Sublime

When Steinmeyer writes about the theater a century ago, he speaks as one who's met modern versions of the characters, who's even reconstructed their tricks onstage. So when, for example, he describes David Devant's Mascot Moth (which Steinmeyer reproduced in Doug Henning's Merlin),

The legendary Nolan Ryan did strike out Gwynn nine times in 67 plate appearances—that’s the most against any pitcher. Gwynn still hit .300 against Ryan, one of the very few who did.