Stitch x Stitch

Kent Tekulve on life in labor trenches, and importance of paying it forward

This week's guest is Ed Lynch, whose passion for the game never wavered across decades as a player, front office executive and scout. Ed grew up a Mets fan in the 1960s and later had the privilege of pitching in the same rotation as his boyhood idol, Tom Seaver.

This week's guest on "Stitch x Stitch'' is David Aardsma, a 2003 first-round draft pick who pitched for eight MLB clubs and made 18 stops in the minors and independent ball during his professional career. "You fall in love with the grind,'' he told us.

Our guest this episode is former big league pitcher Todd Stottlemyre. Todd and his brother, Mel Jr., grew up as self-described “baseball brats’’ who had a blast roaming Monument Park pre-game when their dad, Mel, was the lead dog in the Yankees’ rotation in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In this episode we connect with Mike Myers, who logged 883 career appearances as a reliever with nine teams over 13 big league seasons.

This week's guest on "Stitch x Stitch'' is John Albert "Buck'' Martinez, a beloved figure in Toronto and a baseball fixture for nearly 60 years as a player, manager, author and broadcaster. Buck spent 17 seasons as a backup catcher in the big leagues with the Blue Jays, Royals and Brewers, but his impact went well beyond statistics.

In part 2 of their wide-ranging conversation, Ferguson Jenkins, Andre Dawson and Lee Smith delve further into baseball economics and the changing landscape that paralleled the growth of the MLBPA.

Baseball Hall of Famers and fellow Chicago Cubs greats Ferguson Jenkins, Andre Dawson and Lee Smith are set to make a special appearance on the next episode of “Stitch x Stitch,’’ the new oral history podcast from the Major League Baseball Players Association. Each week, the podcast will tell a story through the eyes of players whose personal experiences have shaped the union’s growth and evolution since its inception in 1966.

Rick Monday joins the MLBPA's "Stitch x Stitch'' podcast and shares stories from six eventful decades in professional ball. Rick made history as the No. 1 pick in MLB's first-ever amateur draft in 1965, and played 19 seasons as an outfielder with the Athletics, Cubs and Dodgers before transitioning to a distinguished career as a broadcaster in LA. He reflects on his interactions with Dodger legends Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully, his military service, and that memorable day in

Larry Dierker, our latest guest on Stitch x Stitch, broke into the big leagues as a “bonus baby’’ with the Houston Colt .45s in 1964 and celebrated his 18th birthday with a first inning strikeout of Willie Mays. Over the next four decades, he became synonymous with Houston baseball as a two-time All-Star pitcher, Astros manager and team broadcaster. In this episode, Dierker reflects on the formative years of the union and the partnership between Marvin Miller and players that

Six-time All-Star “Sudden Sam” McDowell joins Stitch x Stitch for an unfiltered look at the early years of the MLBPA and the uphill battles players faced long before free agency reshaped the game. Raised in a Pittsburgh union household, McDowell first encountered Marvin Miller as a child attending a steelworkers’ meeting with his father. He immersed himself in union leadership as a young strikeout machine with the Cleveland Indians in the 1960s, and never hesitated to make hi

Dave Stewart Appears on MLBPA's "Stitch x Stitch'' Podcast

Reggie Smith Appears on MLBPA's "Stitch x Stitch'' Podcast

MLBPA launches “Stitch x Stitch” Podcast celebrating the PA’s rich history