User:Dominic Manderine/History of baseball

The 1998 Home Run Race

The 1998 MLB season was one of the most memorable to date. In this exciting season the world watched as Sammy Sosa and Mark Mcguire battled it out in their chase for the single season home run record. The record was previously set by Roger Maris in 1961. Both players were having great seasons and as the year continued it became more and more noticeable that they were on pace to break the record of 61 home runs in a single season. Every game including the Cardinals or Cubs became must watch TV.

Everyone wanted to believe the race was legit and fair. However, this was not the case. Sosa and Mcguire, were caught using performance enhancing drugs. During this time period Peds were shamefully popular amongst MLB players. After this season the league saw much change in guidelines and testing for Peds. Players were no longer able to get away with cheating as easily as they were before.

By the end of the season both players had crushed the record. Mark Mcguire ended up on top with 70 homers and Sammy was four behind with 66. Even though both players have not and most likely never will make the HOF, their insane performances and the hype they brought to the sport will always have an important spot in MLB history. (BleacherReport).

Mike Piazza’s Post 9/11 Home Run

9/11 was a tragic day for America, as it was the largest and most fatal attack on our home soil. These horrific events left the nation in a state of devastation. Despite the terrorist attacks destroying their home city, the New York Mets resumed their season at home just 10 days later. This was the first major sporting event in New York following 9/11. The Mets would be playing the Atlanta Braves. Even though the teams were heated rivals, they banded together, and proved that this game was bigger than baseball. It was a chance to show American pride and unity during a tragic time.

Mike Piazza was a star catcher for the Atlanta Braves. With the Mets trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Piazza stepped to the plate and crushed a home run off Braves pitcher Steve Karsay. The electricity and incredibleness the home run brought to the stadium was enough to periodically lift the heavy sorrow the nation was feeling. Piazza’s home run became a symbol of resilience and hope. Piazza had a great career, and would eventually end up in the HOF, but nothing was as important to the game of baseball and the US as this moment. (Piazza’s post-9/11 HR brought “incredible release of emotion” to NY, nation. MLB.com).

Black Sox Scandal

One of the biggest scandals in all of sports happened during the 1919 World Series, between the Cicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Eight members of the White Sox were accused of accepting bribes from gamblers to throw the World Series. These eight players were suspended by the owner of the White Sox, Charles Comiskey. However, they were never found guilty due to lack of evidence. Despite this the players ended up being banned for life from the MLB by Kenesaw Mountain Landis, after he was named the league's first commissioner. (ReferencesHistory of baseball | Events, Dates, People, & Facts | Britannica).

Formation of American and National Leagues

The American Association was formed in 1881, and contained teams that were not members of the National League or that were expelled from it. The American Association attempted to become more popular than the National League, but their efforts were unsuccessful. As a result of this, the two leagues were merged in 1891. (ReferencesHistory of baseball | Events, Dates, People, & Facts | Britannica).

Women in Baseball

In 1898, Lizzie Arlington became the first woman to play on a men’s professional team. Her career only consisted of one inning pitched. The first ever female to become a paid umpire was 16 year old Amanda Clement, in 1904. She left baseball in 1910 after earning enough money to pay for college. In 1911, Helene Britton became the first female owner of a major league team, when her uncle Stanley Robison left her the team after his death. The first woman to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame was Effa Manley, in 2006. The first girl to pitch in the Little League World Series was Mo’ne Davis. She pitched a shutout, leading her team to a win in the 2014 Little League World Series. The San Francisco Giants hired Alyssa Nakken in 2020, making her the first on field female coach in the MLB. The same year the Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng as their general manager.She was  also the first woman to hold this position in the MLB. In 2023, the first woman appeared in a NCAA Division I baseball game, when Olivia Pichardo pinch hit in a game for Brown University. (The History of Women in Baseball. (n.d.).).

History of The Glove

In the beginning of baseball, players used their bare hands. In 1870, Doug Allsion wore a pair of buckskin mittens to play catcher. When other players realized the competitive advantage that wearing a glove added, they became increasingly more popular in the following years. In 1920, Bill Doak, a St Louis Cardinal pitcher, created a new way to design gloves that made the pocket bigger. This made it easier to catch the baseball. Doak ended up patenting his design and selling it to Rawlings, a popular baseball brand to date. (The History Of Baseball Gloves | JustGloves Blog).