Jay Wigley, author of “How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History,” joins the show to discuss his new book about the origins and impact of Retrosheet. Wigley explained how Retrosheet began in 1989 with Dave Smith’s vision to compile and digitize every Major League Baseball game’s data for free, relying on a volunteer army.
They discussed the unique appeal of baseball to analytical thinkers and the labor of love that drives Retrosheet’s work. Wigley shared anecdotes about acquiring historical game data, highlighting stories like the serendipitous discovery of Alan Roth’s detailed Dodgers scorecards.
The conversation also covered Retrosheet’s role in correcting historical records, such as the Roger Maris RBI title, and its commitment to transparency by showing its work.
The Fancestor is a podcast about that will speak to 30 fans from 30 Major League Baseball teams to determine exactly why we are fans. Through interesting conversations, it strives to understand and explain fandom: how we became fans, the moments that tested our fandom and why – at the end of the day – we are still fans.
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