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Tom Thress

@retrosheettom.bsky.social

850 followers 1.8K following 270 posts

President of Retrosheet, Baseball, SABR, Statistics, Negro Leagues

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Aug 4

Retrosheet is pleased to announce its semi-annual summer 2025 release. Too much great stuff to fit in a skeet. See here for details: www.retrosheet.org/summer2025re...

Enjoy!

Summer 2025 Release

www.retrosheet.org

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 11h

Orval Overall references always demand a repost.

Related, Swanson to Hoerner to Busch fits perfectly into that famous poem:

Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Brewer hit into a double,
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble,
Swanson to Hoerner to Busch.

Frustrated Fan @frustratedfan.bsky.social · 11h

Daniel Palencia now has 3 postseason wins, tying him with Jon Lester and Orval Overall on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard behind only Jake Arrieta and Mordecai Brown (5 each).

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 11h

This round of playoffs has worked out very nicely. We get one series winner each of four consecutive nights: Blue Jays, Dodgers, TBD, TBD.

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 1d

It’s fairly common, of course, for children to rebel against their parents - hah, Dad, I’ll show you, Mr. Cubs fan: go, White Sox!

But I’m greatly amused that Hal Steinbrenner’s rebellion against his “3 managers per season” father is to never fire a Yankees manager.

Jake (Real) @jakemhs.bsky.social · 1d

Anyway this is entirely academic since Boone's extension doesn't even kick in until next season and Hal would rather eat en entire tin can than pay someone for three years to do nothing. He's got the job as long as he wants it.

Reposted by Tom Thress

Luke Epplin @lukeepplin.bsky.social · 1d

Tomorrow is the 77th anniversary of the Steve Gromek/Larry Doby photo from the 1948 World Series. I wrote about it today--its importance in "Our Team" and how a research discovery almost sunk the climax of my book. Enjoy. substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Staging of One of Baseball’s Most Famous Images

The Steve Gromek/Larry Doby Photo Revisited

substack.com

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 5d

This really highlights how remarkable the Brewers win today was.

Scored first - Cubs
Homers - 3-0, Cubs
% of Brewers runs scored via HR - 0%

Final score: Brewers 9, Cubs 3

I suppose someone has to be the “2” in 7-2!

slangsonsports.bsky.social @slangsonsports.bsky.social · 5d

so far this postseason:

- Teams to score first are 9-6
- Teams to out-homer opponents are 7-2 (23-8 in ‘24 PS)
- 33.3% of runs have been scored via HR (was 41.1% in ’25 RS, 47.0% in '24 PS)

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 8d

It is. You can have the same thing happen on a walk - basically, in reverse. The pitcher who throws most of the balls is charged with the walk. But the batter who takes ball four gets credit for the walk.

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 8d

The third strike was thrown by Vesia. But it was a swinging strike by Miguel Andujar.

Vesia and Andujar replaced Emmet Sheehan and Will Benson with the count 1-2.

Benson was charged with the K because the first 2 strikes were against him.

Vesia got credit for the K because he threw strike 3.

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 8d

If a pinch hitter comes up with two strikes already on him and strikes out, the K is charged to the batter who got the first two strikes.

But for a pitcher, the pitcher who throws the third strike gets the strikeout.

(Reverse is true for a walk.)

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 8d

Fun scoring quirk just happened.

Officially, Alex Vesia just struck out Will Benson even though Vesia never threw a pitch to Benson.

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 10d

Sometimes I wish I lived in the alternate universe where he didn’t have a stroke.

Remember Some Guys @remembersomeguys.bsky.social · 10d

J.R. Richard
Pitcher
Debut: 1971 - Retired: 1980
HOU

J.R. Richard at baseball-reference.com

Career stats of J.R. Richard

baseball-reference.com

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 10d

There were documented interracial games there starting in at least 1930. But, yeah, the legendary Paige-Dean 12-inning battle; nope, sad to say, I’m almost positive that one didn’t happen.

www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues...

LOS02

www.retrosheet.org

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 11d

Having grown up a fan of the Washington Football Team and then living the majority of my life in Chicago, a Dallas - Green Bay game in which neither team wins is absolute perfection!

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 12d

My wife and I met in college. The football team had a scoreless tie in the first game of her freshman (my junior) year and proceeded to lose every other game in her four years there.

We did not go to a “major college”. (Valparaiso University, classes of 1990 and 1992)

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 19d

The follow-up, “89 reasons why the rapture will really happen in 1989” (which I swear to God was a real thing), wasn’t nearly as good. The author just totally phoned that one in.

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 19d

Oh, man! My dad (Lutheran pastor) got that in the mail. I took it to college with me and we all enjoyed the hell out of it. My favorite was one friend who stuck a Bible in his backpack the day it was supposed to happen “in case there’s a test and it’s open book”.

SlacktivistFred @slacktivistfred.bsky.social · 19d

In 1995 at a part-time bookstore job a customer wanted to special order “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.” It was out of print.

Customer: Out of print? But it’s such a good book.

Me: It’s 1995, sir.

C: But it’s a good—

Me: NINETEEN. NINETY—

My Boss: OK, let me handle this one.

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 20d

My first neighborhood Jewel. Reminds me of a story. Wendy and I got back from our honeymoon Saturday night. So, Sunday morning (June 28, 1992), I head down to Broadway to walk to Jewel and am unable to do so, because the Gay Pride parade was in full swing coming down the street!

katie dzwierzynski @kdzwierzynski.bsky.social · 20d

the smell of fried chicken outside the jewel at broadway and addison is overpowering

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 21d

I’ve always liked Greene. I hope he can stay healthy and really put it together one of these years.

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 21d

Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to an elite pitcher pitching elitely. My goodness, Hunter Greene! Throwing 101.5 in the 9th inning! And helluva pitching performance on the other side by Colin Rea - that’s a tough loss! I don’t feel terrible about the Cubs starters heading into the playoffs.

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · 28d

Came to make the exact same suggestion. One of my favorite photos. Just two guys having the time of their lives!

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Sep 8

I have put together a video that explains the process. The video ended up quite a bit longer than I'd hoped and I have kind of terrible body language, but hopefully that won't be too big a turnoff.

youtu.be/BiOVaYskSJM

Retrosheet Game Entry

YouTube video by Tom Thress

youtu.be

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Sep 8

Retrosheet is seeking volunteers to help with game entry of box-score data for the 19th Century and Negro Leagues.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please email me at [email protected].

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Sep 2

This is bizarre. The old Baltimore Orioles of the National League were contracted away after the 1899 season. The first American League Orioles started in 1901 (and folded in 1903). 125 years ago was 1900, the one year back then in which there were no Baltimore Orioles!

Liz - High and Inside @lizzierie.bsky.social · Sep 1

125th anniversary of what?! 🤨🤨

Screenshot of an Instagram/facebook sponsored post of an Orioles 125th anniversary advent calendar

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Aug 12

Earl and Cal Sr. are the “jokers”

Earl Weaver and Cal Ripken Sr. cards from the Baltimore Baseball Heroes deck.

Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Aug 12

I got this as a stocking stuffer, I think this past Christmas.

Hero Decks presents Baltimore Baseball Heroes playing cards. My all-time favorite player, Eddie Murray, is the King of Hearts. And, of course, the four aces are all pitchers: Mike Flanagan, Jim Palmer, Milt Pappas, and Scott McGregor.

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Tom Thress @retrosheettom.bsky.social · Aug 12

Had some free time yesterday after getting home from Louisville so I organized my baseball shelves in the attic.

Four cubes displaying baseball stuff. Collection includes bobble heads of Amos Otis, Kyle Hendricks, and Adolis Garcia; a stuffed Starlin Castro; an old-timey glove and catcher’s mask; two autographed baseballs; several photos related to the Negro Leagues; and three cubes of books.

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