Infinite Inning 371: One of the Jackie Robinson Generation Weak Arm and All

About this episode

The episode reflects on the recent passing of notable ballplayers and explores the history of baseball in the 1950s, particularly focusing on the Braves' color line and the Jackie Robinson generation.

We note the recent passing of some stalwart ballplayers, some of all too recent a vintage, then travel back to the 1950s and the breaking of the Braves color line by an outfielder who everyone liked to pick on. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, baseball reflects, anticipates, and even mocks the stories we tell ourselves about our world today. Baseball Prospectus's Steven Goldman shares his obsessions: history from inside and outside of the game, politics, stats, and Casey Stengel quotations. Along the way, we'll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

People in this episode

Host: Steven Goldman

Topics covered

• baseball history
• Jackie Robinson generation
• 1950s baseball
• Braves color line
• sports commentary
• politics in sports

Keywords

• baseball
• Jackie Robinson
• 1950s
• Braves
• sports history
• politics
• Casey Stengel
• ballplayers
• color line

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Baseball Prospectus

Places: 1950s

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• Infinite Inning 374: The 100th Anniversary of the 1927 Yankees One Year Early · May 9, 2026 · 51 min