Touching All the Bases

Thomas D. Phillips

doi:10.5771/9780810885530

Summary

Around 1863, William “Candy” Cummings discovered he could make clamshells curve when thrown—a skill he transferred to baseball as a pitcher for the New York Excelsiors. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team in baseball to place all of their players on salary. And in 1945, the St. Louis Browns recruited a one-armed outfielder to the majors. These stories and much more are brought to life in Touching All the Bases: Baseball in 101 Fascinating Stories, an all-encompassing look at the game of baseball.

Past to present, this book covers the sport in its entirety, from its defining moments on the field to the outside-the-ballpark influences that have shaped the game over the years. Unique chapters—such as the impact of World War II, legal issues, labor disputes, the legacy of Jackie Robinson, and the doping dilemma—complement accounts of milestone events, individual and team achievements, and the most famous games, plays, and players of the sport. Appendixes provide lists of World Series, batting and homerun champions, perfect games, player nicknames, award winners, and more.

A comprehensive collection of baseball’s history, evolution, and memorable moments, Touching All the Bases will entertain, inform, and educate all those interested in baseball, whether a casual fan or a dedicated enthusiast.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2012
ISBN-Print: 978-0-8108-8552-3
ISBN-Online: 978-0-8108-8553-0
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 263
Product type: Book Titles

1. Contents No access
2. Introduction No access
1. 1. The Diamond, the Team, and the Set of Rules No access
1. 2. First All-Salaried Professional Team No access
2. 3. The Pioneers No access
3. 4. First World Series No access
4. 5. First Night Game No access
5. 6. First Farm System No access
6. 7. First Radio and Television Broadcasts No access
7. 8. First Designated Hitter . . . and Its Ancestor No access
8. Notes No access
1. 9. Bill Wambsganss: Unassisted Triple Play No access
2. 10. Willie Mays: “The Catch” No access
3. 11. Bobby Thomson: “The Shot Heard ’Round the World” No access
4. 12. Enos Slaughter: “The Mad Dash” No access
5. 13. Gabby Hartnett: The “Homer in the Gloamin’” No access
6. 14. Jeter’s Miracle No access
7. 15. Bill Mazeroski: Seventh-Game Walk-Off Home Run No access
8. 16. Kirk Gibson: The Unbelievable Home Run No access
9. 17. Babe Ruth: “The Called Shot” No access
10. 18. Bucky Dent: The Unprintable Middle Name No access
11. 19. Al Gionfriddo: The Catch That Frustrated DiMaggio No access
12. Notes No access
1. 20. Mickey Owen: The Dropped Third Strike No access
2. 21. Fred Snodgrass: “The $30,000 Muff” No access
3. 22. Fred Merkle’s Bonehead Play No access
4. 23. Bill Buckner’s Error No access
5. Note No access
1. 24. DiMaggio’s Hitting Streak No access
2. 25. Ted Williams: Consecutive Games and Times on Base No access
3. 26. Johnny Vander Meer: Two Consecutive No-Hitters No access
4. 27. Orel Hershiser: 59 Consecutive Scoreless Innings Pitched No access
5. 28. Eric Gagne: 84 Consecutive Saves No access
6. 29. Charles Radbourn: 60 Victories in a Season (or Maybe Only 59) No access
7. 30. Carl Hubbell: 24 Consecutive Pitching Victories No access
8. 31. Home Runs in Eight Consecutive Games No access
9. 32. New York Yankees: Five Consecutive World Series Championships No access
10. 33. Longest Winning Streak No access
11. 34. At the Top of Their Games . . . for Years and Years No access
12. Notes No access
1. 35. Zero for 2011 No access
2. 36. Longest Losing Streak No access
3. 37. Anthony Young: 27 Consecutive Losses No access
4. 38. The Worst Team No access
1. 39. First-Pitch Grand Slam No access
2. 40. First-Game No-Hitter No access
3. 41. Home Runs on First Two at Bats No access
4. 42. Two Grand Slams in One Inning No access
5. 43. Three Hits in One Inning No access
6. 44. Twelve RBI in a Game No access
7. 45. Twelve Hits in a Row No access
8. 46. Seven for Seven No access
9. 47. Three Swings, Seven Outs, and Other Bad Times No access
1. 48. The Short and the Long No access
2. 49. The Most Innings No access
3. 50. Seventeen Runs in One Inning No access
4. 51. Most Runs Scored No access
5. 52. Twelve Perfect Innings No access
6. 53. Double No-Hitter No access
7. 54. The Most Unusual No-Hitter—Or Was It a 26-Out Perfect Game? No access
8. 55. Larsen’s Perfect Game No access
9. 56. The Pine Tar Game No access
10. 57. The Bloody Sock No access
11. Note No access
1. 58. The Garbled Phone Calls Game: “Can You Hear Me Now?” No access
2. 59. The Fan in Aisle 4, Row 8, Seat 113 No access
3. 60. Jeter Hits a Home Run—Or Maybe Not No access
4. 61. Stirnweiss’s Batting Title No access
5. 62. Ted Williams: .406 on the Last Day No access
6. 63. September 28, 2011: Hours and Hours of Excitement No access
7. 64. Moments That Transcend the Game No access
8. Note No access
1. 65. Babe Ruth No access
2. 66. Walter Johnson No access
3. 67. Ty Cobb No access
4. 68. Honus Wagner No access
5. 69. Christy Mathewson No access
1. 70. The Windblown Balk No access
2. 71. Carl Hubbell: 5 Ks in a Row No access
3. 72. The Eephus Pitch No access
4. 73. The Collision No access
5. Note No access
1. 74. Murderers’ Row No access
2. 75. The Big Red Machine No access
3. 76. The Miracle Braves No access
4. 77. The Hitless Wonders No access
1. 78. Major League Franchises No access
2. 79. Other Major Leagues No access
3. 80. Negro Leagues No access
4. Notes No access
1. 81. Ballparks No access
1. 82. The Baseball No access
2. 83. The Baseball Bat No access
3. 84. Gloves and Mitts No access
4. 85. Uniforms and Associated Gear No access
5. Note No access
1. 86. The Major Stats: What the Numbers Mean No access
2. 87. The Stories the Numbers Tell: The Most/Least/Best/Worst No access
3. Notes No access
1. 88. Honors Bestowed No access
1. 89. “Say It Ain’t So, Joe” No access
2. Note No access
1. 90. The Doping Dilemma No access
2. Notes No access
1. 91. Ted Williams: Left Fielder, Boston Red Sox No access
2. 92. Bob Feller: Pitcher, Cleveland Indians No access
3. 93. Warren Spahn: Pitcher, Boston/Milwaukee Braves No access
4. 94. Pete Gray: The One-Armed Ballplayer No access
5. 95. The Women’s League No access
6. Note No access
1. 96. Jackie No access
2. Note No access
1. 97. Pitching: From Past to Present—Tracing the Changes No access
1. 98. Management vs. Labor No access
2. Note No access
1. 99. Front Office Operations No access
1. 100. Baseball in the Arts and On-Screen No access
2. Note No access
1. 101. Dr. Strangeglove and Other Labels No access
2. Note No access
Appendix A: Spring Training Sites No access Pages 169 - 170
1. Overall World Series Record—by Team No access
2. World Series Bonus Pool No access
3. Player Shares No access
4. Game Sequence No access
5. Notes No access
Appendix C: Unassisted Triple Plays No access Pages 177 - 178
1. Other “Perfect” Games No access
2. Note No access
Appendix E: Hall of Fame Membership No access Pages 181 - 184
1. American League No access
2. National League No access
1. Eligibility No access
Appendix H: Home Run Champions No access Pages 197 - 202
Appendix I: Triple Crown Winners No access Pages 203 - 204
Appendix J: Most Valuable Player Award Winners No access Pages 205 - 210
Appendix K: Cy Young Award Winners No access Pages 211 - 214
Appendix L: Rookies of the Year No access Pages 215 - 218
Appendix M: Gold Glove Record Holders No access Pages 219 - 220
1. Notes No access
1. Kenesaw Mountain Landis: 1920–1944 No access
2. A. B. “Happy” Chandler: 1945–1951 No access
3. Ford Frick: 1951–1965 No access
4. William Eckert: 1965–1968 No access
5. Bowie Kuhn: 1969–1984 No access
6. Peter Ueberroth: 1984–1989 No access
7. A. Bartlett Giamatti: 1989 No access
8. Fay Vincent: 1989–1992 No access
9. Allan H. “Bud” Selig: 1992–Present No access
Appendix P: Labor Disputes No access Pages 227 - 228
Appendix Q: “Casey at the Bat” and a Sampling of Sequels No access Pages 229 - 232
1. Extra-Innings Coverage No access
1. Chapters 1–2: Stories 1–8 No access
2. Chapter 8: Story 57 No access
3. Chapter 14: Story 81 No access
4. Chapter 15: Stories 82–85 No access
5. Chapter 16: Story 87 No access
6. Chapter 19: Story 90 No access
7. Chapter 20: The Impact of World War II No access
8. Chapter 22: Story 97 No access
9. Chapter 23: Story 98 No access
10. Chapter 25: Story 100 No access
11. Chapter 26: Story 101 No access
12. Bibliography No access
1. General References No access
2. Hall of Fame No access
3. All-Star Game No access
4. Negro Leagues No access
5. Elysian Fields: The Ballparks No access
6. Black Sox Scandal No access
7. Steroids Era No access
8. Impact of World War II No access
9. The Legacy of Jackie Robinson No access
Index No access Pages 251 - 262
About the Author No access Pages 263 - 263