This is how baseball moves | Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb, Part 3 | Dorktown

[@KiloOne]

19:24 Had to come back here after learning of his passing. Farewell, Rickey

[@uncleflansy5621]

Apparently Dave Stieb has been watching these, and loves them. His kid tweeted some of the text messages between her and Dave.

[@jackfeinstein722]

Can we get a link to the tweets? I'm curious to read them

[@willphillips2522]

Or at least his kids Twitter handle?

[@TheMETALLICAFAN999]

Following

[@AutumnReel4444]

Deets man!

[@lelandbatey]

Ash Stieb (child of Dave) posted screenshots of conversation with Dave where Dave talks about how much he likes the show. YT doesn't allow direct Twitter links for me, so you'll have to Google to find it.

[@fkrnews]

Ricky Henderson is so good, he's out here stealing the runtime of other people's documentaries, like, damn.

[@StevenEveral]

Every time is a good time to talk about Rickey Henderson.

[@kenlytle4331]

His Baseball Reference page is a work of art. It's hard to find the most incredible thing on it.

[@paysonfox88]

There are many debates in baseball about the best player of all time, and the best at certain positions. There is no debate who the greatest leadoff hitter is. Ricky Henderson is so far ahead of any other leadoff guy who's ever played, the only players like ichiro Suzuki, Pete rose, and ty Cobb can even come close to him. In the modern game, I would say ichiro Suzuki came the closest to the results that Ricky Henderson produced. He stole 500 and something bases in a 10-year span, and he hit way better than Ricky. However, Suzuki and Rose did not walk nearly as much as Henderson. They didn't get on base is often, and they weren't nearly as good at stealing. In the old days, Ty Cobb had a similar on base percentage to Rickey Henderson, and he did steal like 900 bases. I think Cobb is the closest.

[@dmmonkey4]

Nobody loves Rickey more than Rickey

[@SadMarinersFan]

@@paysonfox88 i wouldn't say Ichiro was a better hitter than Henderson. On a pure contact sense sure but from 2001-2010 Ichiro had a 117 OPS+ while Henderson had a 142 OPS+ from 1981-1990, his best 10 year stretch

[@mrtweak13]

Prior to March 1st, 2022, I had no idea who Dave Stieb was or even that he existed. And now here I am 28 days later, crying tears of joy watching 31-and-a-half year old footage of a mostly-forgotten pitcher finally throwing a no-hitter he rightfully deserved. Absolutely beautiful storytelling, as usual.

[@paysonfox88]

Dave was the best pitcher of of the 1980s. If you look up his statistics on baseball reference from the early 80s, you will see that John's point of him being robbed of three cy Young awards was correct. He was the greatest workhorse of any franchise in the American League for at least the first six years of the '80s. He led the league in innings pitched multiple times, and yet had a top three or four era in the league at the same time. There was actually a season where he had 19 complete games, five shutouts, over 250 innings thrown, and had a winning record, and still didn't even get in the top 3 of cy Young voting. Him losing 5 or 6 no hit attempts in the 9th inning during that span proves he was the best in baseball.

[@KyleMc16]

I don't even like Baseball and I was crushed thinking he somehow had another no-hitter taken away at the last batter.

[@graemecheadle8569]

He's not forgotten in Toronto, I assure you.

[@wallacecreed4746]

Don't worry, the real pain is yet to come.

[@OriginalGrasshopper]

Stieb was a massive star in the 80’s, so if you didn’t know who he was it must be due to not being alive yet back then. Us old timers fondly remember him though!

[@chriskauffman9901]

I’m not going to lie I needed this today. I needed to know Dave Stieb threw a no hitter in 1990. Thank you

[@Tabathew]

Fucking really. Seeing all those cubes light up blue I actually physically cheered laying in bed watching this on my phone.

[@johnpazniokas1143]

@@Tabathew Aw, man... I wish I didn't know. I loved it myself, and I knew he got it in '90...

[@roebuckmckinney]

Yup. Me too. Came home after a rough day and watched this while washing the dishes. After that, I was ready to take another shot.

[@paysonfox88]

Roberto Kelly of the Yankees reminds me of the number 9 hitter for the Houston Astros in 2013. Marwin Gonzalez. He was an All-Star a couple of years later, and batted 286 or so. That was the guy who broke up Yu Darvish's perfect game with one out to go. It's not really surprising that both of these players were good enough to get a slap hit in that situation. To his credit, Dave did throw his best pitch right where he wanted it. The same thing is said of Darvish. He didn't mess around with Gonzalez, he was going straight fastball and it got hit.

[@c.seanholliday3153]

"This is how the sport of baseball moves: not at all, and then, all at once, with such terrifying speed the lines begin to bend, and then not at all," I think that line is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

[@DetectiveOlivaw]

That is poetry, and good poetry too. Inexplicable how talented these guys are.

[@dansawyer4332]

This the kind of line that keeps me re-watching Ken Burns' Baseball documentary. It's full of stuff like this that fills my baseball soul. I love this sport.

[@kevinlynch8059]

@@dansawyer4332it literally brought a tear to my eye

[@Leafsdude]

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

[@connor4wilson]

This was incredible. I actually cried. I cried over some guy winning a regular season baseball game in 1990.

[@dylanlawrence4858]

Yeah lol. Not Canadian and I don't even like baseball but I was so god damn happy for Dave Stieb. What a story and what a guy. Legend.

[@hockeylake7219]

Same

[@paysonfox88]

The most amazing thing in this video was that the New York Yankees had the number 9 hitter by the name of Roberto Kelly. And that their last hitter in the lineup was still batting 330! If there was anybody that was going to bust up Dave's perfect game it was going to be that guy.

[@CallMeCardboard]

Yeah lol yeah that’s

[@CallMeCardboard]

I’m

[@mstieler8480]

"Rickey Henderson, an individual" made me bust out laughing.

[@UNHchabo]

They used that same phrasing in the standalone Dorktown on Rickey Henderson from 2018. I appreciated them calling back to it. :)

[@ianrye7778]

"This is how the sport of baseball moves. Not at all, and then all at once." Love it.

[@dylanlawrence4858]

It's hard not to get romantic about baseball

[@mk-ro1zw]

"stieb first motions toward a fist pump something modern and learned, quickly melts into something more ancient and universal...." oohwee these guys can write

[@brickwallblitz]

The fact that Dave Stieb has not only watched this but also called it one of the best documentaries he’s ever seen is extremely heartwarming.

[@KardiFan2000]

Source?

[@KardiFan2000]

@@warlikebiscuit9113 Yeah thanks...i saw her tweets shortly after I left that comment

[@MrBooblo]

I'm just so grateful Stieb is finally getting the attention he deserves. Thank you for this public service Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein. Hopefully this rights the wrongs he faced and gets into the HOF

[@buck45osu]

Cheered for a random pitcher to get his damn no hitter in my living room. Literally cheered when the dude caught it to finish the game. Dave Stieb, you are a legend.

[@warlordofbritannia]

The Virgin Jack Morris HoF activist Vs. The CHAD Dave Stieb Truther

[@josephvanhorn5347]

Yeah he's definitely not a HOF pitcher. He could've played his entire career for the Yankees and he'd still be miles away from Cooperstown.

[@ryanchase9332]

@@josephvanhorn5347 Thank you for showing you didn't watch or pay attention to any video in this series.

[@buck45osu]

@@josephvanhorn5347 did you see any of his numbers? The dude who should have won multiple Cy Youngs isn't a famer? Wow. He plays on some winning teams and he doesn't have this video cause you'd already know him.

[@albinococonut7550]

“And then he, and we, ride with him on this merry-go-round again. This is how the sport of baseball moves: not at all, and then all at once, with such terrifying speed the lines begin to bend, and then not at all, perfectly into Felix’s glove” brought me to tears. Best description of baseball I’ve ever heard.

[@sanic1085]

I knew it was perfect when I was hearing that line. Tears.

[@man4437]

If I could cry, I would

[@ramesj9161]

@@sanic1085 I oooof go to the park with you 😮😢😢😢😢

[@bentleytoal2581]

Dude, this one got to me. Tremendous narration.

[@tommydebo5]

It happenes everytime I watch it, those lines bring me to tears. it's just so beautiful.

[@the_kelvinator_]

That moment at 43:29…knowing that I would see another hit, and more heartbreak…what a turn, I was physically shocked. Brilliant writing boys 👌🏻

[@brandonkrause7308]

I literally stood up and punched the air. Holy fucking shit what a story. Dave Stieb and SB are legends

[@xxboywizardxx9573]

Couldn’t agree more

[@jamesh7469]

Not to take credit away from the storytelling, but Stieb’s story nearly writes itself. Ridiculousness

[@PTFVBVB]

they got me crying about a baseball boy.

[@iceteabreak]

i gasped when i saw him catch the ball

[@Zaximillian]

Dave Stieb had watched these videos. He sees VIII. He knows what's coming. He sees the date. The opponent. This man that we're all rooting for is transported back decades of life. He's young again, in a moment no one can really understand. Dave Stieb smiles. I know he does.

[@ndrocca]

It’s always a great time to talk about Rickey Henderson. Especially 1989 Rickey Henderson.

[@lovelessissimo]

That's my favorite Rickey.

[@joshuaheistman2481]

Honestly, I know that Stieb is supposed to be the hero here, but as soon as Rickey shows up, I'm already rooting against our protagonist. Sorry, Dave.

[@Arbiter099]

A pretty good time, even?

[@StevenEveral]

'89 Rickey Henderson is the best Rickey Henderson that ever Rickey Henderson'd.

[@sabotower1792]

"Rickey's the best, Rickey's the best" (in front of a mirror)

[@jeremymccommons7741]

I remember watching Part 1 and scouring that list of no-hitters for Dave Stieb's name. No matter how hard I searched, he wasn't there. I thought I had spoiled the ending for myself. Everytime he got close, I had to remind myself his name wasn't listed, he wouldn't succeed. I KNEW Stieb would throw a bad pitch to end attempt #8. I KNEW the batter was hitting a home run. The shock I experienced when he caught the ball is something I feel only Jon Bois could provide. Well done

[@Jack-zx5jo]

Yeah ha ha ha. Same man. These boys really do know how to make me emotional

[@icedo1013]

That was my thought exactly. I had pretty well managed to forget I hadn't seen him and that I had even looked, but when they zoomed in on the chart at the end I started smirking to myself. It tempts me to go back to the first video and find the cleverly disguised unnamed dot that managed to get a hockey fan a little choked up.

[@panner11]

The line Jon narrated in that moment was amazing. Such great writing.

[@emeraldaly7646]

Conversely, I knew Stieb actually did get one after all his close calls, but when I got to that point in the video someone was chopping onions for me too 🥺

[@davidb4935]

Fist pumped so hard at that moment

[@AlanGohel]

As I’ve just finished the third part of this series, I currently look myself in the mirror, grimacing in an effort to fight back tears. It’s a losing battle for me. I don’t even know why I care so much. Dave Stieb used to be a guy I’d have randomly clicked on the front page of Baseball Reference. Now he is a protagonist; fully formed, both tragic and strangely uplifting. Perhaps it is something so undeniably human that I can’t help but relate. I’ve had things that I wanted more than anything else, and I’ve had defeat snatched from the jaws of victory time and time again before, but I still can only imagine the pain of trying to write your own page in the history books just for your entry to be edited out by someone else. I’d rather not spill my heart out here, but I’d like to say that this feels like a complete story already, so I’m really interested to see the new and interesting ways Part IV will crush my soul.

[@markangelocalica1478]

Probably it will the moment they will conquer the World Series

[@insanusmaximus2857]

It's phenomenal storytelling, and a story that deserves to be told. It's amazing stuff.

[@picklenik9658]

@@markangelocalica1478 Sadly Dave was let go of the team that season before the rest of the Jays win the series. Thankfully, the team still awarded Stieb a WS ring and include him as part of their team honours

[@Mike-gt7sk]

it's rare that you find poetry on the internet. what a breath of fresh air this comment is

[@randylevy]

Well said, Alan.

[@theorosen8350]

The scoring errors episode took baseball stats and made them funny. The History of the Seattle Mariners took baseball stats and made them entertaining. Now, Captain Ahab takes baseball stats and makes them heartbreaking. Amazing work by Jon Bois and SB Nation.

[@vollrathfgc]

I started to cry when I saw that ball get caught Dude spent so long and had so many tries at a no hitter and was so close every time I came into this series not knowing who Dave Stieb was, but every time he got close I was rooting for him to just get 1... And he got it

[@Brdleysmth1]

I can't believe this didn't win an Oscar. this is hands down the best sports documentary I've ever seen. I straight up cried at the end. 10/10 gentlemen

[@12packersfan]

I love everything these guys put together but putting the commercials at 10:59 and 43:49 was downright evil😂

[@mikethomas2191]

I yelled at my phone lol 🤣

[@zoom3184]

oh my god I am so glad I have Adblocker, that is truly heinous.

[@arkyst1]

I thought I was the only one! That was just wrong

[@Baruch.Spinoza]

I’m never going to even consider buying a Toyota Corolla cross now I’m malding so hard

[@warlordofbritannia]

I dunno, I think getting blue-balled like that is thematically fitting 😂😂

[@bemoore4]

Been a Blue Jays fan since their inception. I am intimately aware of the Jays’ career of Dave Stieb-so much so that I already knew how all of these games played out. But it was fun looking back at his career through this incredibly well-made series. On September 2, 1990, I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio. My friend, Jayne, and I decided to drive to Cleveland to see the Indians (the team she grew up loving) face my beloved Jays. It was Labor Day weekend, so we didn’t have to work the next day. Of course we had no idea what we were about to see. I spent most of the 4.5 hour ride home explaining Dave Stieb’s career to her-helping her understand how big the moment we’d just witnessed was.

[@nucc1331]

Wow that’s amazing. Thank you for sharing

[@teen_laqueefa]

That season was magical, for the Reds. Hopefully you enjoyed the home team go wire to wire.

[@Cashconsiderations]

A jays fan there in attendance on the road for the franchises’ only no hitter? Now that is a pretty amazing and exclusive badge of honour for any fan, especially a lifelong one.

[@bemoore4]

@@Cashconsiderations it was a very easy trip to make. I lived in Ohio at the time and drove to from Cincinnati to Cleveland for the game and came back to Cincinnati afterwards. I used to go to Cleveland to see the Jays play a lot. I would also go to Chicago and make a yearly trip to Toronto.

[@ericksontaruc3944]

@@bemoore4 ARE YOU canadian what made you a jays fn

[@JWex-jy7sk]

10:59 My goodness this moment just made my heart drop! Out of all no hitters Stieb lost, this perfect game had to be the most crushing of them all!

[@M_11_m41n]

Dave Stieb: 😐.........👹👹👹👹👹

[@valakemedia]

baseball jumpscare

[@georgelochinski8144]

Such a vicious commercial break too!

[@chubbsthestuntmonkey7262]

It just makes you sick, doesn't it?

[@just_gill6113]

I literally jumped out of my seat and screamed no at that, it hurt. Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein are a masterclass of storytelling if they can get me all jazzed up like that.

[@BestBoyPatrick]

Context. I’m British and 19. I’ve never watched, nor had particularly any interest in baseball. Then I watched the mariners dorktown. I realised it’s not as boring as I thought at al. Without a second thought I came to this series. I went from not caring about baseball to crying as a guy who retired 5 years before I was born completes his no-runner. Absolutely insane work guys

[@BaseballHistorian]

Sometimes I struggle to explain to non-baseball fans why I love this game. Whenever that happens I just show them one of these videos instead and they understand.

[@KMcNally117]

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

[@shreknskrubgaming7248]

As a non-baseball fan, stories like this are awesome. I've watched a lot of videos about baseball from Jon Bois because he knows exactly how to tell these stories. I love stories like this, I just don't like baseball. Same reason I'll listen to stories about tennis or Runescape or any other number of things I personally don't enjoy. Hobbies aren't a universal language, but everyone can enjoy a good story.

[@paysonfox88]

My favorite is Zack greinke for being weird. He quit baseball to go mow lawns in 2006. He had to get talked back into training camp in the offseason that year. And the toughest man in baseball Nolan Ryan. That guy had a cattle ranch that he ran in the offseason. That's not an easy off season job.

[@benstephens4994]

I'm English. I've watched about half a game of baseball in my life. I actively follow at least 4 other sports. At no point did I believe he would get a no hitter. Despite all of this, Dave Stieb is now my favourite player of any sport of all time.

[@derick-smith]

I said the Mariners series deserved an Emmy. This deserves something bigger. The biggest thing I can give is the bucket of tears I cried watching this alone in a dark room with a concerned dog looking at me. Amazing storytelling. Like damn.

[@dannycomellas]

Seriously. I wonder if this can be submitted for "Best Documentary" at the Oscars.

[@paradoxicalbum4489]

My dog was also concerned.

[@CGlied]

It’s already been nominated for a Nobel Prize. True story.

[@to_tire]

That crescendo of a sentence "This is how baseball moves" is delivered so perfectly, with such force, as to make beautiful all things that have come before that moment, for it is all those hardships, sadnesses, jubilations, and breakthroughs that enabled this one perfect, crystalline moment. Bravo. Well said.

[@dfp_01]

Jon and Alex never fail to bring tears to my eyes with their flawless retelling of events, no matter how dull. That they've devoted so much time to the story of one man is incredible. Thank you both

[@Thej611]

I’m literally in tears right now. I’m right there with you

[@laurenm908_]

not just tears. i am sobbing. womanly emotions and the beauty of baseball mix perfectly.

[@TheMightyPatapon]

I don't watch or care much about baseball. I've never heard of Dave Stieb before. It is a testament to everyone who works on these that you can get me to feel so much for something I otherwise have no connection to. I do not think it is an overstatement to say that you guys are polishing the writing of sports and its players to a near perfect finish. There is nothing else quite like what you all do out there, and I'd like to thank you for doing it.

[@mauriciobetimpaesleme8702]

Crying my eyes out on this ending.... I had already forfeited all hope, NGL Jon Bois, you are a masterpiece in crafting a moment!

[@serraramayfield9230]

"...perfectly into Felix's glove." Immediately in Stieb's mind, the wall built to insulate himself from the possibility of a no-hitter, seven times denied - including even a failed perfect game - begins to crumble. The gears begin to crunch as that final out quickly sinks in, and in moments, as his teammates finally get to live out their greatest dream and surround their hero, this no-hitter exposes itself to his mind in the only way it could: a searchlight. Its hum washes over him as that light, an obelisk pointing forever into the sky, lets the world know that he, Dave Stieb, has achieved immortality. No longer will the monuments to failure - his necropolis - be the only things to his name. His name is now written forever in the holy book of no-hitter lore. That wall was honestly a lie...he never stopped looking for that crown. He only had to wait until the very end.

[@teen_laqueefa]

Damn, this was a beautiful description.

[@serraramayfield9230]

@@teen_laqueefa I would happily write for Secret Base if I could. The problem is that I have no qualifications other than what I write in my spare time.

[@ChristopherBowenSuperbus]

@@serraramayfield9230 Those are literally the only qualifications you need to write. Just... write.

[@BigBlack81]

@@SimuLord Late, but thank you for writing this. I needed to read this as the words have fallen silent from my fingers for a long time. It's high time they came back. ✊🏿👍🏿💯

[@ardenstaples9114]

I swear every Dorktown episode or season is exactly what I am looking for in sports writing. This is so well done every time. Live forever Jon and Alex

[@carletto91]

The final line is what really does it for me. "He really got it just in time, in the final month, in the final full season he will ever play. But this was just one of his whales. Whether he can see them yet or not, the others are still out there." It almost moves me to tears every time.

[@alexward1319]

i had never heard of dave stieb until these started and now he's my favorite player of all time

[@theladyhrae]

There's a beautiful difference between how Jon and Alex deliver their gut punches in story-telling. Jon is an early yelp right as the coaster crests that first dizzying climb; there is always a sign, no matter how faint, that your stomach is about to drop. Alex catches you before your mind has a chance to register what is happening; by the time you understand, you're already bleeding from the knife in your gut. It's gorgeous and horrifying.

[@Mardorion]

I still remember watching the Cleveland game in my basement in Burlington. The thing that stuck most in my 7 year old brain was that there was an airshow happening near the stadium at the same time. It blew my mind that he could focus so completely on pitching while airplanes would periodically fly by.

[@MKPiatkowski]

Probably because we have an airshow in Toronto every year during the final weekend of the CNE (which is where Exhibition Stadium got its name). He would have been used to it.

[@danielphillips6859]

As someone who had no idea how this story was going to end, I said to myself, wow. He's really not going to get it. And then he did, and I couldn't do anything except break down and cry. Just marvelous storytelling. I think it's the most beautiful, emotionally fulfilling video I've ever watched. Thank you for sharing it.

[@Lucks-3]

It is so hard for me to refrain from googling how this story ends

[@falcon1378]

Same

[@DJsocial7102]

I love the suspense of learning something from jon bois dramatic style. Its worth the wait.

[@overdahedge2014]

it's been so worth it

[@Lastclerk3]

I remember when they had a previous episode end on a cliffhanger game about the 85 Royals, and as a life long Royals fan I was like… welp, I don’t know exactly how this goes, but it ain’t ending well.

[@falcon1378]

@@Lastclerk3 at least you guys won in 2015, (congrats btw) Us nationals fans had to wait like, forever.

[@thatgingermatt]

I’m a guy who was born in 1997, has only lived in the Carolinas and am a Yankees fan. I had ZERO idea who Dave Stieb was before this series and now here I am, at 9:40 in the morning, crying in my car before work because he finally threw his no hitter. This series is amazing, thank you

[@charger479]

Not being a baseball fans makes these videos hit even harder. im watching the story unfold like im back in time. Great as always guya!

[@dominichooson7308]

today you got to learn about the goat Rickey Henderson for the first time and im truly envious

[@teen_laqueefa]

Guya?

[@nickymolitoris799]

Coming back to this video just for the ending. That quote, "This is how the sport of Baseball moves..." is maybe the most beautiful and spectacular way the games ever been described. Dammit Jon you did it again.

[@eglizabeth4336]

everybody always talking about Jon Bois but people are sleeping on Alex Rubenstein and how much he adds to these

[@Klatchan]

Agreed, same with Kofi in Fumble Dimension.

[@kimblandino]

I find Alex, Kofi, etc. more easy to listen to. Jon's vocal fry can grate on me.

[@isaacjones6323]

Alex is great, but he feels like he's reading a script while Jon's delivery is more natural

[@justinlewis4970]

I think Alex has come a long way. He's made his metaphors more simple and provides the right tone for the heavy statistical work he's presenting. They've found a groove.

[@zenvost2]

For those interested in where Adolis Garcia places on the chart at 32:29 for "total bases conquered" during his one-man war on the astros in the 2023 ALCS (a performance that won him MVP for that series): five homeruns, five singles, two HBP and one stolen base across 30 PA equals a "TBC" ratio of 28/30, or 0.93. That's impressive, but still well, *well* below Ricky Henderson's outings of 1.05 and 1.3 (and for those wondering how there's that much of a vast disparity between the two, it's due almost entirely to Ricky stealing bases as he dammed well pleased). While Garcia was impressive in that championship series, averaging one base per at-bat(!), it still goes to show just how thoroughly Henderson pummeled Stieb and the Jays in 1989.

[@georgemichaels3rdnut]

The ending about baseball in motion so violent the words made me tear up ive never been able to quite explain the love for it and why it is. Perfectly described

[@GreekInThe6ix]

Dave Stieb is the “comic’s comic” of Major League pitchers: everyone in the league knew how he good he was, but only a cult following among fans understood.

[@bluemonkjd]

My ignorance of Dave Stieb has made the story all the more compelling. Which is to say, you really had me believing he'd lose one more no-hitter 26 outs in.

[@Flargenyargen]

10:55 is the most well written, timed, and edited thing I've ever seen in a documentary. Legendary story all around, too. Awesome stuff!

[@Trainlover2002]

It made me jump, HARD, the first time I watched this. An actual "baseball jumpscare".

[@BlueValleyTS]

@@Trainlover2002 ME TOO, literally just happened! 😭

[@Cheezus22]

Jon, Alex. You guys (and your team at SB) are the ONLY ones that could make me (a person who has not watched baseball in any capacity in over 20 years) care so much for a person I have zero connection to, zero rooting interest for, and zero knowledge of. When that outfielder caught that pitch I teared up, like wtf. You guys are the absolute best.

[@chunt7343]

Jon is one of the most talented story tellers in history. Alex is an incredibly gifted writer. Amazing content.

[@nco_gets_it]

I have maintained for years that Stieb was one of, if not THE most valuable pitchers in the MLB from 1981 to 1990 and in a fairer world should have 2 if not 3 Cy Young awards and potentially 1 MVP. But those awards are TV driven, not performance driven. Had Stieb pitched in St Louis, NY, Cincinnati, or even Oakland, he may also have won 2 or 3 WS rings. The fate of being the franchise pitcher for a club like Toronto is to be Dave Stieb.

[@YOSSARIAN313]

If he pitched on the Yankees he'd have had 2-3 cy youngs

[@richardkralick3062]

There was talk from the conservative people in the US that the 1992 WS should not be awarded to a foreign team, as it's an US pastime.

[@elenigmo]

18:38 for the documentary within a documentary.

[@eshep71]

That was a great shot and narration used for the final out of the No Hitter. All of your guy's videos are great.. but the two of you working together on the past couple of series' has been something else. Excellent quality

[@najakwarkle]

The mounted expectation of another let down, the ball in the air, the slow motion and blur of the camera hastily tracking the ball, I got up and turned away, gritting my teeth at what I thought would be another gulf of bad luck. To see Stieb get so close to another no-no, on the razor's edge of success and failure, and then achieve it. The wave crashed. I cried. ♥

[@dcbandnerd]

43:37 Of the many great quotes about this game I've loved my whole life, this one may be my new favorite. Thank you.

[@InchonDM]

I couldn't agree more. It's a perfect summary of something I've been trying to express about baseball for years.

[@c.seanholliday3153]

"This is how the sport of baseball moves: not at all, and then, all at once, with such terrifying speed the lines begin to bend, and then not at all,"

[@TheRotundRider]

43:51 I wasn't expecting it. I was in shock. I had to rewind the whole sequence and watch it again because I was convinced I had heard it wrong. Upon reaching this moment for the second time, I started to full-on ugly, man cry for this man.

[@robertskarklins5740]

I’ve never been so happy for something that happened 30 years ago. In a sport that I don’t know nothing about too.

[@KMX22]

44:00 Only Secret Base can make me shed a tear for a player I never knew existed in a sport I've rarely watched

[@JoshTheOther]

coming back to this because that standing ovation after the broken up perfect game is one of my favorite moments in any sports documentary period. Makes me cry.

[@da4an1qu1]

Damn those feels! What a kindness you've done to Stieb, baseballers and baseball in general.

[@jkbuckeye1]

The storytelling in this series is next level. You could hardly tell at any point (except maybe when Jon inflects “*three* no-hitters*) that this was gonna be the one. Plus the shot of Stieb in the dugout before that last ninth inning is absolutely everything.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

Yeah that shot of him in the dugout is just great. He's so unbelievably tired of this shit but he can't help himself. He's a stubborn bastard ready to dance with the devil once more with gritted teeth.

[@boxwi]

The inflection can still be compared to 0 no hitters Not that telling.

[@GeauxWyatt]

When you think too much about it, sports are arbitrary games we made to distract ourselves from regular life. But the great thing about sports is that it can tell stories. Athletes are our modern day folk heroes, and rather than scripted drama, these guys live the drama, and in a way we live it with them. That’s the power in sport. Jon and Alex are doing a fantastic job elevating sports into true storytelling. Brilliant work!

[@Disastromatic]

I knew where this was going. I watched it as a child. The journey didn't mean as much then, and even for a 9-year old who loved the Blue Jays, the arrival didn't hit nearly as hard.

[@Franchise364]

I love the visual metaphor to support the 27th out keystoning this eternal beacon of immortality. It truly is the way no-hitters are remembered. Recording 26 consecutive outs isnt much different than recording 27. Except it is, fair or unfair. 26 is an unkempt monolith. 27 is a wonder, never to be forgotten.

[@chaosof99]

After the heartache of last episode, I knew that the way the episode started could only end in disaster, but like falling out of a building you know it's not going to be pretty when the splat comes but you still dread it all thet way. However, I am so glad that at the end of the episode, we finally saw him catch the whale. In wrestling terms he pulled a Tetsuya Naito: Find success by no longer caring.

[@RiskuBusiness]

Based and tranquilo pilled

[@louisminati]

Love that he got the no hitter on the very field that robbed him of it. He got the last laugh against Cleveland Municipal Stadium. I attended the last football game ever played there as a 5 year old and I remember how insanely destroyed that field was. A damn mess especially when baseball and football seasons overlapped

[@tjtaylor6431]

I knew the “ending” but even still seeing it in Chapter 3 and knowing there’s a whole chapter to come still brought a tear to my eye.

[@redskullz1249]

Wait, there's another chapter to come?

[@randylevy]

Same here...I really want to make some comments but am waiting another 2 weeks. ⏳

[@teen_laqueefa]

@@randylevy thanks, don't spoil, I was a diehard Reds fan in my youth (the 80s)

[@willd1790]

@@redskullz1249 If you've been reading ahead you'll see that a rather...important chapter in Blue Jays history is right around the corner

[@88porpoise]

@@willd1790 Unfortunately Stieb was not a significant part of that. Glad he got his rings, but he was essentially done after 1990. The big focus of the next part will likely be the HOF case, and morecomparisons to Jack Morris in particular. Stieb certainly has the better stats than Morris, but Morris has the playoff success (including an insane 1991 earning a World Series MVP). If Stieb had a run like 1991, he would absolutely be in the Hall.

[@dasamont8274]

Damn, this got me teary-eyed. Especially now that I know that Dave Stied is sitting at home watching this with the rest of us.

[@thenumberquelve158]

Every little thing about these Dorktowns is brilliantly crafted. The use of gold tiles instead of silver or black to indicate Perfect Game instead of No Hitter, for instance. And then the delivery of the ACTUAL successful No Hitter was phenomenal. I don't follow baseball closely at all so I was completely expecting that final hit to be a homer. You led my heart down a dark path only to show me the light at the last second. I genuinely can't imagine better storytelling.

[@semtext44]

i fucking teared up at 43:49 for a guy i didnt know before watching this series, in a sport i don't really understand, because of a story so marvelously told. kudos, jon and alex. that is prime time entertainment right there.

[@yaboi912]

Jon Bois could narrate anything and I’d be invested.

[@danielschueler7693]

This is my favorite KZbin series ever

[@joanjobs4359]

I remember this game as a kid, with my family vacationing somewhere on the Canadian side of Lake Erie, watching on an old tv with rabbit ears as the signal carried from Ohio across the lake. if it had been against any other team we wouldn't have seen it, it was magical. And at that time Junior Felix was my favourite Blue Jay because he hit a homerun in his first MLB at-bat at a game I was at for my bday, so I was a little over-excited that he had caught the final out.

[@MichaelClarke1980]

Mr. Stieb, as a lifelong Yankee fan, tip of the cap to you for the tortures you gave my team throughout the 1980's. Watching the games live I guess I was privy to what many are finding out here. To you, the formidable opponent, a well deserved cheers.

[@jacoblebold8462]

Gotta love how Cleveland, the team that he played for that first one-hitter, is also the one that gave him his no-hitter.

[@wheelsongenius]

The section about Cy Young's perfect game, set to the 1998 NFC Championship music, is itself perfection. "This isn't destiny. It's more than that. It's prophecy."

[@fortynights1513]

It’s called “Journey to the Moon”

[@jarenhimelick6748]

Thank you for this video, it gave me chills and made me tear up multiple times. This comment will probably get lost in the doldrums of the internet but I don’t care, thanks Jon and Alex, the way you tell sports stories is the best.

[@citythink]

I’m on the edge of tears watching the breakup of the perfect game. I remember watching it. I was born in 71, and grew up a Jays fan in London Ontario just down the road from Toronto. Stieb was a hero of mine. Always loved the guy and that ovation reflects how we generally felt about him. Awesome series folks!!

[@christianlawrence2714]

You now have a memory of your father saying, 'He's no Dave Stieb.'

[@justinmartin1831]

I was at the game where Dave Stieb finally threw his no hitter. I was 10 years old and still remember the game fairly well. I was too young at the time to truly appreciate the magnificence I witnessed...and no I'm not lying. I actually was there.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Man, you guys have somehow, some way, outdone yourselves again. What a great episode, can't wait for the finale.

[@connorb3931]

I barely watch sports. I barely know sports teams or players aside from the ones that my friends and family mention in passing. Never in a million years did I think that I would be crying watching a documentary about a sport I'm not invested in, about a team I barely know, about a player I never knew existed, but somehow Jon and Alex have brought me to tears. Beautiful work, your story telling never ceases to amaze me!

[@chairman96]

The most emotional I have ever gotten over a youtube video. Seriously, why am I crying so hard right now

[@maxriley1769]

I'm some random Australian guy. I don't watch baseball, and frankly I only vaguely understand the rules. And here I am tearing up about some random Toronto pitcher whose career peaked before my parents met. Transcendent storytelling. Sports Journalism as fine art.

[@pokemonsterable]

Stuff like this is so poignant because it represents what everyone feels, struggling to capture something you've been so close to but just keep failing. You start to tell yourself it doesn't matter and that it won't happen but deep down you still really want it. And then finally when you've almost given up all hope you achieve it and realize just how important it was to you. Thanks Secret Base for sharing these amazing stories with us.

[@jackmahon2100]

okay I am a huge fan of Dorktown. The mariners doc is still the best piece of sports media I’ve ever seen. But the moment where Dave finally gets the no-hitter, the method in which Alex and Jon illustrated its beauty and immortality, where one singular towering achievement shines for miles above the flat plane of his life/career made me tear up and gave me serious chills. One perfect tiny moment on one day is immortal and untouched through all the noise. superb storytelling both orally and visually. KZbin doesn’t deserve this caliber of quality content but I’m so glad it’s here!

[@petermccannell7565]

It's funny, I kbow the story of dave stieb, and even still I was sitting there at the end on the edge of my seat waiting for heartbreak, despite knowing the outcome. This has got to be one of the best pieces you guys have put out

[@noahbaden90]

It's my favorite thing that in the middle of the 3 hour Stieb documentary, there's a momentary tangent for Rickey Henderson's 1989 ALCS, and in the baseball bits about Henderson's 1989 ALCS, there's a tangent about Stieb having the most pitching WAR in the 80s.

[@miltonposner]

To Jon, Alex, and the whole Secret Base team: thank you for the work and love you put in to make things as special as this :)

[@rebel1608]

I think the greatest compliment I could give Secret Base in general and this series in particular is that I had never heard of this guy before the first video and couldn't have cared less, and then by the end of the third I was desperately rooting for a man who retired before I ever cared about baseball at all

[@steinbacht63]

That's the beauty of sports, and good sports writing. You guys knock it out of the park every time. I was at work listening to this, and stopped thinking oh no. Not again. Too good.

[@dotQuadcore]

Oh god, as someone who tries to go to baseball. This documentary really bring me the tears of joy. And finally really appreciate how beautiful this game is.

[@shauneagle]

After watching part 3 of this series, I went out to eBay to buy Dave Stieb's rookie card at any cost.... only to find that including shipping, it cost me $1.60. Ugh.

[@Zaximillian]

So you get it signed by the man himself, removing all silly notions of price on this unique thing in the world. Maybe ask him to sign, "To Shaun: Tomorrow you'll be perfect. - Dave Stieb" I think he would.

[@RamiroR22]

Can't understand this level of story-telling and sports-writing. I have nothing but pure love for Jon and Alex. All of their videos are just heartbreaking and warming at the same time. I wan't to hang up with them

[@JackSerafini77]

Man, as a Toronto sports fan this episode just made me so happy and it is so cool to see Stieb get the attention he should as one of the all time greats.

[@TheJackal25]

Rewatching this series for like the third time, I still tear up at 43:37 and the absolutely perfect narration. “This is how the sport of baseball moves,” incredible writing.

[@bentucker1107]

It is my humble opinion that every movie should have a 15 minute aside where they just talk about Rickey Henderson

[@daifeichu]

This series just keeps getting better. After watching this I have no desire to watch or listen to anything else. I was a teenager that grew up in the 80's near Toronto. It was a great day to see Stieb on the mound at Exhibition Stadium.

[@oswjim]

this is by far the best dorktown series, period ---- can't wait for the final episode

[@sebastianhaydennielsen8662]

I have never seen a Baseball game, i follow numerous sports, but this truly has to be the greatest sports documentary i have ever seen. To make such an unknown and forgotten story this interesting, requires an incredible amount of skill. Thank you Jon and thank you Alex.