When Jackie Robinson made his debut at Ebbets Field on opening day in 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first major league team with a black player anywhere in its organization. By the end of the Golden Era of baseball, a period in and around the 1950s, there would be an unprecedented number of notable black players in the major leagues, including Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson. While this era is defined by integration, it was also the age of the boys of summer Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankee dominance, and the first major...

This comprehensive survey of major league baseball covers the beginning of the twentieth century up to Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947. It examines key figures in baseball--such as Babe Ruth, John McGraw, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and Joe DiMaggio--and major developments in the game's structure, rules, and strategies.