Jim Palmer surrendered the only grand slam of his professional life in the minors, to a young Johnny Bench, yet never allowed one across 575 major league games. This deep dive traces a life caught between obsessive perfectionism and the sheer randomness of fate, from a secret birth to a Hall of Fame career.

Adopted into Park Avenue affluence, Palmer survived a dead arm, an accidental medical rescue, and clubhouse feuds to reinvent himself across three decades in Baltimore.

• Threw a complete-game shutout in the 1966 World Series against Sandy Koufax's final appearance.
• Ruined his arm using a paint roller, then revived it with an anti-inflammatory tip from a stranger.
• Was part of Baltimore's 1971 rotation with four 20-game winners, a feat matched only once since the 1920s.
• Became the only pitcher to win a Wor ...