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baseball begins
One summer afternoon in 1839, at Coppertown, on the shore of Otsego Lake in upper New York, the boys of the Otsego Academy were playing a game of town ball against Green's Select School. The rules of town ball were so loose that every hit was fair, and boys sometimes ran headlong into one another. -
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mlb history
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american league is founded
In 1893, businessman and baseball enthusiast Ban Johnson creates the Western League as a minor league for the National League. In 1901, Johnson changes the leagues name for the Western to the American League and officially announces its intent to operate as a major league. -
babe ruth calls his shot
During the World Series in 1932 between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs, Yankee outfielder Babe Ruth points to the right field bleachers and proceeds to hit a home run. Babe Ruth's called shot goes on to be one of the most famous moments in World Series history. -
color barrior broken
In not only one of the greatest moments in baseball history, but American history, young black player Jackie Robinson becomes the first black Major League player, playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson received many death threats and racial slurs from fans, opponents and teammate alike, but perservered and paved the way for a whole generation of non-white baseball players, making baseball a truly American game. -
shot heard around the world
On August 11th the Brooklyn held a 13 1/2 game lead of the New York Giants for the National League Pennant. The Giants went on to win 37 of their last 44 games forcing a playoff with the Dodgers for the pennant. With the Giants losing in the bottom of the 9th inning, outfielder Bobby Thomson hits a game winning home run to clinch the pennant for the Giants, completing the greatest comeback in baseball history. -
the dh is born
For the 1973 season the American League enacts the Designated Hitter (DH) rule allowing a player to hit for the pitcher. The National League does not follow suit and the DH rule remains the largest difference between the leagues to this day. -
hits leader
On Sept. 11, 1985, Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb's all time hits record, finishing his career with 4,256 hits. Rose and Cobb are the only two players to ever break the 4000 hit plateau. Rose wouldn't later be disgraced and banned from baseball for betting on his team when he was coaching, ruining what had been a hall of fame career. -
bill buckner
During the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner makes an error on a easy ground ball, allowing the Mets to comeback and win the series, extending the famous Curse of the Bambino. . -
sosa and mcquire homerun race
During the Summer of 98', the sport of baseball was in a slump, never fully recovering from the player's strike of 94'. They needed a spark to get the fans interested again, and a spark they got in the form of one of the most memorable home run races between Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa and Cardinals 1st baseman Mark McGwire. McGwire won the race, breaking Maris' record of 61 home runs, finsihing the year with 70. -
the curse is broken
For the first time since Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, breaking the Curse of the Bambino. Entering the playoffs as a wild card team, Boston managed to come back from a 3 game to 1 deficit in the ALCS and beat the Yankees to advance to the World Series where they beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 4 straight games.