Episode 328 - Shibe Park's Deadly Opening Day - The Doc Powers Story

In 190, the Philadelphia Athletics were bursting out of tiny Columbia Park — so owner Ben Shibe built the first concrete-and-steel ballpark in Major League history. But on Shibe Park's opening day in 1909, catcher Doc Powers collapsed with mysterious abdominal pain and was dead two weeks later. Jeff and Mark dig into the real medical story behind his death, bust the myths that have followed him for over a century, and trace Shibe Park's full run — from Ruth's Yankees debut and Ted Williams' .400 season, through Jackie Robinson's record-breaking Philadelphia crowd, all the way to a scoreboard literally catching fire mid-game.

Also in this episode: the guys break down the history of the "Maddux" (a complete-game shutout thrown on fewer than 100 pitches), a listener-submitted WAR showdown between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros' all-time position players, a new recurring segment pulling quiz questions straight from old episodes of This Week in Baseball, the tragic on-field death of Detroit Lions player Chuck Hughes, and another round of Wax Pack Heroes with a fresh batch of 1972 cards.

00:00 Show Intro and Banter

02:01 100 Loss Teams Trivia

04:35 What Is a Maddux

05:21 Famous Maddux Games

09:32 Listener WAR Showdown

14:38 This Week in Baseball Quiz

16:08 Chuck Hughes Tragedy

18:58 Shibe Park Origins

22:45 Building Shibe Park

29:43 Meet Doc Powers