In baseball's most turbulent decade, the 1880s, the game's popularity swelled, basic rules such as balls and strikes were being refined, and entire leagues appeared and disappeared. Larry Bowman illustrates the growing pains of this uniquely American sport, casting baseball's early championships as a lens through which to view late-nineteenth-century America. The first World's Championship Series arose in an ad hoc manner when the Providence Grays faced the New York Metropolitans in 1884. Seeking to maximize profits, team owners promoted postseason baseball to ensure that one team could bill...
In baseball's most turbulent decade, the 1880s, the game's popularity swelled, basic rules such as balls and strikes were being refined, and entire le...
