Rephonic
Artwork for Midnight Library of Baseball
Baseball
Field Of Dreams
Major League Baseball
Babe Ruth
Nostalgia
Shoeless Joe
1919 Black Sox Scandal
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Baseball History
The Natural
Jim Creighton
Father-Son Relationships
Lou Gehrig
Cal Ripken Jr.
Phil Alden Robinson
The Baseball Codes
The Code
Chuck Klein
Jackie Robinson
Baseball Gloves

Midnight Library of Baseball is a documentary-style baseball history podcast for listeners who want something deeper, quieter, and more reflective than the typical sports show.

Hosted by Ben Orlando, the series blends immersive storytelling with deep research to explore the game’s most iconic figures, like Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Honus Wagner, alongside forgotten players and unlikely stories ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes122Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BaseballHistorySports

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Artwork for Midnight Library of Baseball

Latest Episodes

Over the last 100+ years, we've come to associate amateur sports (Olympics, college sports), with purity, sanctity, honor. In many cases, athletes trying to turn professional and make money from their performance has been seen as dirty, dishonorable.... more

YouTube

In this episode, I talk to a living, breathing reincarnation of Jim Creighton, to shed light on historical mysteries that have been lost to time. I'll also talk with Tom Gilbert to figure out exactly how fast Creighton was throwing, and what the diff... more

YouTube

The knuckleball is not only the most mysterious, most fascinating pitch in baseball, it might also be the most interesting phenomenon in all of sports. In this episode, I talk with journalist and documentarian Brian Gaffney about the story of the knu... more

YouTube

We've been talking about how Jim Creighton broke the game of baseball. In this episode, we pull back the curtain and see exactly how he did something no other player could do.

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Sal Guerrero
Former 10-man modified softball pitcher
Episode: E5: Jim Creighton Lives?
Tom Gilbert
Author of Death in the Strike Zone, a book about Jim Creighton
Episode: E5: Jim Creighton Lives?
Brian Gaffney
Documentary filmmaker and knuckleball researcher who authored The School of Hard Knucks
TV and documentary industry
Episode: In Search of the White Whale: A Talk With Brian Gaffney
Warren Goldstein
Lifelong baseball fan and author of Playing for Keeps
Author, Playing for Keeps; academic baseball historian
Episode: E3: The Lightning-Fast Game Called Baseball
Barry Weinberg
Athletic trainer with World Series experience
Author of Eating My Way Through Baseball (forward by Joe Buck)
Episode: E3: The Lightning-Fast Game Called Baseball
Richard Hirschberger
Baseball historian and Sabre contributor, author of Strike 4, The Evolution of Baseball
Sabre
Episode: E2: The Day The Pitcher Defied The Game
Callie Mitchell
Regional Director of Baseball in Jerusalem, Israel
Jerusalem Baseball
Episode: E2: The Day The Pitcher Defied The Game
Gaines Johnson
Founder of the World Baseball League
World Baseball League
Episode: The World Baseball League Comes To Iowa
Nate Fish
Former player and manager of the Israel National Team, poet, artist
Israel National Team / WBC
Episode: More Than Just a Game

Host

Ben Orlando
Host of the Midnight Library of Baseball; main narrator and driving creative force with a deep focus on research-driven, narrative baseball history.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 367 ratings
  • So grateful

    I’m so grateful for this podcast. I watched baseball with my grandpa since I was old enough to remember, and listening to these episodes not only makes me feel close to him again, but reminds me there’s so much I still don’t know about the game I love.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    RedshiftAlex
    United Statesa month ago
  • The best baseball podcast, something different

    I've just been turned on to this podcast, listening to season four, the history of baseball broadcasting. I'm hooked! I've learned quite a few things I did not know. The format is different from other baseball podcasts. The host covers historical events from a different angle, focusing more on emotional aspects. I also really appreciate that each episode ends with a listener's baseball memory.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    crunchyjax
    United States2 months ago
  • Incredible

    Thank you Ben!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bart West 79
    Canada2 months ago
  • Touch ‘em all time

    Like a home run , this podcast hits just right. Great conversations, stories I never knew. I love it. Give the Midnight Library of Baseball a try. You will see why it’s “touch ‘em all time”.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Dailey Commentary
    United States5 months ago
  • A Thoughtful and Fun Listen

    Ben provides a detailed review of specific baseball events in a measured, deliberate manner. I look forward to each new episode as an opportunity to learn more about the history of the game we all love. I specifically appreciate the episodes about the players from the golden age. Keep up the great work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nick from TO
    Canada5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the thoughtful, quiet storytelling and deep historical context.
Fans appreciate the emotional resonance and fresh angles on familiar topics.
Many say it's a standout for serious baseball history fans and storytelling enthusiasts.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#62
United States/Sports/Baseball
Apple Podcasts
#53
Canada/Sports/Baseball
Apple Podcasts
#114
United Kingdom/Sports/Baseball
Apple Podcasts
#32
France/Sports/Baseball
Apple Podcasts
#37
Germany/Sports/Baseball
Apple Podcasts
#72
Australia/Sports/Baseball

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

E5: Jim Creighton Lives?
Q: How fast was Jim Creighton actually throwing, and how much faster was he than the other pitchers of his day?
Tom Gilbert says Creighton was an exceptional athlete and estimates that he may have thrown five to ten miles per hour faster than Guerrero, producing a modern batter reaction-time equivalent of roughly 96 to 101.5 miles per hour.
E5: Jim Creighton Lives?
Q: So can you explain what are the limiting rules in terms of what you can and cannot do as a pitcher in medium pitch or 10-man modified?
Guerrero describes restrictions on the height of the backswing and keeping the ball inside the wrist, which limited the ability to create spin and horizontal movement.
E2: The Day The Pitcher Defied The Game
Q: Why is Jim Creighton considered a pivotal figure in the history of pitching?
His pitching style and the legal-then-illegal perception of it show how early baseball experimented with what was possible, ultimately redefining pitching's boundaries and influencing rule interpretation.
What the Heck is the World Baseball League?
Q: How does match play scoring work and why does it make the game more exciting?
Each inning yields one point to the team that wins the inning, which creates higher stakes, speeds up the game naturally, and allows for dramatic walk-off moments without a traditional blowout.
What the Heck is the World Baseball League?
Q: What problem is the World Baseball League trying to solve beyond creating a new competition?
To expand the baseball ecosystem by widening the talent funnel, keeping games affordable to build trust with fans, and integrating entertainment to attract a broader audience while maintaining the sport's core essence.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Midnight Library of Baseball

What is Midnight Library of Baseball about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The series centers on baseball history told through calm, meticulously researched storytelling. Episodes explore era-spanning figures, forgotten players, broadcasting evolution, and the human side of the game—often blending memory, myth, and data to illuminate how baseball shaped culture. Notably, emphasis on long-form history, narrative craft, and thoughtful interviews with historians, players, broadcasters, and organizers set this show apart from typical sports coverage, making it a rich resource for listeners who crave depth and nuance in baseball lore.

Where can I find podcast stats for Midnight Library of Baseball?

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How many listeners does Midnight Library of Baseball get?

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What are the audience demographics for Midnight Library of Baseball?

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How many subscribers and views does Midnight Library of Baseball have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Midnight Library of Baseball has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Midnight Library of Baseball?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Midnight Library of Baseball:

1. The Joy of Baseball Podcast
2. Press Box Chronicles
3. The PosCast with Joe Posnanski & Michael Schur
4. The Conspirators Podcast
5. Is This A Great Game, Or What?

How many episodes of Midnight Library of Baseball are there?

Midnight Library of Baseball launched 3 years ago and published 122 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Midnight Library of Baseball?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Midnight Library of Baseball?

Recent guests on Midnight Library of Baseball include:

1. Sal Guerrero
2. Tom Gilbert
3. Brian Gaffney
4. Warren Goldstein
5. Barry Weinberg
6. Richard Hirschberger
7. Callie Mitchell
8. Gaines Johnson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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