Play Ball!
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It's the 100th anniversary of the World Series. So break out the hot dogs, the peanuts—and the stories. Baseball is a great window into America's history.
Each summer, some 70 million people go to baseball games. What do they see? They see athletes, of course, and maybe some action. But that's not all.
They may not know it, but those fans also see American history. Since the 1800s, baseball has grown with the United States. Changes in the sport reflect those in the nation.
WAR GAMES
In 1861 the United States went to war—against itself. Thirteen states seceded, or broke away from the nation. They formed a new country, the Confederate States of America.
President Abraham Lincoln was determined to bring the country together again. He sent troops to take back the breakaway states. To resist Lincoln, the Confederacy created its own army. The two sides fought the Civil War.
Soldiers on both sides played baseball whenever they could. The game helped prisoners of war fight boredom. Sometimes prisoners even played against their captors.
Perhaps the biggest Civil War game took place on December 25, 1862. Nearly 40,000 Union soldiers gathered at Hilton Head, South Carolina, to watch.
The war ended in 1865. Returning soldiers spread baseball across the U.S. Some cities had two teams—one for blacks, another for whites. Baseball was segregated, or divided by race. So was the country.
A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The first professional league was born in 1871. In 1876 it became the National League—the same one that plays today. Over the years, more leagues formed. Only one survived. That's the American League, created in 1901.
At first, teams from the two leagues never played one another. In 1903, baseball officials decided to hold a series of games at the season's end. The best team from each league would compete. To triumph, a team needed to win five games.
The first World Series pitted the Boston Pilgrims (later the Red Sox) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh won the first game, Boston the second. Pittsburgh took the next two. Just two more wins, and Pittsburgh would be the "world champion."
Then things changed. Boston stormed back to win the next four games in a row. On October 13, 1903, the Pilgrims became baseball's first World Series winners.
There was no World Series in 1904. The New York Giants refused to play the Pilgrims. After that, however, the two leagues agreed to hold the World Series every year.
STAR-SPANGLED SPORT
Baseball's popularity soared during the next two decades. The game truly became, as it's often called, "the national pastime." A pastime is something fun to do.
It helped that baseball fans included several Presidents. On opening day in 1910, William H. Taft threw the first pitch at a Washington Senators game. Doing so became a presidential tradition.
Woodrow Wilson was the first President to attend a World Series. He watched Boston beat Philadelphia in 1915. Calvin Coolidge went to several World Series games in 1924. He became the first President to throw a World Series pitch.
Baseball's early decades also witnessed the start of another tradition. In 1917 the United States entered World War I. The conflict deepened many Americans’ patriotism. During the war, fans started singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the beginning of baseball games.
A NEW LEAGUE
World War II erupted nearly 20 years after World War I. The U.S. entered the conflict several years later, in 1941. To support the country, baseball officials offered to stop playing the game for as long as the war lasted.
But President Franklin D. Roosevelt didn't want the national pastime to stop. In a letter to baseball officials, he wrote, "I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going." The games continued.
Many players, though, went from ball fields to battlefields. Their absence gave women a chance to play ball professionally. Many other women went to work to fill the jobs men left to fight in the war.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League formed in 1943. Some of its players were as good as the men they replaced. One pitcher even struck out Babe Ruth, one of baseball's greatest stars.
The league proved so popular that it continued after the war. It didn't fold until 1954. By then, more than 600 women had played pro ball.
ENDING SEGREGATION
Even after World War II, black and white players could not compete together. Baseball and America were still segregated. But baseball owners soon moved to end segregation.
In 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in the modern big leagues. He helped lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to the World Series that year. (They lost to the New York Yankees.)
Robinson helped Americans see that African Americans could succeed—when given a chance. Only a few years later, the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public schools.
INTERNATIONAL PASTIME
America's pastime has won global popularity. Athletes from around the world come to the United States to play baseball. Of course, they're just a sliver of the millions of people who have immigrated, or moved, to the U.S. throughout its history.
As a result, the World Series has really begun to live up to its name. Recent games have featured players from Japan, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cuba, Australia, South Korea, and Curacao. And, in 1991, the Toronto Blue Jays were the first non-U.S. team to become world champions.
This year, two more teams will compete in the World Series. Countless people will follow the games. Playing and watching, they'll all be part of America's still unfolding history.
Article and Online Extra by Michael Ruscoe. Links by Brian LaFleur.
"Play Ball!" appears on pages 16-21 of our October 2003 issue.
// ONLINE EXTRA //
TALKING BASEBALL
You may have talked baseball today without even knowing it!
Many baseball terms have become part of our everyday speech.
"knock one out of the park"
A batter who knocks one out of the park doesn't just hit a home run. He or she hits an especially long home run. No wonder knocking one out of the park means doing especially well.
Example: "I got an A+ on the test. I knocked that one out of the park!"
"make a pitch"
A pitcher makes a pitch by throwing the ball to the batter. The batter then decides whether or not to swing at it. In everyday life, to make a pitch means to offer some kind of suggestion.
Example: "I made a pitch to go to the amusement park, but my parents said no."
"off base"
A runner who is off base is in danger of being tagged out. Outside baseball, if someone is off base, he or she is wrong about something.
Example: "I thought that CD would be much cheaper. I was way off-base!"
"out of left field"
Managers often put the team's worst defensive outfielder in left field. When the left fielder throws the ball, anything might happen. Something that comes out of left field is usually sudden and strange.
Example: "The principal's decision to shave his head really came out of left field!"
"play ball"
Two teams play ball when they take the field and start a game. Someone who plays ball with you is willing to work with you.
Example: "I tried to talk my brother into helping me build a tree house, but he wouldn't play ball."
"play hardball"
People who play hardball are particularly tough.
Example: "I tried to trade desserts with Andy, but he was playing hardball. He wanted my sandwich too."
"screwball"
A screwball is an unusual pitch often thrown by left-handers. Many baseball lefties have been known for their wacky senses of humor. "Screwball" refers to anything funny or odd.
Example: "That screwball comedy was the funniest movie I've ever seen."
"strike out"
A batter who strikes out fails in his or her time at bat. To strike out is to fail.
Example: "I asked Michelle to the dance, but I struck out. She said no way."
"take one for the team"
When a batter gets hit by a pitch, it can hurt. But the batter then goes to first base. He or she might go on to score a run. Taking one for the team means doing something that hurts but might help the group as a whole.
Example: "Tom got the blame for the mess we all made in the living room. Instead of tattling, though, he took one for the team."
"throw a curveball"
A curveball is a pitch that often fools a batter. To throw a curve means to do something startling or unexpected.
Example: "The teacher threw us a curve when she gave us a surprise quiz."
Back to Top
// LINKS //
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
While many American men were fighting World War II, this women's baseball league was formed. This site tells the story of the league and its players.
Library of Congress: Jackie Robinson
Photos and documents highlight the career of Jackie Robinson and the story of baseball's integration.
Major League Baseball: The Negro Leagues
Before Jackie Robinson's historic career with the Dodgers, many of baseball's most talented stars played in the Negro Leagues. Read their stories on this site.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Meet the greatest baseball stars of all time and celebrate the history of the national pastime.
Nationalpastime.com
Find out what happened on this date in baseball history.
The World Series
Who won the World Series in 1955? Who was the Most Valuable Player in 1993? Get the answers from this handy Information Please site.
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