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Baseball

Baseball
★ 7.6/10•1994•1h 43m•TV-PG•Documentary
Similars

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.

Geoffrey C. Ward · Writer

Ken Burns · Writer

StatusEnded
Runtime1h 43m
LanguageEN
First Air DateSep 18, 1994

Episodes

Episode 1 - Inning One: Our GameE1113m

Inning One: Our Game

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.

Sep 18, 1994

Episode 2 - Inning Two: Something Like a WarE2104m

Inning Two: Something Like a War

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.

Sep 19, 1994

Episode 3 - Inning Three: The Faith of Fifty Million PeopleE3118m

Inning Three: The Faith of Fifty Million People

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.

Sep 20, 1994

Episode 4 - Inning Four: A National HeirloomE4111m

Inning Four: A National Heirloom

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.

Sep 21, 1994

Episode 5 - Inning Five: Shadow BallE5120m

Inning Five: Shadow Ball

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.

Sep 22, 1994

Episode 6 - Inning Six: The National PastimeE6148m

Inning Six: The National Pastime

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.

Sep 25, 1994

Episode 7 - Inning Seven: The Capitol of BaseballE7128m

Inning Seven: The Capitol of Baseball

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.

Sep 26, 1994

Episode 8 - Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball GameE8111m

Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball Game

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.

Sep 27, 1994

Episode 9 - Inning Nine: HomeE9142m

Inning Nine: Home

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.

Sep 28, 1994

Actors

John Chancellor

John Chancellor

Narrator (voice)

Daniel Okrent

Daniel Okrent

Self

Buck O'Neil

Self

Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel

Self (voice)

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Similars

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Full Count
Bronx Zoo '90: Crime, Chaos and Baseball
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The Sounds of Baseball
On Base with Mookie Betts
Jackie Robinson
Believers: Boston Red Sox
한화이글스: 클럽하우스
The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox
The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox
MLB: Great Games
World Series Film
MLB's 20 Greatest Games
Call Us Crazy: Women's Baseball
A League of Their Own
Glory Jane