The History of Baseball Shrunk to 24 Hours

It is funny where ideas for articles come from sometimes. When I saw the link for Alex Remington’s recent Hardball Times article, “The History of Baseball In One Day,” my first thought was that Remington had compressed baseball’s history into one 24-hour period to plot out at what times different important events would have occurred on that scale.

I have seen scientists use that method to put the history of the universe on a scale that our brains can better understand (i.e., the Big Bang at midnight, yada, yada, yada, humans at 11:59 p.m.). I thought it was a great premise, but it turned out Remington had a different—but still cool—premise centering around the stories of six Hall of Famers who were either born or had died on Sept. 9.

But then curiosity got the best of me, and I wanted to see the history of baseball squashed into 24 hours. There have been professional baseball leagues for 144 years, a number that I suppose our brains are fairly comfortable with, but I still enjoyed making this alternate perspective and found it at least a little instructive in helping me place various events in relation to others. I think my favorite tidbit might be how much of the day Connie Mack managed. Let’s start our day:

12:00 a.m.

My baseball big bang is the formation of the National Association (NA), the first professional conglomerate. (Of course, this ignores all of the important pre-professional development of the game, which we’ll say was going on very late at night the previous day.) The ramshackle NA lasts until 12:48, with the one constant being its biggest star, Cap Anson. Pitchers are only 50 feet from home and throw underhand. The batter is allowed to request either a low or high pitch.

12:52 A new loop rises (using some of the ashes from the NA) called the National League. 23+ hours later, the league is still in business, including two of its charter members, now known as the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. The NL rules initially were similar to the NA’s.

1:00 a.m.

1:22 Number of balls for a base on balls is set at nine…

1:32 …and is reduced to eight.

1:52 The NL faces its first serious challenger when the American Association (AA) begins operations, though the NL remains the more stable league.

2:00 a.m.

A major rule change is enacted that allows pitchers to hurl the ball overhand.

2:12 The number of balls for a walk drops to six.

2:12—2:18 A third league, the Union Association, throws its hat in the ring but does not last long.

2:13—2:15 Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first African-American in the major leagues when he plays in the AA.

2:19 The NL and AA league champions meet in a postseason series for the first time, the earliest version of what we now call the World Series.

2:42 More rule changes come when the batter is no longer allowed to request a high or low pitch, and a base on balls is awarded after five called balls.

3:00 a.m.

The number of balls for a walk mercifully settles at four.

3:04 Baseball formally (though “unofficially”) decides to ban black players.

3:12—3:18 Another challenger loop, the Players League, is short-lived, but its presence weakens the AA.

3:14 Cy Young debuts for the NL Cleveland Spiders.

3:18 The AA plays its last games, though several teams are absorbed into the NL.

3:42 The distance from home plate to the pitcher lengthens to 60 feet, six inches, where it has remained, and the hurler now stands on a small rubber plate instead of in a pitcher’s box. For the first time, the game strongly resembles the one we see now.

3:52 Connie Mack begins his managerial career.

4:00 a.m.

4:18 Cap Anson’s career comes to a close.

4:48 After a short stretch of team and league stability, the NL contracts from 12 teams to eight, partly opening the door for…

5:00 a.m.

The American League is established. The two leagues were rivals at first, but peace was reached with an agreement establishing the loops as equal major leagues at 5:20.

5:20 The Baltimore Orioles relocate to become the New York Highlanders, now the Yankees.

5:28 The first AL-NL World Series is played, with the Boston Americans defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates.

5:42 Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb begin their MLB careers.

6:00 a.m.

Walter Johnson debuts.

6:08 Merkle’s boner.

6:09 The Chicago Cubs win their last championship to date.

6:32 Rickwood Field, the oldest remaining ballpark, opens its doors in Birmingham.

6:48 Cy Young’s career comes to an end.

6:52 Fenway Park opens.

7:00 a.m.

7:12 The first, and so far last, threat to AL and NL dominance of the major leagues comes when the rogue Federal League declares itself a major.

7:13 The Federal League Chicago Whales play the first game in what is now called Wrigley Field.

7:14 Babe Ruth makes his MLB debut on the Fenway Park mound.

7:22 Oscar Charleston’s pro career at the highest level of black baseball launches.

7:28 Rogers Hornsby debuts.

7:30 The Federal League folds and is partially absorbed into the remaining majors.

8:00 a.m.

8:08 The Chicago “Black Sox” throw the World Series.

8:09 Babe Ruth is sold to the Yankees, marking the unofficial dividing line between the dead- and live-ball eras.

8:11 Rube Foster and other magnates meet in Kansas City to found the Negro National League, the first successful black league, which begins play at 8:13.

8:14 Ray Chapman is killed by a pitch to the head.

8:19 Spitballs are banned, as well as any means of intentionally dirtying/darkening the ball. Kenesaw Mountain Landis is named the sport’s first commissioner.

8:21 Branch Rickey of the Cardinals front office begins forming the first modern farm system.

8:24 The first radio broadcast of a baseball game is made in Pittsburgh.

8:43 The original Yankee Stadium opens.

8:52 The Kansas City Monarchs defeat the Hilldale Daisies in the first Negro League World Series.

9:00 a.m.

9:04 Lou Gehrig debuts.

9:22 Satchel Paige debuts in the Negro Leagues.

9:28 Walter Johnson retires.

9:38 Ty Cobb retires.

9:52 Josh Gibson debuts.

10:00 a.m.

J.L. Wilkinson, owner of the Kansas City Monarchs, invents a portable lighting system, marking the beginning of night baseball.

10:18 Babe Ruth’s called shot (?) in the World Series.

10:23 MLB’s first All-Star Game is played at Comiskey Park.

10:28 The Negro Leagues play their first East-West (All-Star) game, also at Comiskey Park.

10:43 The first MLB night game is played at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field. Babe Ruth plays his final game.

10:55 The first class of Hall of Fame inductees is announced, and it consists of Cobb, Johnson, Ruth, Mathewson, and Wagner.

11:00 a.m.

Rogers Hornsby plays his last game.

11:22 Ted Williams debuts. Lou Gehrig takes himself out of the Yankees’ lineup with a mysterious ailment.

11:28 The first televised baseball game.

11:42—11:44 Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.

11:43 Lou Gehrig dies.

11:49 Oscar Charleston’s playing career ends.

12:00 p.m.

12:02—2:08 The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is in operation.

12:19 Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis dies and soon is replaced by Happy Chandler.

12:23—12:24 Jackie Robinson debuts with the Kansas City Monarchs and signs with the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ top farm club.

12:41 Josh Gibson dies.

12:42 Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

12:44 Larry Doby integrates the American League.

1:00 p.m.

1:18 Connie Mack steps down after 11 hours as a player or manager.

1:22 Mickey Mantle debuts.

1:23 Willie Mays debuts.

1:28 Ford Frick becomes commissioner.

1:32 Topps unveils its first set of bubblegum cards.

1:41 The Boston Braves relocate to Milwaukee.

1:51 The St. Louis Browns become the Baltimore Orioles.

1:52 Hank Aaron’s MLB debut.

1:58 Willie Mays makes “The Catch” in the World Series.

2:00 p.m.

The Philadelphia Athletics move to Kansas City.

2:18 Jackie Robinson retires.

2:19 Don Larsen is perfect in World Series Game Five.

2:31 The New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers move to San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.

2:43 The Red Sox become the last team to integrate with Pumpsie Green’s debut.

2:57 Ted Williams retires.

2:58 Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homer in World Series Game Seven.

3:00 p.m.

The Washington Senators relocate to become the Minnesota Twins, and the AL expands with the Los Angeles Angels and a new Washington Senators.

3:08 Roger Maris sets a new record for home runs in a season with 61.

3:12 The NL adds two expansion teams: the Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets.

3:22—3:58 Sandy Koufax is at the height of his powers.

3:40 William Eckert is the new commissioner.

3:45 The first amateur draft is held.

3:47 Satchel Paige makes his last MLB appearance (three shutout innings with the Kansas City Athletics).

3:51 The Milwaukee Braves move to Atlanta.

3:52 Marvin Miller is elected head of the MLB players’ union.

4:00 p.m.

4:11 The Kansas City Athletics move to Oakland.

4:18 Mickey Mantle retires.

4:21 Bowie Kuhn becomes commissioner. Four expansion teams begin play: the Seattle Pilots, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and Montreal Expos. The leagues are split into two divisions each, with the division winners meeting in a new League Championship Series to determine the World Series teams. The mound is lowered, and the strike zone shrinks.

4:28 The Miracle Mets win the World Series.

4:29 Curt Flood refuses to be traded, beginning the union’s fight against the reserve clause.

4:31 The Seattle Pilots relocate and become the Milwaukee Brewers.

4:43 Satchel Paige becomes the first player elected to the Hall of Fame based on a Negro League career.

4:51 The Washington Senators move to become the Texas Rangers.

5:00 p.m.

The designated hitter is adopted by the AL.

5:09 Willie Mays retires.

5:12 Hank Aaron sets the new career home run record.

5:19 Dr. Frank Jobe performs experimental elbow ligament replacement surgery on Tommy John.

5:25 The reserve clause binding players to their teams for life is struck down in court, ushering in free agency.

5:38 Hank Aaron retires.

5:39 The Big Red Machine win its second straight title.

5:41 Two expansion clubs, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, join the AL.

6:00 p.m.

6:30—6:32 A players’ strike wipes out 38 percent of a season.

6:52 Roger Clemens debuts.

6:58 Peter Ueberroth becomes commissioner.

7:00 p.m.

7:07 Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb’s career hits record.

7:08 A ground ball goes through Bill Buckner’s legs.

7:21 Tony LaRussa begins using Dennis Eckersley in the strict closer role now practiced throughout baseball.

7:36 The first night game at Wrigley Field.

7:37 A. Bartlett Giamatti becomes commissioner.

7:46 Pete Rose is banned from baseball.

7:47 Fay Vincent becomes commissioner following Giamatti’s death.

8:00 p.m.

8:12 Camden Yards opens, instigating a wave of new stadiums.

8:14 Bud Selig becomes commissioner.

8:21 Two NL expansion clubs, the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins, begin play.

8:31 Both leagues are split into three divisions and a Wild Card team and Division Series round are added to the playoffs.

8:34—8:42 A strike wipes out a postseason and parts of two regular seasons.

8:48 Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games-played streak.

9:00 p.m.

Interleague play begins.

9:11 Expansion brings the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

9:18 Mark McGwire breaks the single-season home run record.

9:46 Barry Bonds breaks the single-season home run record.

10:00 p.m.

10:11 Moneyball is published.

10:18 The Boston Red Sox snap a 14-hour championship drought.

10:21 The Montreal Expos relocate and become the Washington Nationals.

10:33 Steroids are officially banned, and a strict drug policy is put in place.

10:46 Barry Bonds breaks the career home run record.

10:47 Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds retire.

10:49 The Mitchell Report on MLB steroid use is released.

10:51 Instant replay is adopted only for home run boundary calls.

11:00 p.m.

11:27 Mike Trout debuts.

11:35 A second Wild Card team and a one-game “play-in” contest are added to the postseason.

11:52 Expanded replay with manager challenges is introduced.

11:59 The Kansas City Royals win the World Series, leading to the…

12:00 a.m.

APOCALYPSE.

References & Resources:

• Baseball-Reference and Wikipedia
• Baseball Almanac, Baseball Rule Change Timeline
• Bill James, “Dividing Baseball History into Eras”, June 10, 2012.
• Bill James, The Historical Baseball Abstract (The Free Press, New York), 2001.
• Ken Burns’ Timeline
• Rocco Constantino, “The Top 200 Moments That Shaped MLB’s History”, May 17, 2012.