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Short Synopsis
The Whiz Kids recounts the story of the Philadelphia Phillies, who ended decades of futility to win the National League pennant in the last game of the season in 1950, lost the World Series to the Yankees, but remain legendary in Philly and beyond.

Full Synopsis
Before the 1950 World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies were infamous for a record-breaking lack of achievement that dated from their conception in 1883 through the 1940s. When twenty-eight-year-old Robert Carpenter Jr. took over in 1944, the Phillies had won only a single National League title in more than sixty years. For the next five years, Carpenter and the newly hired general manager, Herb Pennock, would overhaul the team's operations, building a farm system from scratch and spending a fortune on young talent to build a team that would gain immense popularity and finally bring a National League pennant in 1950.

Nicknamed the "Whiz Kids" because they had so many players under thirty, the team caught lightning in a bottle for one season. Although they lost the World Series to the New York Yankees, the team became legendary in Philadelphia and beyond. The Whiz Kids is about a team that shocked everyone by winning, and then shocked everyone by never winning again. The team succeeded under the watchful eye of its young owner, whose father handed him the team, and a college professor manager, only to see it slowly crumble as the slowest in the National League to integrate.

The Whiz Kids recounts the history of a team that, though hand-built to be champions, fell short—yet remains legendary anyway.

The Whiz Kids

How the 1950 Phillies Took the Pennant, Lost the World Series, and Changed Philadelphia Baseball Forever

Author Dennis Snelling

Narrated by Barry Abrams

Publication date Jul 1, 2025

Running time 11 hrs

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