Major League Baseball is now into its World Series, but the recent string of deaths of baseball Hall of Famers reminds middle-aged fans that the game’s hold on the culture has diminished.

In six weeks beginning on Aug. 31, we saw the deaths of three of the 10 best pitchers of the 100-year live-ball era (Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, and Whitey Ford) and that of the second-best (and single-most influential) base stealer ever, Lou Brock, along with Joe Morgan, who some top analysts consider the all-time greatest second baseman.