8.6/10268 votes#1 - Inning One: Our Game
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/18/1994
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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
8.6/10220 votes#2 - Inning Two: Something Like a War
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/19/1994
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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
8.6/10191 votes#3 - Inning Three: The Faith of Fifty Million People
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/20/1994
Examine the century's second decade, which was dominated by the 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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
9.0/10190 votes#4 - Inning Four: A National Heirloom
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/21/1994
This episode concentrates on Babe Ruth, whose phenomenal performance thrilled the nation throughout the 1920s and rescued the game from the scandal of the previous decade.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
8.5/10182 votes#5 - Inning Five: Shadow Ball
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/22/1994
The story of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s. “Shadow 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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
9.0/10184 votes#6 - Inning Six: The National Pastime
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 9/25/1994
This episode 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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
8.7/10169 votes#7 - Inning Seven: The Capitol of Baseball
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 9/26/1994
Viewers are taken 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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
8.4/10164 votes#8 - Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball Game
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 9/27/1994
The field is moved 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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
8.3/10164 votes#9 - Inning Nine: Home
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 9/28/1994
The final episode looks at baseball from the 1970s to 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.
Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward
The Best Episodes of Baseball Season 1
Every episode of Baseball Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Baseball Season 1!
The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and the words of those who contributed to the game...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Inning One: Our Game" is the best rated episode of "Baseball" season 1. It scored 8.6/10 based on 268 votes. Directed by Ken Burns and written by Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward, it aired on 9/18/1994. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Inning Two: Something Like a War".