Part 5: Shadow Ball
Throughout America, and even on the baseball diamonds in New York's Central Park, thousands of homeless people build shantytowns called "Hoovervilles." More than ever, America needs heroes. And even as it struggles to make it through the Depression, baseball provides them. Inning Five, Shadow Ball, tells the story of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s, excluded from major league play at that time.
Episodes
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Part 9: Home
S1 E9 - 2h 25m
In an age of globalization and deregulation, a cataclysmic strike over money and power brings baseball to the brink. Inning Nine, Home, looks at baseball from the 1970s to the 1990s, 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.
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Part 8: A Whole New Ball Game
S1 E8 - 1h 53m
The 1960s are a turbulent decade for America and turbulent decade for baseball, as one by one its "sacred" institutions fall. Inning Eight, A Whole New Ball Game, moves the field 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.
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Part 7: The Capital of Baseball
S1 E7 - 2h 11m
Inning Seven, The Capital of Baseball, takes viewers 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.
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Part 6: The National Pastime
S1 E6 - 2h 28m
Inning Six, The National Pastime, 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.
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Part 5: Shadow Ball
S1 E5 - 2h 3m
Throughout America, and even on the baseball diamonds in New York's Central Park, thousands of homeless people build shantytowns called "Hoovervilles." More than ever, America needs heroes. And even as it struggles to make it through the Depression, baseball provides them. Inning Five, Shadow Ball, tells the story of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s, excluded from major league play at that time.
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Part 4: A National Heirloom
S1 E4 - 1h 54m
The 1920s begin with America trying to recover from World War I and baseball trying to recover from the scandal of the 1919 World Series. Inning Four, A National Heirloom, concentrates on Babe Ruth, whose phenomenal performance thrilled the nation throughout the 1920s and rescued the game from the scandal of the previous decade.
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Part 3: The Faith of Fifty Million People
S1 E3 - 1h 58m
Before and after World War I, a steady stream of immigrants land on the shores of America. They want instantly to become American, to pursue the American dream, to play the American game. Inning Three, The Faith of Fifty Million People, examines the century's second decade, which was dominated by the Black Sox scandal. George Herman "Babe" Ruth makes his first major league appearance.
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Part 2: Something Like a War
S1 E2 - 1h 45m
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. Inning Two, Something Like a War, takes viewers through 1910 and introduces some of the game's most celebrated and colorful characters, including Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.
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Part 1: Our Game
S1 E1 - 1h 54m
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. Inning One, Our Game, looks at the origins of baseball in the 1840s and takes 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.
Schedule
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Image
Baseball
Something Like a War
Sunday
Apr 11
Image
2 Hours
Profiles of extraordinary individuals include outfielder Ty Cobb, pitcher Walter Johnson, pitcher Christy Mathewson, manager John McGraw. -
Image
Baseball
Something Like a War
Sunday
Apr 11
Image
2 Hours
Profiles of extraordinary individuals include outfielder Ty Cobb, pitcher Walter Johnson, pitcher Christy Mathewson, manager John McGraw. -
Image
Baseball
Our Game
Sunday
Apr 11
Image
2 Hours
Filmmaker Ken Burns chronicles the rise of baseball from hobby to national sport, including a profile of baseball magnate Albert Goodwill Spalding. -
Image
Baseball
Our Game
Monday
Apr 12
Image
2 Hours
Filmmaker Ken Burns chronicles the rise of baseball from hobby to national sport, including a profile of baseball magnate Albert Goodwill Spalding. -
Image
Baseball
Something Like a War
Thursday
Apr 15
Image
2 Hours
Profiles of extraordinary individuals include outfielder Ty Cobb, pitcher Walter Johnson, pitcher Christy Mathewson, manager John McGraw. -
Image
Baseball
Something Like a War
Friday
Apr 16
Image
2 Hours
Profiles of extraordinary individuals include outfielder Ty Cobb, pitcher Walter Johnson, pitcher Christy Mathewson, manager John McGraw. -
Image
Baseball
Shadow Ball
Saturday
Apr 17
Image
2 Hours 30 Minutes
The rise of the Negro Leagues culminates with the battle between Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in the Negro League World Series. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Saturday
Apr 17
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Sunday
Apr 18
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Sunday
Apr 18
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series. -
Image
Baseball
Something Like a War
Sunday
Apr 18
Image
2 Hours
Profiles of extraordinary individuals include outfielder Ty Cobb, pitcher Walter Johnson, pitcher Christy Mathewson, manager John McGraw. -
Image
Baseball
Something Like a War
Monday
Apr 19
Image
2 Hours
Profiles of extraordinary individuals include outfielder Ty Cobb, pitcher Walter Johnson, pitcher Christy Mathewson, manager John McGraw. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Thursday
Apr 22
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Friday
Apr 23
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series. -
Image
Baseball
A National Heirloom
Saturday
Apr 24
Image
2 Hours
Babe Ruth's popularity throughout the 1920s rescues baseball from the Black Sox Scandal. -
Image
Baseball
A National Heirloom
Sunday
Apr 25
Image
2 Hours
Babe Ruth's popularity throughout the 1920s rescues baseball from the Black Sox Scandal. -
Image
Baseball
A National Heirloom
Sunday
Apr 25
Image
2 Hours
Babe Ruth's popularity throughout the 1920s rescues baseball from the Black Sox Scandal. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Sunday
Apr 25
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series. -
Image
Baseball
The Faith of 50 Million People
Monday
Apr 26
Image
2 Hours
The Black Sox Scandal saw members of the Chicago White Sox accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series.
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