What happens
Mike Scanlon, an umpire in the senior circuit for eighteen years, calls a late-August ninth-inning ball foul against the Goats' Nifty Gallatelli, though a fan in section 23 says it was fair. The call sparks protests, newspaper criticism and a sharp dispute between Scanlon and his wife and friends. Under pressure and drinking, Scanlon wrestles with his doubts about his job and his confidence on the field. The episode follows the aftermath as he faces the league president and the crowd. The transcript ends partway through the story.
Mid-century American professional baseball, late August, at the stadium and in the city where the Goats and the Sox play.
Characters: John Steele, Mike Scanlon, Nifty Gallatelli, Billy Kelly, Mrs. Scanlon, John Steele (league president)
Listen for: Scanlon's disputed call on the ninth-inning foul ball and the crowd reaction in the stands.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.