Baseball

1994 · Ended · 1 season · 9 episodes · Documentary · United States

Channel PBS · Starring John Chancellor, Daniel Okrent, Buck O'Neil

The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and the words of those who contributed to the game in each era. Writers, historians, players, baseball personnel, and fans review key events and the significance of the game in America's history.
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Episodes

9 episodes · September 1994
  1. Episode 1: 1. Inning One: Our GameSeptember 18, 1994 · 113 min
    In New York City, in the 1840s, people need a diversion from the "railroad pace" at which they work and live. They find it in a game of questionable origins. On June 19th, 1846, at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, a team of well-dressed gentlemen, the Knickerbockers, play the first game of baseball. By 1856, the game is already being called "the national pastime," or simply, "Our Game." But the nation is about to be torn apart. And, in the midst of the Civil War, there is one thing that Americans North and South have in common: baseball.
  2. Episode 2: 2. Inning Two: Something Like a WarSeptember 19, 1994 · 104 min
    It is a decade of revolution. In China, in Central America. At Kitty Hawk. In Henry Ford's factory. And on America's baseball fields. In 1894, a sportswriter named Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson takes over a struggling minor league - the Western League - and turns it into a financial success. In 1900, he changes its name to the American League and begins talking about challenging the big city monopoly held by the National League. The revolution takes only three years. In 1903, the first World Series is played between the American League Boston Pilgrims and the National League Pittsburgh Pirates.
  3. Episode 3: 3. Inning Three: The Faith of Fifty Million PeopleSeptember 20, 1994 · 118 min
    Examine the century's second decade, which was dominated by the Black Sox scandal. George Herman “Babe” Ruth makes his first major league appearance (as a member of the Boston Red Sox) and a wave of immigration helps fill the stands with new fans, eager to “become American” by learning America's game.
  4. Episode 4: 4. Inning Four: A National HeirloomSeptember 21, 1994 · 111 min
    This episode concentrates on Babe Ruth, whose phenomenal performance thrilled the nation throughout the 1920s and rescued the game from the scandal of the previous decade.
  5. Episode 5: 5. Inning Five: Shadow BallSeptember 22, 1994 · 120 min
    The story of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s. “Shadow Ball” refers to a common pre-game feature in which the players staged a mock game with an imaginary ball. Though unintended, the pantomime was an apt metaphor for the exclusion of blacks from major league play at that time.
  6. Episode 6: 6. Inning Six: The National PastimeSeptember 25, 1994 · 148 min
    This episode covers the 1940s and includes Joe DiMaggio's celebrated hitting streak, the awe-inspiring performance of Ted Williams and what Burns calls “baseball's finest moment” — the debut of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
Show 3 more episodes
  1. Episode 7: 7. Inning Seven: The Capitol of BaseballSeptember 26, 1994 · 128 min
    Viewers are taken through the 1950s when New York City had three successful baseball teams and dominated the World Series. By the end of the decade, the Giants and Dodgers had left New York, a signal that the old game was changed forever.
  2. Episode 8: 8. Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball GameSeptember 27, 1994 · 111 min
    The field is moved to the 1960s. This episode traces the emergence of television, the expansion to new cities and the building of anonymous multipurpose stadiums that robbed the game of its intimacy and some of its urban following.
  3. Episode 9: 9. Inning Nine: HomeSeptember 28, 1994 · 142 min
    The final episode looks at baseball from the 1970s to the present, including the establishment of the free agent system, the rise in player salaries, the continued expansion, the dilution of talent, the ongoing battles between labor and management and the scandals.

Trailers and images

Credits

Film and series details

EPISODE LENGTH
103 minutes
FIRST AIRED
September 18, 1994
LAST AIRED
September 28, 1994
PRODUCTION COMPANIES
Florentine Films, WETA

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