Major League Baseball historian

John Thorn

 

Saturday, January 8 at 3:00pm EST

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THANKS to all of you who logged in to this event - from Scotland to New Orleans - and made it such a fun, dynamic session! Please click here for the replay!

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We are happy to report that official MLB Historian John Thorn, will hold his annual baseball talk just after the New Year! Please join us online for this fun, engaging talk. As we will meet online, feel free to share this event with fellow baseball history fans afar!  

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John's subject for this edition is Two-Platoon Baseball: Faceless Heroes in the Age of Substitution. No longer can fans expect that lineups will stay in place all game long, or at least until the seventh inning. By the end of every game we see a drained bullpen and bench. The game of nine vs. nine (or since 1973 in the American League, ten vs. ten) is gone for all time.

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John will also discuss the Designated Hitter, among other forays into free substitution. A piece from Sporting Life on Dec 12, 1891 (see image) illustrates how slow baseball can be to incorporate change. The Designated Hitter did not enter baseball until 1973.

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Lastly, Shohei Ohani's MVP season in 2021 may be an instance of Reverse Darwinism, a break in the inexorable trend of specialization.

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Attendance is free via a streamed link, Q&A after the talk. RSVP here or via info@beattiepowers.org. (If you can't attend live, please submit a RSVP with a request for replay, as we intend to share the recording afterwards!)  submit a RSVP

#johnthorn #mlb #baseballhistory #baseballtalks

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Beattie-Powers Place is supported by individual donors & supporters. Special thanks to The Bank of Greene County.

To learn more about Beattie-Powers Place and how to support this all-volunteer organization, click here. 

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