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The Worst Episodes of Baseball

Every episode of Baseball ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Baseball!

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

Worst Episodes Summary

"Inning Nine: Home" is the worst rated episode of "Baseball". It scored 8.3/10 based on 163 votes. Directed by Ken Burns and written by Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward, it aired on 9/28/1994. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball Game".

  • Inning Nine: Home
    8.3/10163 votes
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    #1 - 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

  • Inning Eight: A Whole New Ball Game
    8.4/10164 votes
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    #2 - 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

  • Inning Five: Shadow Ball
    8.5/10182 votes
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    #3 - 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

  • Inning One: Our Game
    8.6/10268 votes
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    #4 - 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

  • Inning Two: Something Like a War
    8.6/10220 votes
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    #5 - 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

  • Inning Three: The Faith of Fifty Million People
    8.6/10190 votes
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    #6 - 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

  • Inning Seven: The Capitol of Baseball
    8.7/10169 votes
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    #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

  • Inning Four: A National Heirloom
    9.0/10189 votes
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    #8 - 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

  • Inning Six: The National Pastime
    9.0/10184 votes
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    #9 - 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