Episode 320 - Julio Franco, You Can't Walk Off the Island

On this episode of Two Strike Noise, Jeff and Mark cover recent baseball chatter (Jazz Chisholm borrowing gear, a new baseball rom-com, and the 1986 Wally Joyner knife incident) before welcoming Baseball-Reference’s Adam Darowski for a deep dive on Julio Franco, from his Dominican upbringing and Phillies signing through stints with Cleveland, Texas, the White Sox, and extensive play in Japan, Mexico, Korea, and back in MLB with Atlanta and the Mets, highlighting his longevity, unique batting stance, training regimen, and age-related MLB records. They discuss Franco’s production peaks (including a 1991 AL batting title), his global hit totals and Darowski’s conservative “gap-filling” 4,000-hit-club research projecting Franco past 3,000 MLB hits, plus context from Negro Leagues/Latin American history and Hall of Fame considerations. The episode also closes with a 1987 Topps Wax Pack Heroes card pull and Adam’s Immaculate Grid favorites. Awesome shot of Julio and other DR players looking fly AF - https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-mlb-shortstops-rafael-santana-julio-franco-news-photo/957081864?adppopup=true Connect With Us YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise BlueSky: @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Email: twostrikenoise@gmail.com Support a Great Cause: Don't let your common cards collect dust! Donate them to help spark a child's interest in the game at http://commons4kids.org/. #baseballhistory #mlb #baseball #BaseballCards #TwoStrikeNoise #JulioFranco #DominicanRepublic #ImmaculateGrid #popculture