Casey Stengel’s Grapefruit Prank: The Wild Origin of Spring Training

19/09/2025 15 min
Casey Stengel’s Grapefruit Prank: The Wild Origin of Spring Training

Listen "Casey Stengel’s Grapefruit Prank: The Wild Origin of Spring Training"

Episode Synopsis

Baseball lore doesn’t get better than this: Casey Stengel, a stunt pilot named Ruth Law, one unlucky manager, and a flying grapefruit that helped give spring training its nickname. Peter Lemieux of Rounding Third (BadderSports) unpacks the prank—and the legend—plus Casey’s ties to DiMaggio, Mantle, Billy Martin, the Yankees, and the lovable early Mets.



00:00 Introduction to Casey Stengel

00:56 Casey Stengel's Playing Career

03:21 Casey Stengel's Managerial Career

04:47 Casey Stengel and Billy Martin

05:46 The Yankees Era

08:10 The New York Mets Era

08:47 Casey Stengel's Famous Quotes

09:27 The Grapefruit League Prank

14:20 Conclusion and Farewell



What you’ll hear:

• Stengel the player: National League years, .284 AVG, inside-the-park HR

• Stengel the manager: seven titles with the Yankees; the early Mets years

• The prank: Wilbert “Uncle Robbie” Robinson, Ruth Law, and a very messy catch

• Three classic Stengel quotes you’ll want to steal

• Why this story still shapes baseball’s spring mythology



Enjoy the nostalgia? Like, subscribe, and drop your favorite Casey story in the comments.



#CaseyStengel #BaseballHistory #Yankees #Mets #GrapefruitLeague



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