The Infinite Inning Episode 54: Strangers In The Ballpark

Steve is joined by Meg Rowley (Fangraphs, The Hardball Times) to discuss some unlikely Mariners success, including James Paxton’s no-hitter, defense-first first base prospects, and the batting-out-of-order rule. Plus SteveStories of the Singing Umpire and a continuation of last week’s discussion about Ty Cobb. WARNING: Late in the show, there is a cussword uttered in regards to Chuck Knoblauch. It is a quote. More seriously, a racial epithet from a newspaper article printed in 1892 is spoken at approximately 30:07. TRIGGER WARNING: During this discussion of historic racism, there is some mention of sexual assault. THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP can be found here. TABLE OF CONTENTS Lord Byron’s Umpire Follies*Cucumbers*Ty Cobb II*The James Paxton no-hitter/no-hitter ennui*Excitement is a positive*People who boo and people who don’t*The batting-out-of-order rule*Can the Mariners continue to contend?*Evan White, Keith Hernandez, and Ichiro’s decline*Rachael McDaniel’s “In the Sun”*Failing to extend the baseball bridge*Osuna-Schneiderman*Favorite spy movies*Goodbyes.