THE COLLISION

July 15, 2023

Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The daily newsletter that loves baseball as much as Joe DiMaggio loved Marilyn Monroe.

Let’s dive in.

Today’s story is about a hall of fame-worthy talent, who was also one of the most injury-prone players in the history of the game.

Pete Reiser is widely regarded as one of the best outfielders of his time.

He was fast as hell, had a hose piece, and played with fearless energy; but his toughness was both a gift and a curse.

Ultimately, his willingness to go all-out on every play, led to his downfall.

Pete originally got his start in the big leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers back in '40.

Over the next few years, he won a batting title, racked up two all-star appearances, and almost won the MVP award (finished second).

In July of '42, Reiser crashed face-first into an outfield wall in St. Louis and had to leave the game with a concussion.

The walls were made of concrete back in those days.

On another occasion, Pete fractured his skull making a similar play - which sounds even worse than than the time Aaron Rowand broke his nose.

Reiser suffered a number of other serious injuries, including multiple concussions, a broken ankle, and a broken collarbone.

In total, he was taken off the field on a stretcher 11 times; that remains an MLB record.

He joined the Army during WWII and still managed to injure his shoulder while playing baseball during that time.

Pete never returned to the dominant hitter he once was, but his speed remained unmatched.

In '46, he set a record by successfully stealing home seven times.

Reiser's habit of running into outfield walls led to Ebbets Field becoming the first stadium to have padded walls in '48.

THE GOOD OL’ DAYS

Let’s be honest, some teams should’ve never changed their logo.

Dugout Mugs makes drinkware out of baseball bats, and they recently dropped a whole collection featuring a bunch of the OG and alternative MLB logos.

And of course, they’re straight FIRE.

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STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

William “Pop” Schriver played for a whole bunch of squads during the late 1800s.

He was a pretty solid player, but his bat wasn’t anything special.

In 1894, the Washington Post claimed that he was the first one to catch a ball thrown off the Washington Monument (505 feet), but other reports contradict that story.

THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

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