling him to get his butt back on the mound because they weren’t done yet.

Martinez refuses to let Morris soften the extent of the rivalry between the teams, as they both conclude there was no love lost.

The names of their teammates are legendary in baseball:  Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish, Alan Trammell, George Bell, Lloyd Moseby among them.  Martinez and Morris will give you their teammates’ place in this rivalry.

Good old fashion hardball gets played when the talent level is high and the stakes are a ring.

That was the case in 1984 for these players and these two teams. The memories are fresh and the emotions vivid in this remembrance by two who lived the feelings. Enjoy.

Further Reading:

If you’d like to read more from Buck himself, check out his book Change Up: How to Make the Great Game of Baseball Even Better.

Be sure to subscribe to the Sports Rivals podcast to listen to this rivalry on your favorite podcast app:

Also

If you loved this episode, check out our others:

1985 American League Championship | Ep 2

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The 1985 American League Championship Series

1985 ALCS | The Blue Jays hold a commanding 3 Games to 1 lead over The Royals in what is now a 7-game series for the first time in League championship series history.

But what could possibly go wrong for the Blue Jays?

Mark Gubicza of the Royals and Rance Mulliniks of the Blue Jays look back at this gut-wrenching 1985 American League Championship that launched The Royals to their miraculous 1985 World Series Championship.

Read up on the series on Wikipedia to brush up on your history.

Be sure to subscribe to the Sports Rivals podcast on your favorite podcast app:

Also make sure to check out Episode 1 if you haven’t listened already.