Baseball: Season 1

1994

Created by Ken Burns
9 episodes
Documentary
Sport

18½ hour, Emmy Award-winning documentary series by Ken Burns - his ninth documentary - on the game of baseball and... More

18½ hour, Emmy Award-winning documentary series by Ken Burns - his ninth documentary - on the game of baseball and its impact in the American experience.

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Where to watch Baseball: Season 1

Baseball: Season 1 is available to stream in New Zealand... More now on DocPlay.

Baseball: Season 1 episodes

Inning One: Our Game

A look at the origins of baseball in the 1840s... More taking the story up to 1900. Burns refutes the myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown and traces its roots instead to the earliest days of the nation — there are records of a game called “Base” played at Valley Forge.

Inning Two: Something Like a War

Viewer are taken through 1910 and introduced to some of... More the game's most celebrated and colorful characters, including Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Included is the story of the formation of the American League and its integration with the National League, culminating in the establishment of the World Series.

Inning Three: The Faith of Fifty Million People

Examine the century's second decade, which was dominated by the... More 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.

Inning Four: A National Heirloom

This episode concentrates on Babe Ruth, whose phenomenal performance thrilled... More the nation throughout the 1920s and rescued the game from the scandal of the previous decade.

Inning Five: Shadow Ball

The story of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s. “Shadow... More 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.

Inning Six: The National Pastime

This episode covers the 1940s and includes Joe DiMaggio's celebrated... More 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.

Inning Seven: The Capitol of Baseball

Viewers are taken through the 1950s when New York City... More 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.

Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball Game

The field is moved to the 1960s. This episode traces... More 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.

Inning Nine: Home

The final episode looks at baseball from the 1970s to... More 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.