Baseball in the 1960s, a breakdown

#mlb #baseball #worldseries
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use my promo code JOMBOY
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: confirmsubscri...
BUY MERCH! shop.jomboymed...
LEAVE BREAKDOWN SUGGESTIONS HERE: bit.ly/Breakdow...
FB: / jomboymedia
TW: / jomboymedia
IG: / jomboymedia
Jomboy Media
Midtown Station
P.O Box 345
New York, NY 10018
GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537 (AZ/CO/IA/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA/MD/ME/MI/NJ/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY), [phone] or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY).
Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-522-4700 (NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.1800gambler.net (WV).
21+ (18+ KY/NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/KY/LA(select parishes)/MA/MD/ME/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). Lines and odds subject to change. Sponsored by DK.

[@goodfox9250]

More old baseball breakdowns please. You do them so well.

[@MrVovansim]

Yeah, need more lip reads from the olden days.

[@francafu8951]

This might be his coolest video

[@TheAnimalWolverine]

Yes it’s super informative

[@Joebobinator]

The Dollop has done several podcasts on oldschool baseball, both the players and the game used to be absolutely insane.

[@matcooz]

Agree!! This was so great

[@gretz5792]

this should be a weekly offseason thing. Old baseball breakdowns. It’s a cool thing to see.

[@sampewett6032]

totally agree, loved it. It's like that old baseball big fight video he did a while ago

[@marlinrossi6161]

I played for Bob Shaw in the early 2000’s for Jupiter Post 271. As an on deck batter he taught us to always take a knee. He said back in the day if you stood up in the on deck circle fans would heckle you. Especially in Yankee stadium. He told us the fans came to watch Mickey hit, and it was a sign of respect to take a knee so you don’t obstruct the view of the people behind you. I also imagine it is an old school tactic believed to help calm down a hitter before they go into the box. Helps them lower their heart rate and to focus more on the pitcher. Back in those days they were always about the basics and over simplification of the game. When it was game time, no more need for extra practice swings or excess warm up throws. Game time is all about the moment, and saving all your energy and power for when it matters most. No wasted energy before stepping in the box or walking onto the mound. RIP BOB SHAW. A true legend in Palm Beach and Jupiter area. He is greatly missed..

[@mpthorvonericksen]

The 'old-school' Umpire chest guard is so weird to see. It looks like they cut an old mattress into the shape of a shield for the umpire to stand behind. 🤣

[@drrider100]

Damn! I just noticed that. Looks crazy!

[@morimo11]

Right how they had to carry it around

[@joshsmith4512]

was just in the ALn at this point. was American leauge and natinol leauge umps. the didn't wear the outside v protector at this point in the NL. big deal? it made the k zone different. they called the high strike in the AL the wide strike in the NL😁 because of the big outside protector , made thier line of sight higher😁 now you know🤷‍♂️

[@phillippropst3825]

All of us ex little league umps know about that. You have a 9 year old throwing 45 mph and somehow that dang ball always hits where the protector wasn’t.

[@fightfight6909]

@@phillippropst3825 Yeah I was going to say the umps when I played little league in the 90's all wore these.

[@taylorlewis9692]

baseball back then was so odd, 55 year old curly could hit a 600 yard bomb while drunk and nobody bats an eye

[@kalmkoala9243]

They say he was the greatest athlete alive.

[@sandratheprocraftinator945]

1:09 🤣🤣🤣olé

[@michaeltaylor4271]

And tbh this is why I don’t care if pro athletes use steroids, cause why are you watching the game to begin with? It’s to be entertained, and id much rather see guys throwing 110 left and right handed, hitting 900ft home runs and setting new records each year. Why not just level the playing field and let them use steroids if they want to so again it’s fair to everyone, they are adults they should be able to know the risks. And I feel we have saw that play out with the XFL because the level of competition is just completely different and it just dosent interest people. And having historic teams that have been around a hundred years helps alot.

[@claude122]

@@michaeltaylor4271welp yeah its cool they use steroids and hits more homerun and more entertaining but...they dies younger and get more injured...so yeah its a better show but at what cost?!

[@TinMan445]

@@michaeltaylor4271I completely agree. And the reality is they are all on some kind of steroid concoction that’s able to fly under the radar. So let’s just standardize steroid use in sports and pit our roided up guy against yours. The athletes will have longer careers with less frequent injuries and shorter recovery times, and the fans get to see the absolute best that humans can do.

[@LinkRocks]

The Mets sign man is a folk hero in NY. He did that bit from 1964 to 1981.

[@chriskelly6559]

I don't remember what year, but he was in Shea on opening day and the first pitch was a ball, he flipped up the sign that said "Wait all next year!"

[@Fremen2]

His name was Karl Ehrhardt, even has a Wikipedia page.

[@ejknight]

The guy with the signs in the stands is Karl Erhardt Mets superfan. He was at most if not all Mets home games in the 60s and 70s

[@mookie7688]

You are truly a legendary fan when you are remembered half a century after the fact.

[@mattyice2889]

you’re a legend for knowing this

[@chameleonicblu22]

Anybody remember Cowbell Man from the Piazza era? I wonder if he still goes to met games. These fans deserve their renown.

[@yommish]

@@chameleonicblu22 Yup I always see/hear at games

[@Alexander_Grant]

@@mookie7688 For what it's worth, my little brother was ball boy at an independent baseball team when I was a teenager and I still remember the names of the characters that would be at those games. We had the heckler who was too mean and not funny enough, the guy who'd get too drunk and you'd stop understanding his yells by the 4th inning, the guy who'd walk around selling beer and would change nursery rhymes to be about the beer he was selling. There were much fewer people at those games, and it was only 15 years ago, but still. Drove him to every game one summer since I got in free by being family and got to know some of the other fans pretty well. That is something that I think was a relic of the past even then, we went to real minor league ballparks when I was growing up and they didn't have that same vibe.

[@Mo_Ketchups]

Beat reporter to Jim Bouton: “How do you pitch to Frank Robinson?” Bouton: “Reluctantly.” ~ _”Ball Four”_

[@michaelsmith-bn6no]

"And how do you pitch to Frank Howard ? Bouton: " I don't. I give him four way outside........"

[@rrmond]

What's extremely crazy to me about these old clips is how not a single fan is wearing a single piece of team apparel.

[@rusrockt10]

MLB didn't start selling licensed apparel until the 80's. In 1969, jerseys were also still made of heavy flannel.

[@OptimusPrimeribs]

It's better that way. Regarding jerseys, no one is on the team except the players.

[@CuratedCars]

That was before the magic money of merchandising was widespread.

[@seymourglass26]

@@OptimusPrimeribs Thanks for the most irrelevant opinion possible. Even if you're right, which would be wild (the theory that fans don't deserve to support players with quality, sponsored merch), there's no logic to back up how to make this a reality when players can make 20+ million a season and teams are also raking the bucks off jerseys. I appreciate principles and baseball for baseball's sake (purity of competition and all that), but unless you try a little harder to think about context and audience, you're just an old man screaming at the clouds (even though your name suggests you were an 80s baby; you're not even old).

[@OptimusPrimeribs]

@@seymourglass26 Ouch. "Most irrelevant opinion possible". Lot to take on a Sunday night. Do I get an award or trophy?😆 I should have specified I was only talking about Jerseys, not other team clothing without players' names on them. I'll give a jersey pass to anyone under 18. I'm chill, not screaming.

[@theburnetts]

The uniforms of the players and the umps are fabulous. Love that the umps are wearing ties.

[@annamariaisland1960]

The shoe polish incident is quite famous, with some stories having Mets' Manager Hodges indeed telling a player to quickly put polish on a ball so that it could be shown to the ump. Weaver later said it didn't matter, there was no way the Orioles were going to beat the Mets the way they played for those 5 games.

[@stevencooke6451]

Weaver would fight for his team to the death, but wouldn't sugar coat a loss.

[@peterchoe]

the ball clearly hits him anyways.

[@Real28]

​@@stevencooke6451 best kind of leader.

[@jamesstanek8246]

I love the idea that someone would polish their baseball cleats!

[@chucklebutt4470]

Weaver was a real one

[@lucasclarkson1669]

Bro - please keep doing these classic games. So fun to see legends of the game in really normal baseball situations. The footage isn’t half bad either, and you can still get a bit of lip reading out of it. Awesome.

[@mykiemilford720]

Totally agree.. There’s something oddly wonderful about seeing Frank Robinson called out on strikes. Brings him to life.

[@9999bigb]

Love the shorter shirt sleeves on the jerseys back then. I always thought that looked really cool.

[@Jwend392]

Yogi Berra knew about the shoe polish thing. Something similar happened in Game 4 of the 1957 Series between the Yankees and Braves, and Milwaukee's Nippy Jones getting hit in the foot was kind of the turning point of the series.

[@eugenemcleer8407]

Great video as always. Worth noting, the SS that Frank Robinson tried to take out at second with the hard slide was Bud Harrelson. He just passed away about a week and a half ago. RIP Buddy!!

[@jayseaborg3895]

So many of the people who played in that Series have passed, but watching these old films brings it all back-both Robinsons, McNally, Blair, Belanger, Etchebarren, Hendricks, Seaver, Harrelson, Charles, Agee, etc.

[@mykiemilford720]

It’s funny, no reaction from Harrelson. Far different story when Pete Rose did it a few years later..

[@matthewurbas8889]

Frank Robinson hitting nearly 600 bing bongs with that physique is something else. Aaron too, was not a monstrous dude. Incredibly impressive. This is great stuff. Keep these coming.

[@MountainMan.]

Probably because pitches were coming in at 55mph back then

[@davidporter671]

@MountainMan. Lol no they weren’t. You’re a moron

[@MountPindos]

Bob Gibson would have a different opinion. 😉

[@T.C.Clarien]

It's all in the Wrist ..

[@richardlug6139]

@@davidporter671 Right and back then pitchers never worried about brushing hitters back with a high inside fastball either.

[@jeremiahcole2542]

Please do retro breakdowns at least once per week, I love this so much!

[@tuffguy0134]

My God, that Boog Powell swing. A thing of beauty.

[@AlexandertheGreat033]

Please do more of these! Love these old school game breakdowns

[@netxfarmer5252]

That choreography as player and coach walk towards the ump to talk shit @ 5:12! Beautiful teamwork!

[@tmbennettart]

Jomboy. You might be the realest content creator on KZbin. I barely have an interest in baseball and yet, when I watch your breakdowns I am completely transfixed. Thanks for providing such entertaining content. Cheers from Alfred, NY.

[@SuperJNG18]

That message at 0:10 made my heart swell up. Love ya, Jomboy! (And LFGM!)

[@carlneufeld1923]

love these old breakdowns, keep 'em coming!

[@Writebrain82]

Random trivia -- Dave McNally was perhaps the greatest athlete from Montana. For the longest time he was one of the only Montanans who played in the pros. We've had more since then, but, ask any old-timer in Montana and they'll tell you all about McNally.

[@druso5852]

prime baseball in my opinion. nothing will ever beat it.

[@zj-all2976]

Boog Powell swinging has real Jim Thome energy

[@robertallenby9572]

The other thing I love about this era was the high stirrups. When we were kids playing Little League in the 70s, the league would supply us with the low stirrups. We’d all ask our Moms to cut them and sew in colored elastic so that we could wear our pants at the knee with the high stirrups “like the big leaguers.”

[@Sam-cb9pw]

The gratitude coming from Jomboy the past couple videos has really hit me in the feels. Thank you so much to the team that puts out quality content week after week. You guys are the best.

[@MrCrazylegz54]

I always love seeing old baseball. Loved watching you and Jake watch the World Series videos too!

[@Somedude819]

The quality content we all need

[@michaelweston2285]

the most amazing thing is you found an example of an ump actually changing his mind on a call. i wasn't sure if that had ever happened in the history of the game.

[@jesseshort8]

Hey Jimmy, that little message at the end of your disclaimer was awesome. Glad I've been able to help in my own little way over the years.

[@timisaac8121]

TY for really fun show. I always admire Frank Robinson MVP in both leagues. Thanks again!!

[@MagentsAreFun]

No, JomBoy, thank you! Such a nice take on sports coverage. I've been sharing with anybody that I think it would appeal to. Love what you guys are doing.

[@danfarmer5613]

As an older person, I loved this breakdown. It shows how much the game has really progressed. Thanks Jimmy

[@timetowakeup6302]

Progressed? Like the lack of fundamentals and sportsmanship? 😂

[@mzxeternal]

More of these please! This is great stuff to see and before most of our times if you're under retirement age. I remember hearing people talk about these moments when I was a kid. I think most baseball fans of today would find these old school breakdowns fascinating. The game has changed a lot over the decades. Great video as always!

[@Pronzini1]

I forget his name, but that fan who held up those signs, came to every game with a suitcase full of those cards, and he would hold up the one that he felt was appropriate throughout the game. He did that for many years.

[@sgnmath1234]

About 2018 I met Ron Swoboda in a bakery/ cafe in Corona Queens, while he was visiting from Florida. He mentioned the same thing to me about the shoe polish ball stressing that there was no proof that it was the same ball. He never made a direct admission but the tone of his voice indicated that it was a different ball.

[@MichaelSand-bt1ls]

Character counts for something. The manager who came out with the shoe polish ball was Gil Hodges. Everybody who knew Hodges would tell you the same thing: an absolute straight arrow, respected by all. He wouldn't cheat, and if anyone on his team tried to cheat, Hodges would have thrown him out of the game himself.

[@jnyfumare]

That was so much fun!! Please do moire of these old school clips.

[@jeppusahn]

This is amazing. More please man. Love this

[@teejay3272]

The shoe polish thing was real. Shoes were black and they were polished. And while middle infielders needed to protect themselves at second, so did runners. The thinking at the time was you don't change your throw to first if the runner is in the way. You drilled them. But something that's been swept under the rug is the amount of Bennies these guys were taking. Accessible in every clubhouse. So different than today.

[@BuildHousing]

“Ball Four” caused a big controversy when it came out. Jim Bouton wrote about drug and alcohol use, including the infamous “leaded” (with greenies) and “unleaded” coffee pots. Much of it seems quaint today, now that players basically tell us about their own bad behavior all year round, for free

[@JMacSD]

Can't believe some player tosses some ball to the ump who reverses his own call because this ball has some polish on it. Jimmy's so right, an ump of today would require documentation of chain of custody before considering any such possible evidence.

[@teejay3272]

@@BuildHousing You're right. That book was a big deal. Pulling back the veil was not how things were done then.

[@waterfordrs22]

This is great it’s old enough footage, it’s several eras of baseball removed, but the film coverage is good enough that we can see what’s going on. I’ll look for more of these.

[@ThePsho]

Earl Weaver was amazing. My dad and I met him at a photo/signing event when I was like 10 or 11. I think it was for the "93 all star game. My dad and I were both lifetime Maryland residents, but for some reason I was wearing a Florida Marlins hat. Who the hell knows why, I think it was their expansion year and I just liked the colors. As we shook hands, Earl goes "Marlins?" He continued to give me a hard time about it as we set up for the photo, during the photo, waiting for the print, and while he signed it. As he handed me the autographed photo of us alongside my Dad, who had just met one of his heroes, he simply said "get yourself an Orioles hat, kid" and that was it. He was 63 at the time, but seemed like the oldest, gruffiest man I had ever seen. He went on to live another 19 years. His argument with Bill Haller is legendary.

[@martinmiw]

Absolutely wonderful, would watch a billion more of these!!

[@Radiowild]

R.I.P. Bud Harrelson. He was one tough little guy. I remember the time he had a fight with Pete Rose from Pete trying to give Bud a foot full of spikes on second, and a hockey game broke out! Lets Go Mets!

[@Tiberious_Of_Elona]

RIP Buddy. Dedicated his life to the Mets

[@joshwelborn17]

Keith Hernandez was still on one knee in the on deck circle. Last played in 1990.

[@jln55]

Umps can actually see balls hit into the outfield better when they don't run hard toward them. A number of umps who had written books have mentioned this. They say that it is easier to focus on that small ball when their eyes aren't jiggling during a run.

[@garrytreymendeziii5650]

Keen-eyed Met fans might notice a familiar face among the players in the Orioles’ dugout. Though many refer to the late Bud Harrelson as the only person in uniform for both the ‘69 and ‘86 Mets World Series wins, before managing the ‘86 Mets Davey Johnson was also in uniform in the ‘69 series…for the O’s. He actually made the last out.

[@andywindes4968]

The shoe polish ball was one of those infamous moments in baseball history. I was six at the time and remember it well.

[@duffman18]

Please do more videos of past events like this, it's awesome

[@nebrahl8487]

This was fantastically entertaining, please do more of this. Well done Jimbodini.

[@jessetaylorkoechling]

I'm so here for the deep dive into on deck batters on one knee

[@TheTennesseeTornado]

Open dugouts without the fences and protection.

[@mzxeternal]

That was still the case well into the 90s. Pretty sure it didn't become universal with the fences until the early 2000s.

[@davevandyke5662]

Jerry Koosman admitted years later in an interview that he was sitting in the dugout where the umpires couldn't see him and Gil Hodges told him to grab a ball and rub it on his shoe. He did, and they brought it out to the umpire.

[@PHXNKVHXLIC]

I can’t imagine how often these guys were drunk or off a drunken stooper the night before back then lol

[@teejay3272]

Maybe because they were popping amphetamines like candy.

[@mzxeternal]

My grandfather owned a bar in downtown Flushing at that time. Allegedly there was no shortage of Mets back in the 60s drinking to excess during the season, especially those early, worst team in Baseball years of 64 to say 68. Quite a different time indeed!

[@chucklebutt4470]

@@teejay3272 Lol dude I just recently learned about 'bennies' (benzedrine pills) and how popular and commonly used they were. And then cocaine use took over the league, apparently it was everywhere.

[@paulgreenan7448]

on one knee was to avoid foul liners when you weren't watching, keeping down

[@matta5348]

How about neckties on the umps? Love it!

[@eugenemcleer8407]

Nevermind the umps. Neck ties on the fans in the stands!!

[@robotba89]

This is exactly why breakdowns and clips are way more interesting than actually watching baseball. I can't even imagine this being fun to watch on TV. A bunch of grown men arguing over a game, and we have to guess what they are talking about. Thanks to Jomboy for explaining what is going on. I stick to hockey and active sports.

[@Garrett_T.]

This was great. More old school observation videos would be amazing

[@codiesdad717]

The Orioles when I was growing up. My dad and I sat in the third base box seats many times. I was wearing my Oriole sun hat signed by Boogie Powell yesterday. Earl Weaver was always a crowd pleaser! 😂

[@erakfishfishfish]

First thing I noticed was how there were no ads anywhere.

[@ULTIMAFAX]

look at that crowd! suits, ties and top hats! people putting on their sunday best for the games!

[@jefflewis4]

There was also a call overturned by shoe polish on the ball in game 4 of the 1957 world series on Nippy Jones.

[@indiansfever11]

More retro breakdowns please this was amazing

[@spood87839]

Boog was a beast in '69 and '70.

[@EricRhomberg]

yes, more historical breakdowns, Jomboy... really interesting...thanks!

[@fredworth8613]

As a Mets fan since 1964, I loved your comments about The Sign Man. Here is the first paragraph from the Wikipedia article about him. Karl Ehrhardt (November 26, 1924 - February 5, 2008) was one of the New York Mets' most visible fans and an icon at Shea Stadium from its opening in 1964 through 1981. Known as the "Sign Man", Ehrhardt held up 20-by-26-inch black cardboard signs with sayings in big white (sometimes orange) upper-cased paper characters that reflected the Mets' performance on the field, and echoed the fans' sentiments off of it. He usually brought a portfolio holding about sixty of his 1,200 signs to the stadium, each of them with color-coded file tabs for different situations. He was always positioned in the field-level box seats on the third base side, wearing a black derby with a royal-blue-and-orange band around the bottom of the crown and the primary Mets logo on the front. Ehrhardt wasn't afraid to criticize the team's front office, once holding up a sign that said "WELCOME TO GRANT'S TOMB", referring to the team's miserable play and M. Donald Grant, the team's chairman of the board.[1]

[@mtclemmons]

Yes, Jimmy. Do more!!!

[@punkypappa1381]

Really enjoyed this. Please do more!

[@TheDruidicMonkPlays]

This was excellent! I grew up reading a lot of baseball history books and read how much more violent it could be. Some cool breakdowns would be Pete rose running over the catcher in the 1970 all star game, or Juan Marichal hitting the Dofger's cathcer Johnny Rosenboro with his bat. Things you don't see in baseball today!

[@spidahstranglah]

should definitely do more of these. super interesting

[@tomace9767]

Love it, been dying for some throwback content like we got during 2020…side note, umpiring was just as shitty then as it is now

[@rogerlyons310]

Entertaining, miss old-school baseball

[@stlin1134]

I don’t know if Frank Robinson would’ve had a visible bruise on his leg. But watching this video of days passed, was great! More please!

[@jurgostuff]

Please do more like this!!

[@Bandboxxer-v3n]

Those old American League chest protectors.

[@memesfather7821]

I really really enjoyed this. And the footage you have is incredible quality. Would love to see more of these.

[@BuildHousing]

Dusty Baker’s and Glenn Burke’s first “high five” was in 1977. Did Jomboy just find video evidence of precedent from 1969?

[@gcgcgcg]

I think "gimmie 5" was already a thing, they did the first "high 5"

[@jamestiscareno4387]

I love watching old baseball games from when I was a kid and seeing the many players I idolized back then.

[@DaveLuna12]

Legend says that Gil Hodges' integrity was beyond reproach that when he showed the umpire the ball he took his word for it because Gil Hodges was just that guy.

[@FrederickFokker]

O's fan here. So many players in this video are Orioles legends. I wasn't even alive for this series but I know those names by heart. This vid was like watching home video of an old family reunion.

[@penguin44ca]

The only difference is not a million commercial breaks and the manager and ump argue for a good bit with nobody getting chucked out.

[@justinholtman]

The pushing him off the bag is hilarious 😂

[@BobRiedel]

The Mets "Sign Man", Karl Ehrhardt, was not a plant, he was a super fan of the Mets until his passing in 2008. He was at every home game and had some really great signs. Something else I noticed was, as opposed to today, the players and managers weren't dropping F bombs while arguing with the umps. A much classier game back then.

[@Neighman]

Fun fact: it actually takes you more energy to walk slower than your natural walking speed.

[@blakfloyd]

Great video, dude! I'd love to see more like this.

[@JoeRogansForehead]

More of this my guy , especially in the off-season. It’s perfect content to keep things moving during the offseason! I bet there is tons of good old games to break down. you could even do a series for every game of a particularly notorious World Series !

[@VILJL]

The video is from the 1969 World Series, where "The Amazin' Mets" won the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles 4 games to 1 This is from Game 5 which the Mets won by a score of 5 x 3

[@NoUploadJustComment]

RIP Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson who passed away last week.

[@joe8315]

Karl Ehrhardt, a huge part of the fun that was the New York Mets in the 60s, 70s and into the 80s. Back when baseball was the greatest.

[@sirlawrencet]

The Mets catcher, Jerry Grote, who just passed recently, was considered to be crazy competitive by his teammates back then.

[@George8219]

The man with the signs was Karl Ehrhardt, aka “The Sign Man”. He was just a regular Mets fan who was famous for bringing his homemade signs with witty sayings he would display at key moments in a ballgame. Just a part of NY Mets history!

[@markmccollum4411]

My Dad died December 19. Christmas sucked. I’m building this sandwich tomorrow.

[@samaatmashaktiananda2843]

This was amazing! More of these oldies please!

[@gcgcgcg]

When did security/cops start to tackle field invaders? 90s maybe?

[@sdrawkcabdellepssisiht3187]

WAY earlier than the 90s

[@Bubba603]

Sign guy is Karl Ehrhardt. I remember Vin Scully doing a story on him while the Dodgers were at Mets

[@willpsone]

Best part is there were two and a half discussions with the umpire and none got beyond just being discussions mostly because the ump kept his cool

[@mrbuttons1243]

You should do a study on when "horseshit" became the word to use when pissed.

[@johncronin9540]

Another big difference is the American League umpires’ use of the balloon, the exterior chest protector, which you can see the plate umpire using. National League umpires were already using the interior chest protector, but in the AL, plate umpires were using the balloon. This resulted in a slightly different strike zone, because of how the umpires were trained. When using the balloon, the umpire would position himself above the catcher’s head, resulting in a slightly higher and narrower strike zone than in the NL. In the Senior Circuit, with the inside chest protector, the umpires were taught to look over the catcher’s shoulder, on the inside corner of the plate. Their zone tended to be a bit shorter, and a bit wider than in the Junior Circuit.

[@jimsliverootsculturemusic]

In '69 and '70, it was Harmon Killebrew and Boog Powell, Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles.