The Hartford Senators were a minor league baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut . They operated in the Connecticut League from 1902–1912, the Eastern Association from 1913–1914, the Eastern League from 1916–1932 and the Northeastern League in 1934. For the 1932 season they were affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers .
164-577: The team's most famous players were future Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig (who played for the Senators on three separate occasions before being a starting first baseman for the New York Yankees) and Hank Greenberg . The team won league championships in 1909, 1913, 1923 and 1931. The 1931 Senators were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time . The March 12, 1933 Hartford Courant obituary of James H. Clarkin, "quarter of
328-429: A bat . The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the bases , having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called " runs ". The objective of the defensive team (referred to as the fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners , and to prevent runners advancing around
492-453: A maid , was the main breadwinner and disciplinarian in the family. Gehrig was the only one of the four siblings to live past childhood. His two sisters died at early ages from whooping cough and measles ; a brother also died in infancy. From a young age, Gehrig helped his mother with work, doing tasks such as folding laundry and picking up supplies from the local stores. Gehrig spoke German during his childhood, not learning English until
656-425: A sacrifice fly . In order to increase the chance of advancing a batter to first base via a walk, the manager will sometimes signal a batter who is ahead in the count (i.e., has more balls than strikes) to take , or not swing at, the next pitch. The batter's potential reward of reaching base (via a walk) exceeds the disadvantage if the next pitch is a strike. The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games
820-430: A second baseman to the right of second base, a shortstop to the left of second base, and a third baseman to the right of third base. The basic outfield positions are left fielder , center fielder , and right fielder . With the exception of the catcher, all fielders are required to be in fair territory when the pitch is delivered. A neutral umpire sets up behind the catcher. Other umpires will be distributed around
984-475: A bad break. (pause) Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. (cut) When you look around, wouldn't you consider it a privilege to associate yourself with such fine-looking men as are standing in uniform in this ballpark today? (cut) ... that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you. The crowd stood and applauded for almost two minutes. His sometimes-estranged former teammate Babe Ruth hugged him as
1148-447: A ball that results in the team's third out, even if it is recorded against a teammate. On rare occasions, a batter may be at the plate when, without the batter's hitting the ball, a third out is recorded against a teammate—for instance, a runner getting caught stealing (tagged out attempting to steal a base). A batter with this sort of incomplete plate appearance starts off the team's next turn batting; any balls or strikes recorded against
1312-525: A band played " I Love You Truly " and the crowd chanted, "We love you, Lou!" The New York Times account the following day called the moment "one of the most touching scenes ever witnessed on a ball field" that made even hard-boiled reporters "swallow hard." Gehrig played his last game for the Yankees on April 30, 1939. On July 11 of that year, he appeared at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium as
1476-450: A base at any given time; the same applies for other runners if they are on a base that a teammate is forced to advance to. If a ball hit into play rolls foul before passing through the infield, it becomes dead and any runners must return to the base they occupied when the play began. If the ball is hit in the air and caught before it lands, the batter has flied out and any runners on base may attempt to advance only if they tag up (contact
1640-762: A century owner of the Hartford Baseball Club", indicates that he sold both the Eastern League Franchise and Clarkin Field (now the Bulkeley Stadium) when he retired in 1928. Clarkin entered league baseball in 1904 when he purchased the league franchise from William J. Tracey of Bristol, CT, as a partner, but soon after was the sole owner of The Hartford Club. "Although he had many acrimonious disputes with fellow magnates, he came to their assistance in more than one crisis and saved
1804-563: A contract with the Yankees on April 30. Gehrig returned to the minor-league Hartford Senators to play parts of two seasons, 1923 and 1924, batting .344 and hitting 61 home runs in 193 games. Except for his games with Hartford, a two-hour car ride away, Gehrig would play his entire baseball life—sandlot, high school, college and professional—with teams based in New York City. Gehrig joined the New York Yankees midway through
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#17327829403411968-485: A fifth home run when Athletics center fielder Al Simmons made a leaping catch of another fly ball at the center-field fence. Following the game, manager Joe McCarthy told him, "Well, Lou, nobody can take today away from you." On the same day, however, John McGraw announced his retirement after 30 years of managing the New York Giants , so McGraw, not Gehrig, got the main headlines in the city's sports sections
2132-426: A fine playing surface laid out and erected one of the best minor league structures in the country, with a stand of steel and concrete, dressing rooms, shower baths and complete modern equipment. Although not ready for the opening game in 1921 and for some two weeks, the Senators played all their games on the road, returning to Hartford for a gala opening. "In 1927, fire destroyed the stand and fence at Clarkin Field but
2296-525: A following in much of the world was a factor, more important was MLB's reluctance to allow its players to participate during the major league season. MLB initiated the World Baseball Classic , scheduled to precede its season, partly as a replacement, high-profile international tournament. The inaugural Classic , held in March 2006, was the first tournament involving national teams to feature
2460-416: A football or soccer field does not affect play the way foul territory in baseball does, so variations in that regard are largely insignificant. These physical variations create a distinctive set of playing conditions at each ballpark. Other local factors, such as altitude and climate, can also significantly affect play. A given stadium may acquire a reputation as a pitcher's park or a hitter's park, if one or
2624-617: A game as a rainout on a day when Gehrig was sick with the flu, though it was not raining. He continued the streak despite his wife, Eleanor, attempting to persuade him to end it at 1,999 games by acting sick. He then had beaten the previous record by nearly 700 games. Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games endured for 56 years until Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed it on September 6, 1995; Ripken finished with 2,632 consecutive games. Despite not being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis until June 1939, Gehrig began experiencing symptoms as early as midway through
2788-479: A game at Cubs Park (now Wrigley Field ) in Chicago on June 26, 1920. His New York School of Commerce team was playing a local team from Lane Tech High School in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 spectators. With his team leading 8–6 in the top of the ninth inning, Gehrig hit a grand slam completely out of the major league park, which was an unheard-of feat for a 17-year-old. Gehrig attended PS 132 in
2952-435: A game, involves an individual, one-on-one contest: "the pitcher and the batter in a battle of wits". Pitcher, batter, and fielder all act essentially independent of each other. While coaching staffs can signal pitcher or batter to pursue certain tactics, the execution of the play itself is a series of solitary acts. If the batter hits a line drive, the outfielder is solely responsible for deciding to try to catch it or play it on
3116-400: A gift—that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies—that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter—that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body—it's a blessing. When you have
3280-486: A headache. Pipp was in a slump, as was the team, so Huggins made several lineup changes in an attempt to boost their performance, replacing Pipp, Aaron Ward , and Wally Schang . Fourteen years later, Gehrig had played 2,130 consecutive games, shattering the previous record of 1,307 along the way. During the streak sportswriters in 1931 nicknamed Gehrig "the Iron Horse". In a few instances, Gehrig managed to keep
3444-487: A home run at another. A team that plays in a park with a relatively short right field, such as the New York Yankees , will tend to stock its roster with left-handed pull hitters , who can best exploit it. On the individual level, a player who spends most of his career with a team that plays in a hitter's park will gain an advantage in batting statistics over time—even more so if his talents are especially suited to
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#17327829403413608-463: A hot August, they were significantly down from his 1937 season, in which he batted .351 and slugged .643. He hit his last home run on September 27, 1938. In the 1938 World Series, he had four hits in 14 at-bats (.286 batting average), all singles. When the Yankees began their 1939 spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida , Gehrig clearly no longer possessed his once-formidable power. Even his base running
3772-495: A lead , the pitcher may attempt a pickoff , a quick throw to a fielder covering the base to keep the runner's lead in check or, optimally, effect a tag out. Pickoff attempts, however, are subject to rules that severely restrict the pitcher's movements before and during the pickoff attempt. Violation of any one of these rules could result in the umpire calling a balk against the pitcher, which permits any runners on base to advance one base with impunity. If an attempted stolen base
3936-468: A member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average , .632 slugging average , and a .447 on-base average . He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBIs). Gehrig is one of 18 players to hit four home runs in a single game . In 1939 , Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired by
4100-478: A new rule officially banning the spitball and other pitches that depended on the ball being treated or roughed-up with foreign substances, resulted in a ball that traveled farther when hit. The rise of the legendary player Babe Ruth , the first great power hitter of the new era, helped permanently alter the nature of the game. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, St. Louis Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey invested in several minor league clubs and developed
4264-699: A number of competitions between clubs from different countries. Other competitions between national teams, such as the Baseball World Cup and the Olympic baseball tournament , were administered by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) from its formation in 1938 until its 2013 merger with the International Softball Federation to create the current joint governing body for both sports,
4428-408: A park with little space between the foul lines and the stands, but a foulout in a park with more expansive foul ground. A fence in foul territory that is close to the outfield line will tend to direct balls that strike it back toward the fielders, while one that is farther away may actually prompt more collisions, as outfielders run full speed to field balls deep in the corner. These variations can make
4592-544: A permanent fixture of the post-season. Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997 and the second-highest attendance mark for a full season was set. In 2000, the National and American Leagues were dissolved as legal entities. While their identities were maintained for scheduling purposes (and the designated hitter distinction), the regulations and other functions—such as player discipline and umpire supervision—they had administered separately were consolidated under
4756-427: A pitcher's park when the strong winds off Lake Michigan are blowing in, it becomes more of a hitter's park when they are blowing out. The absence of a standardized field affects not only how particular games play out, but the nature of team rosters and players' statistical records. For example, hitting a fly ball 330 feet (100 m) into right field might result in an easy catch on the warning track at one park, and
4920-411: A player has been removed for a substitute, that player may not reenter the game. Children's games often have more lenient rules, such as Little League rules, which allow players to be substituted back into the same game. If the designated hitter (DH) rule is in effect, each team has a tenth player whose sole responsibility is to bat (and run). The DH takes the place of another player—almost invariably
5084-480: A run. The team in the field attempts to prevent runs from scoring by recording outs , which remove opposing players from offensive action until their next turn at bat comes up again. When three outs are recorded, the teams switch roles for the next half-inning. If the score of the game is tied after nine innings, extra innings are played to resolve the contest. Many amateur games, particularly unorganized ones, involve different numbers of players and innings. The game
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5248-441: A significant effect on how ground balls behave and are fielded as well as on baserunning. Similarly, the presence of a roof (seven major league teams play in stadiums with permanent or retractable roofs) can greatly affect how fly balls are played. While football and soccer players deal with similar variations of field surface and stadium covering, the size and shape of their fields are much more standardized. The area out-of-bounds on
5412-629: A significant number of MLB participants. The Baseball World Cup was discontinued after its 2011 edition in favor of an expanded World Baseball Classic. Baseball has certain attributes that set it apart from the other popular team sports in the countries where it has a following. All of these sports use a clock, play is less individual, and the variation between playing fields is not as substantial or important. The comparison between cricket and baseball demonstrates that many of baseball's distinctive elements are shared in various ways with its cousin sports. In clock-limited sports, games often end with
5576-409: A skillful contact hitter , the runner takes off with the pitch, drawing the shortstop or second baseman over to second base, creating a gap in the infield for the batter to poke the ball through. The sacrifice bunt , calls for the batter to focus on making soft contact with the ball, so that it rolls a short distance into the infield, allowing the runner to advance into scoring position as the batter
5740-422: A team that holds the lead killing the clock rather than competing aggressively against the opposing team. In contrast, baseball has no clock, thus a team cannot win without getting the last batter out and rallies are not constrained by time. At almost any turn in any baseball game, the most advantageous strategy is some form of aggressive strategy. Whereas, in the case of multi-day Test and first-class cricket ,
5904-432: A team when his number 4 was retired by the Yankees. A native of New York City and a student at Columbia University , Gehrig signed with the Yankees on April 29, 1923. He set several major-league records during his career, including the most career grand slams (23; since broken by Alex Rodriguez ) and most consecutive games played (2,130), a record that stood for 56 years and was long considered unbreakable until it
6068-413: A wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed—that's the finest I know. So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. — Thank you. Only four sentences of the speech exist in recorded form; complete versions of the speech are assembled from newspaper accounts. For the past two weeks you've been reading about
6232-402: Is anticipated, the catcher may call for a pitchout , a ball thrown deliberately off the plate, allowing the catcher to catch it while standing and throw quickly to a base. Facing a batter with a strong tendency to hit to one side of the field, the fielding team may employ a shift , with most or all of the fielders moving to the left or right of their usual positions. With a runner on third base,
6396-441: Is awarded a base on balls or walk, a free advance to first base. (A batter may also freely advance to first base if the batter's body or uniform is struck by a pitch outside the strike zone, provided the batter does not swing and attempts to avoid being hit.) Crucial to determining balls and strikes is the umpire's judgment as to whether a pitch has passed through the strike zone , a conceptual area above home plate extending from
6560-424: Is called a grand slam . A player who reaches base due to a fielding mistake is not credited with a hit—instead, the responsible fielder is charged with an error . Any runners already on base may attempt to advance on batted balls that land, or contact the ground, in fair territory, before or after the ball lands. A runner on first base must attempt to advance if a ball lands in play, as only one runner may occupy
6724-414: Is called. While the team at bat is trying to score runs, the team in the field is attempting to record outs. In addition to the strikeout and flyout, common ways a member of the batting team may be put out include the ground out , force out , and tag out . These occur either when a runner is forced to advance to a base, and a fielder with possession of the ball reaches that base before the runner does, or
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6888-574: Is currently on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . On July 4, 1939, Gehrig delivered what has been called "baseball's Gettysburg Address " to a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium in between a doubleheader against the Washington Senators . Having always avoided public attention, Gehrig did not want to speak, but the crowd chanted for him and he had memorized some sentences beforehand. Fans, for
7052-570: Is difficult to trace with precision. Consensus once held that today's baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders , popular among children in Great Britain and Ireland . American baseball historian David Block suggests that the game originated in England ; recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of each other, and that
7216-411: Is one), or if the batter-runner otherwise safely circles all the bases, it is a home run : the batter and any runners on base may all freely circle the bases, each scoring a run. This is the most desirable result for the batter. The ultimate and most desirable result possible for a batter would be to hit a home run while all three bases are occupied or "loaded", thus scoring four runs on a single hit. This
7380-405: Is played on a field whose primary boundaries, the foul lines, extend forward from home plate at 45-degree angles. The 90-degree area within the foul lines is referred to as fair territory; the 270-degree area outside them is foul territory. The part of the field enclosed by the bases and several yards beyond them is the infield ; the area farther beyond the infield is the outfield . In the middle of
7544-623: Is probably caused by some germ ... Never heard of transmitting it to mates ... There is a 50–50 chance of keeping me as I am. I may need a cane in 10 or 15 years. Playing is out of the question ... Following Gehrig's visit to the Mayo Clinic, he briefly rejoined the Yankees in Washington, D.C. As his train pulled into Union Station, he was greeted by a group of Boy Scouts happily waving and wishing him luck. Gehrig waved back, but he leaned forward to his companion, Rutherford "Rud" Rennie of
7708-474: Is thrown out at first. A batter, particularly one who is a fast runner, may also attempt to bunt for a hit. A sacrifice bunt employed with a runner on third base, aimed at bringing that runner home, is known as a squeeze play . With a runner on third and fewer than two outs, a batter may instead concentrate on hitting a fly ball that, even if it is caught, will be deep enough to allow the runner to tag up and score—a successful batter, in this case, gets credit for
7872-500: Is usually composed of nine innings, and the team with the greater number of runs at the end of the game wins. Most games end after the ninth inning, but if scores are tied at that point, extra innings are usually played. Baseball has no game clock, though some competitions feature pace-of-play regulations such as the pitch clock to shorten game time. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by
8036-427: Is what I have seen: I have seen him time a ball perfectly, swing on it as hard as he can, meet it squarely – and drive a soft, looping fly over the infield. In other words, for some reason that I do not know, his old power isn't there ... He is meeting the ball, time after time, and it isn't going anywhere. He was indeed meeting the ball, with only one strikeout in 28 at-bats. However, with Gehrig hitless in five of
8200-501: The 1938 season . Although Gehrig's performance in the second half of the 1938 season was slightly better than in the first half, Gehrig reported physical changes at the midway point. At the end of that season, he said, "I was tired mid-season. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get going again." Although his final 1938 statistics were above average (.295 batting average, 114 RBIs, 170 hits, .523 slugging percentage, 689 plate appearances with only 75 strikeouts, and 29 home runs), boosted by
8364-568: The American League , which evolved from the minor Western League , was established in 1893, and virtually all of the modern baseball rules were in place by then. The National Agreement of 1903 formalized relations both between the two major leagues and between them and the National Association of Professional Base Ball Leagues, representing most of the country's minor professional leagues . The World Series , pitting
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#17327829403418528-658: The East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan ; he weighed almost 14 pounds (6.4 kg) at birth. He was the second of four children of German immigrants Christina Foch (1881–1954) and Heinrich Gehrig (1867–1946). Christina was born in 1881 in Wilster , Schleswig-Holstein, a province of pre-World War I Germany, near the Denmark–Germany border . She emigrated to the United States in 1899. Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig Sr.
8692-663: The MLB All-Century Team chosen by fans in 1999. A monument in Gehrig's honor, originally dedicated by the Yankees in 1941, currently resides in Monument Park at the new Yankee Stadium . The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to the MLB player who best exhibits Gehrig's integrity and character. Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig Jr. was born June 19, 1903, at 1994 Second Avenue (according to his birth certificate) in
8856-496: The National Association of Base Ball Players , was formed. In 1867, it barred participation by African Americans . The more formally structured National League was founded in 1876. Professional Negro leagues formed, but quickly folded. In 1887, softball , under the name of indoor baseball or indoor-outdoor, was invented as a winter version of the parent game. The National League's first successful counterpart,
9020-818: The New York Herald Tribune , and said, "They're wishing me luck—and I'm dying." Although Gehrig's symptoms were consistent with ALS and he did not experience the wild mood swings and eruptions of uncontrolled violence that define chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) , an article in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology suggested the possibility that some ALS-related illnesses diagnosed in Gehrig and other athletes may have been CTE, catalyzed by repeated concussions and other brain trauma. In 2012, Minnesota state representative Phyllis Kahn sought to change
9184-501: The Washington Senators , becoming the second player to reach the milestone after Ruth. Gehrig won the American League Triple Crown in 1934, leading the league with 49 home runs, 166 RBIs, and a .363 batting average. In a 1936 World Series cover story about Gehrig and Carl Hubbell , Time proclaimed Gehrig "the game's No. 1 batsman", who "takes boyish pride in banging a baseball as far, and running around
9348-778: The West League and East League . The World Baseball Classic , organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation , is the major international competition of the sport and attracts the top national teams from around the world. Baseball was played at the Olympic Games from 1992 to 2008, and was reinstated on a one-off basis in 2020. A baseball game is played between two teams, each usually composed of nine players, that take turns playing offense (batting and baserunning) and defense (pitching and fielding). A pair of turns, one at bat and one in
9512-461: The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Women's baseball is played on an organized amateur basis in numerous countries. After being admitted to the Olympics as a medal sport beginning with the 1992 Games , baseball was dropped from the 2012 Summer Olympic Games at the 2005 International Olympic Committee meeting . It remained part of the 2008 Games . While the sport's lack of
9676-455: The ball , the bat , and the glove or mitt : Protective helmets are also standard equipment for all batters. At the beginning of each half-inning, the nine players of the fielding team arrange themselves around the field. One of them, the pitcher , stands on the pitcher's mound. The pitcher begins the pitching delivery with one foot on the rubber, pushing off it to gain velocity when throwing toward home plate. Another fielding team player,
9840-408: The catcher , squats on the far side of home plate, facing the pitcher. The rest of the fielding team faces home plate, typically arranged as four infielders—who set up along or within a few yards outside the imaginary lines (basepaths) between first, second, and third base—and three outfielders. In the standard arrangement , there is a first baseman positioned several steps to the left of first base,
10004-774: The national sport of the United States , though in modern times is considered less popular than other sports , such as American football . In addition to North America , baseball spread throughout the rest of the Americas and the Asia–Pacific in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is now considered the most popular sport in parts of Central and South America , the Caribbean , and East Asia , particularly in Japan , South Korea , and Taiwan . In Major League Baseball (MLB),
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#173278294034110168-410: The slider . Pitchers have different repertoires of pitches they are skillful at throwing. Conventionally, before each pitch, the catcher signals the pitcher what type of pitch to throw, as well as its general vertical or horizontal location. If there is disagreement on the selection, the pitcher may shake off the sign and the catcher will call for a different pitch. With a runner on base and taking
10332-423: The wicket for an hour or much more. There is no statistical equivalent in cricket for the fielding error and thus less emphasis on personal responsibility in this area of play. Unlike those of most sports, baseball playing fields can vary significantly in size and shape. While the dimensions of the infield are specifically regulated, the only constraint on outfield size and shape for professional teams, following
10496-484: The 1920s, it was joined by the Eastern Colored League . Compared with the present, professional baseball in the early 20th century was lower-scoring, and pitchers were more dominant. This so-called " dead-ball era " ended in the early 1920s with several changes in rule and circumstance that were advantageous to hitters. Strict new regulations governed the ball's size, shape and composition, along with
10660-554: The 1923 season and made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter at age 19 on June 15, 1923. In his first two seasons, he was mired behind Yankee stalwart Wally Pipp at first base, a two-time AL home run champion and one of the premier power hitters in baseball's Deadball era . Gehrig saw limited playing time, mostly as a pinch hitter, playing in only 23 games and being left off the Yankees' 1923 World Series roster in spite of producing both years (with lofty batting averages of .423 in 1923 and .500 in 1924). On June 1, 1925,
10824-577: The 1927 Yankees to a 110–44 record, the AL pennant (by 19 games), and a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series . Although the AL recognized his season by naming him league MVP, Gehrig's accomplishments were overshadowed by Babe Ruth's record-breaking 60 home runs and the overall dominance of the 1927 Yankees, a team often cited as having the greatest lineup of all time,
10988-509: The American League team captain, officially on the roster as a reserve player, exchanging lineup cards prior to the game. Following his retirement from baseball, Gehrig wrote, "Don't think I am depressed or pessimistic about my condition at present." Struggling against his ever-worsening physical condition, he added, "I intend to hold on as long as possible and then if the inevitable comes, I will accept it philosophically and hope for
11152-448: The DH rule, including MLB, Japan's Pacific League , and Caribbean professional leagues, along with major American amateur organizations. The Central League in Japan does not have the rule and high-level minor league clubs connected to National League teams are not required to field a DH. In leagues that apply the designated hitter rule, a typical team has nine offensive regulars (including
11316-684: The DH), five starting pitchers, seven or eight relievers, a backup catcher, and two or three other reserve players. The manager , or head coach, oversees the team's major strategic decisions, such as establishing the starting rotation, setting the lineup, or batting order, before each game, and making substitutions during games—in particular, bringing in relief pitchers. Managers are typically assisted by two or more coaches ; they may have specialized responsibilities, such as working with players on hitting, fielding, pitching, or strength and conditioning. At most levels of organized play, two coaches are stationed on
11480-514: The Dodgers. Latin-American players, largely overlooked before, also started entering the majors in greater numbers. In 1951, two Chicago White Sox, Venezuelan-born Chico Carrasquel and black Cuban-born Minnie Miñoso , became the first Hispanic All-Stars . Integration proceeded slowly: by 1953, only six of the 16 major league teams had a black player on the roster. In 1975, the union's power—and players' salaries—began to increase greatly when
11644-693: The Eastern League during the World War, when the league's fortunes were at a low ebb. Money furnished by Mr. Clarkin kept two of the other franchises in operation, and the Eastern League road out the storm." Hartford was in the old Connecticut State League when Clarkin took over, then in the Colonial League, the Eastern Association, and then the Eastern League. Some of the well known players "graduated from his direction to fame in
11808-729: The Gotham Club. While there are reports that the New York Knickerbockers played games in 1845, the contest long recognized as the first officially recorded baseball game in U.S. history took place on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey : the "New York Nine" defeated the Knickerbockers, 23–1, in four innings. With the Knickerbocker code as the basis, the rules of modern baseball continued to evolve over
11972-729: The Pennant. Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully called the 2007 Senators "The greatest Vintage team ever assembled." The Senators were led by players Chris "Grit" Moran, Steve “Big Train” Burke, Jeff "Bull" Durham, Robert "Streak" Silverberg, Brendon “Plywood” Moore, John “Eskimo” Quinn, and Mike "Broadway" Hickey. The Senators play home games at Colt Park in Hartford, Connecticut. Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig Jr. ( / ˈ ɡ ɛər ɪ ɡ / GAIR -ig ; born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig Jr. ; June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941)
12136-570: The United States and Canada was founded in 1878 in Cuba, which maintains a rich baseball tradition. The Dominican Republic held its first islandwide championship tournament in 1912. Professional baseball tournaments and leagues began to form in other countries between the world wars, including the Netherlands (formed in 1922), Australia (1934), Japan (1936), Mexico (1937), and Puerto Rico (1938). The Japanese major leagues have long been considered
12300-586: The United States as "Lou Gehrig's disease". Gehrig never played again and retired in early 1939 at age 36. On July 4, 1939, he delivered his "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech at Yankee Stadium . Two years later, Gehrig died of complications from ALS. In 1969, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Gehrig the greatest first baseman of all time, and he was the leading vote-getter on
12464-865: The United States. While baseball is widely played in Canada and many minor league teams have been based in the country, the American major leagues did not include a Canadian club until 1969, when the Montreal Expos joined the National League as an expansion team. In 1977, the expansion Toronto Blue Jays joined the American League. In 1847, American soldiers played what may have been the first baseball game in Mexico at Parque Los Berros in Xalapa , Veracruz . The first formal baseball league outside of
12628-622: The Washington Heights section of Manhattan, then went to Commerce High School, graduating in 1921. He then studied engineering at Columbia University for two years, finding the schoolwork difficult before leaving to pursue a career in professional baseball . He had been recruited to play football at the school, earning a scholarship there, later joining the baseball squad. Before his first semester began, New York Giants manager John McGraw advised him to play summer professional baseball under an assumed name, Henry Lewis, despite
12792-472: The Yankees were playing at the time, and arrived at the Mayo Clinic on June 13, 1939. After six days of extensive testing at the clinic, doctors confirmed the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on June 19, 1939, which was Gehrig's 36th birthday. The prognosis was grim: rapidly increasing paralysis, difficulty in swallowing and speaking, and a life expectancy less than three years, although no impairment of mental functions would occur. Eleanor Gehrig
12956-477: The Yankees' skipper that he was doing so "for the good of the team". McCarthy acquiesced, putting Ellsworth "Babe" Dahlgren in at first base, and also said that whenever Gehrig felt he could play again, the position was his. Gehrig, as Yankee captain, himself took the lineup card out to the shocked umpires before the game, ending the 14-year streak. Before the game began, the Briggs Stadium announcer told
13120-485: The advent of batting helmets. To diagnose CTE would require autopsy results; none was conducted on Gehrig before his remains were cremated following his open-casket wake. Multiple physicians have argued that examining records alone would be fruitless. The doctors of the Mayo Clinic had released their ALS diagnosis to the public on June 19, 1939. Two days later, the New York Yankees announced Gehrig's retirement, with an immediate public push to honor him. In its coverage
13284-617: The age of five. In 1910 he lived with his parents at 2266 Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights . In 1920, the family resided on 8th Avenue in Manhattan. His name was often anglicized to Henry Louis Gehrig Jr., but he was known as "Lou" so he would not be confused with his identically named father, who was known as Henry. (According to The Pride of the Yankees , Gehrig's uncle's name was Otto.) Gehrig first garnered national attention for his baseball ability while playing in
13448-486: The average major league game has increased steadily through the years. At the turn of the 20th century, games typically took an hour and a half to play. In the 1920s, they averaged just less than two hours, which eventually ballooned to 2:38 in 1960. By 1997, the average American League game lasted 2:57 (National League games were about 10 minutes shorter—pitchers at the plate making for quicker outs than designated hitters). In 2004, Major League Baseball declared that its goal
13612-440: The base they occupied when the play began, as or after the ball is caught). Runners may also attempt to advance to the next base while the pitcher is in the process of delivering the ball to home plate; a successful effort is a stolen base . A pitch that is not hit into the field of play is called either a strike or a ball. A batter against whom three strikes are recorded strikes out . A batter against whom four balls are recorded
13776-413: The baseball in a certain manner, and by throwing it at a certain speed, pitchers can cause the baseball to break to either side, or downward, as it approaches the batter, thus creating differing pitches that can be selected. Among the resulting wide variety of pitches that may be thrown, the four basic types are the fastball , the changeup (or off-speed pitch), and two breaking balls —the curveball and
13940-401: The bases . A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The initial objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base safely ; this generally occurs either when the batter hits the ball and reaches first base before an opponent retrieves the ball and touches the base, or when
14104-413: The bases as quickly, as possible". Also in 1936, at the urging of his wife, Gehrig agreed to hire Babe Ruth's agent, who, in turn, persuaded him to audition for the role of Tarzan in the independent film Tarzan's Revenge . Gehrig only got as far, though, as posing for a widely distributed, and embarrassing, photo of himself in a leopard-spotted costume. When Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs spotted
14268-481: The batter out by throwing three pitches which result in strikes , while fielders can get the batter out by catching a batted ball before it touches the ground, and can get a runner out by tagging them with the ball while the runner is not touching a base. The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding; the batting team's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs. One turn batting for each team constitutes an inning . A game
14432-454: The batter the previous inning are erased. A runner may circle the bases only once per plate appearance and thus can score at most a single run per batting turn. Once a player has completed a plate appearance, that player may not bat again until the eight other members of the player's team have all taken their turn at bat in the batting order . The batting order is set before the game begins, and may not be altered except for substitutions . Once
14596-451: The best. That's all we can do." In October 1939, he accepted Mayor Fiorello La Guardia 's appointment to a 10-year term as a New York City parole commissioner (Gehrig had moved from New Rochelle to Riverdale to satisfy a residency requirement for the job) and was sworn into office on January 2, 1940. The Parole Commission commended Gehrig for his "firm belief in parole, properly administered", stating that Gehrig "indicated he accepted
14760-499: The big leagues" were Ray Fisher, Hughie High, Walter (Kid) Rehg, "Buck" O'Brien, Walter Leverenz, Leo Durocher, Heinie Scheer and Pete Wilson. "Lou Gehrig, first baseman and home run hitter of the New York Yankees made his name in league ball under Jim Clarkin" starring for the Hartford Senators in 1923-24 and drawing big crowds to Wethersfield Avenue Grounds (also known as Hartford Baseball Park). "Jim Thorpe, famous Redskin,
14924-450: The bottom, or second half, of every inning. The goal of the game is to score more points ( runs ) than the other team. The players on the team at bat attempt to score runs by touching all four bases, in order, set at the corners of the square-shaped baseball diamond . A player bats at home plate and must attempt to safely reach a base before proceeding, counterclockwise , from first base, to second base, third base, and back home to score
15088-413: The bounce and for succeeding or failing. The statistical precision of baseball is both facilitated by this isolation and reinforces it. Cricket is more similar to baseball than many other team sports in this regard: while the individual focus in cricket is mitigated by the importance of the batting partnership and the practicalities of tandem running, it is enhanced by the fact that a batsman may occupy
15252-406: The builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow ? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins ? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy ? Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants , a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you
15416-467: The club. Bob Connery was the first to win a championship for Clarkin in 1901, Si McDonald repeated in 1913, and Paddy O'Connor of Springfield won the Eastern League championship in 1923. "His salary roll in 1923 set a new high mark for the Eastern League" Mr. Clarkin replaced the old Wethersfield Ave grounds in 1921, at Hanmer and George Sts, off of Franklin Ave., "a few minutes walk from the former field". He had
15580-473: The difference between a double and a triple or inside-the-park home run . The surface of the field is also unregulated. While the adjacent image shows a traditional field surfacing arrangement (and the one used by virtually all MLB teams with naturally surfaced fields), teams are free to decide what areas will be grassed or bare. Some fields—including several in MLB—use artificial turf . Surface variations can have
15744-684: The dugout steps with a stoic expression appeared the next day in the nation's newspapers. He stayed with the Yankees as team captain for the rest of the season, but never played in a major-league game again. As Gehrig's debilitation became steadily worse, his wife Eleanor called the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota . Her call was transferred to Charles William Mayo , who had been following Gehrig's career and his mysterious loss of strength. Mayo told Eleanor to bring Gehrig as soon as possible. Gehrig flew alone to Rochester from Chicago , where
15908-626: The early 1830s, there were reports of a variety of uncodified bat-and-ball games recognizable as early forms of baseball being played around North America. The first officially recorded baseball game in North America was played in Beachville, Ontario , Canada, on June 4, 1838. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright , a member of New York City's Knickerbocker Club , led the codification of the so-called Knickerbocker Rules , which in turn were based on rules developed in 1837 by William R. Wheaton of
16072-418: The effect of shortening 2023 regular season games by 24 minutes on average. Although baseball is a team sport, individual players are often placed under scrutiny and pressure. While rewarding, it has sometimes been described as "ruthless" due to the pressure on the individual player. In 1915, a baseball instructional manual pointed out that every single pitch, of which there are often more than two hundred in
16236-419: The eight games, Joe McCarthy found himself resisting pressure from Yankee management to switch his slumping player to a part-time role. Things came to a head when Gehrig struggled to make a routine put-out at first base. The pitcher , Johnny Murphy , had to wait for him to drag himself over to the bag so he could field the throw. Murphy said, "Nice play, Lou." Gehrig's later assessment was very dismissive. "That
16400-673: The fact that it could jeopardize his collegiate sports eligibility. After he played a dozen games for the Hartford Senators in the Eastern League , he was discovered and banned from collegiate sports his freshman year. In 1922 Gehrig returned to collegiate sports as a fullback for the Columbia Lions football program . Later, in 1923, he played first base and pitched for the Columbia baseball team . At Columbia, he
16564-479: The famed " Murderers' Row ". In 1929, the New York Yankees debuted wearing numbers on their uniforms. Gehrig wore number 4 because he hit behind Babe Ruth, who batted third in the lineup. In 1932, Gehrig became the first player in the 20th century to hit four home runs in a game , accomplishing the feat on June 3 against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park . He narrowly missed hitting
16728-481: The fans, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first time Lou Gehrig's name will not appear on the Yankee lineup in 2,130 consecutive games." The Detroit Tigers' fans gave Gehrig a standing ovation while he sat on the bench with tears in his eyes. Coincidentally, among those attending the game was Wally Pipp , whom Gehrig had replaced at first base 2,130 games previously. A wire-service photograph of Gehrig reclining against
16892-431: The field as well. Play starts with a member of the batting team, the batter, standing in either of the two batter's boxes next to home plate, holding a bat. The batter waits for the pitcher to throw a pitch (the ball) toward home plate, and attempts to hit the ball with the bat. The catcher catches pitches that the batter does not hit—as a result of either electing not to swing or failing to connect—and returns them to
17056-476: The field to confer with players during a game. Any baseball game involves one or more umpires , who make rulings on the outcome of each play. At a minimum, one umpire will stand behind the catcher, to have a good view of the strike zone, and call balls and strikes. Additional umpires may be stationed near the other bases, thus making it easier to judge plays such as attempted force outs and tag outs. In MLB, four umpires are used for each game, one near each base. In
17220-467: The field when the team is at bat: the first base coach and third base coach, who occupy designated coaches' boxes, just outside the foul lines. These coaches assist in the direction of baserunners, when the ball is in play, and relay tactical signals from the manager to batters and runners, during pauses in play. In contrast to many other team sports, baseball managers and coaches generally wear their team's uniforms; coaches must be in uniform to be allowed on
17384-480: The field, by each team constitutes an inning . A game consists of nine innings (seven innings at the high school level and in doubleheaders in college, Minor League Baseball and, since the 2020 season , Major League Baseball ; and six innings at the Little League level). One team—customarily the visiting team—bats in the top, or first half, of every inning. The other team—customarily the home team—bats in
17548-410: The field, returning to their team's dugout or bench. A runner may be stranded on base when a third out is recorded against another player on the team. Stranded runners do not benefit the team in its next turn at bat as every half-inning begins with the bases empty. An individual player's turn batting or plate appearance is complete when the player reaches base, hits a home run, makes an out, or hits
17712-709: The first British baseball champions winning the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain . The 2020 National Champions were the London Mets . Other European countries have seen professional leagues; the most successful, other than the Dutch league , is the Italian league , founded in 1948. In 2004, Australia won a surprise silver medal at the Olympic Games . The Confédération Européene de Baseball (European Baseball Confederation), founded in 1953, organizes
17876-555: The first modern farm system . A new Negro National League was organized in 1933; four years later, it was joined by the Negro American League . The first elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame took place in 1936. In 1939, Little League Baseball was founded in Pennsylvania. Many minor league teams disbanded when World War II led to a player shortage. Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley led
18040-601: The following day, The New York Times wrote that the ceremony was "perhaps as colorful and dramatic a pageant as ever was enacted on a baseball field [as] 61,808 fans thundered a hail and farewell". Dignitaries and members of the Murderers' Row lineup attended the ceremonies and praised Gehrig. New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia called Gehrig the "perfect prototype of the best sportsmanship and citizenship" and Postmaster General James Farley concluded his speech by predicting, "Your name will live long in baseball and wherever
18204-604: The formation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to help keep the game in the public eye. The first crack in the unwritten agreement barring blacks from white-controlled professional ball occurred in 1945: Jackie Robinson was signed by the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for their minor league team in Montreal . In 1947, Robinson broke the major leagues' color barrier when he debuted with
18368-403: The game is played they will point with pride and satisfaction to your record." Yankees manager Joe McCarthy then spoke of Gehrig, a close friend. Struggling to control his emotions, McCarthy described Gehrig as "the finest example of a ballplayer, sportsman, and citizen that baseball has ever known." He turned tearfully to Gehrig and said, "Lou, what else can I say except that it was a sad day in
18532-609: The game's most direct antecedents are the English games of stoolball and "tut-ball". The earliest known reference to baseball is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book , by John Newbery . Block discovered that the first recorded game of "Bass-Ball" took place in 1749 in Surrey , and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. This early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants. By
18696-552: The greatest seasons by any batter in history, hitting .373, with 218 hits: 101 singles, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, a then-record 175 RBIs (surpassing teammate Babe Ruth's 168 six years earlier), a .474 on-base percentage and a .765 slugging percentage. His 117 extra-base hits that season are second all-time to Babe Ruth's 119 extra-base hits in 1921 and his 447 total bases are third all-time, after Babe Ruth's 457 total bases in 1921 and Rogers Hornsby 's 450 in 1922. Gehrig's production helped
18860-497: The height of fences or other structures at the edge of the outfield. The most famously idiosyncratic outfield boundary is the left-field wall at Boston's Fenway Park , in use since 1912: the Green Monster is 310 feet (94 m) from home plate down the line and 37 feet (11 m) tall. Similarly, there are no regulations at all concerning the dimensions of foul territory. Thus a foul fly ball may be entirely out of play in
19024-574: The highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, teams are divided into the National League (NL) and American League (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The MLB champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series . The top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between
19188-844: The highest quality professional circuits outside of the United States. After World War II, professional leagues were founded in many Latin American countries, most prominently Venezuela (1946) and the Dominican Republic (1955). Since the early 1970s, the annual Caribbean Series has matched the championship clubs from the four leading Latin American winter leagues: the Dominican Professional Baseball League , Mexican Pacific League , Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League , and Venezuelan Professional Baseball League . In Asia, South Korea (1982), Taiwan (1990) and China (2003) all have professional leagues. The English football club, Aston Villa , were
19352-425: The infield is a raised pitcher's mound, with a rectangular rubber plate (the rubber) at its center. The outer boundary of the outfield is typically demarcated by a raised fence, which may be of any material and height. The fair territory between home plate and the outfield boundary is baseball's field of play, though significant events can take place in foul territory, as well. There are three basic tools of baseball:
19516-410: The infielders may play in , moving closer to home plate to improve the odds of throwing out the runner on a ground ball , though a sharply hit grounder is more likely to carry through a drawn-in infield. Several basic offensive tactics come into play with a runner on first base, including the fundamental choice of whether to attempt a steal of second base. The hit and run is sometimes employed, with
19680-470: The law protecting the privacy of Gehrig's medical records, which are held by the Mayo Clinic, in an effort to determine if a connection could exist between his illness and the concussion-related trauma that he had received during his career. Gehrig played fullback on the football team at Columbia University, and had a long history of concussions, including several incidents in which he lost consciousness. He played through these injuries. Gehrig played prior to
19844-603: The life of everybody who knew you when you came into my hotel room that day in Detroit and told me you were quitting as a ballplayer because you felt yourself a hindrance to the team. My God, man, you were never that." The Yankees retired Gehrig's uniform number 4, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to be accorded that honor. Gehrig was given many gifts, commemorative plaques, and trophies. Some were presented by VIPs and others came from
20008-439: The manager of the batting team trying to arrange opposite-handed matchups. With a team that has the lead in the late innings, a manager may remove a starting position player—especially one whose turn at bat is not likely to come up again—for a more skillful fielder (known as a defensive substitution ). The tactical decision that precedes almost every play in a baseball game involves pitch selection. By gripping and then releasing
20172-566: The mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed . Baseball's American origins, as well as its reputation as a source of escapism during troubled points in American history such as the American Civil War and the Great Depression , have led the sport to receive the moniker of "America's Pastime"; since the late 19th century, it has been unofficially recognized as
20336-407: The midpoint between the batter's shoulders and belt down to the hollow of the knee. Any pitch which does not pass through the strike zone is called a ball, unless the batter either swings and misses at the pitch, or hits the pitch into foul territory; an exception generally occurs if the ball is hit into foul territory when the batter already has two strikes, in which case neither a ball nor a strike
20500-414: The nation did likewise. Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding . The game occurs over the course of several plays , with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding team , called the pitcher , throws a ball that a player on the batting team , called the batter , tries to hit with
20664-500: The next day. Gehrig's four home run game was only the third in major league history to that point, and the first since Ed Delahanty did it in 1896. On August 17, 1933, Gehrig played in his 1,308th consecutive game against the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park , which broke the longest consecutive games-played streak, held by Everett Scott . Scott attended as a guest of the Browns. Gehrig lived with his parents until 1933, when he
20828-514: The next half-century. The game then went on to spread throughout the Pacific Rim and the Americas, with Americans backing the sport as a way to spread American values. In the mid-1850s, a baseball craze hit the New York metropolitan area , and by 1856, local journals were referring to baseball as the "national pastime" or "national game". A year later, the sport's first governing body,
20992-550: The other discipline notably benefits from its unique mix of elements. The most exceptional park in this regard is Coors Field , home of the Colorado Rockies . Its high altitude—5,282 feet (1,610 m) above sea level—is partly responsible for giving it the strongest hitter's park effect in the major leagues due to the low air pressure. Wrigley Field , home of the Chicago Cubs, is known for its fickle disposition:
21156-556: The outfit, he telegrammed Gehrig, "I want to congratulate you on being a swell first baseman." Producer Sol Lesser was unimpressed with Gehrig's legs, calling them "more functional than decorative," and passed on him for the role which eventually went to the 1936 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Glenn Morris . On June 1, 1925, Gehrig entered the game as a pinch hitter, substituting for shortstop Paul "Pee Wee" Wanninger. The next day, June 2, Yankee manager Miller Huggins started Gehrig in place of regular first baseman Wally Pipp , who had
21320-577: The parole post because it represented an opportunity for public service. He had rejected other job offers—including lucrative speaking and guest appearance opportunities—worth far more financially than the $ 5,700 a year commissionership." Gehrig visited New York City's correctional facilities but insisted that the visits not be covered by news media. He was often helped by his wife Eleanor, who would guide his hand when he had to sign official documents. When Gehrig's deteriorating physical condition made it impossible for him to continue, he quietly resigned from
21484-503: The past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad break. [pause] Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. When you look around, wouldn't you consider it a privilege to associate yourself with such fine-looking men as are standing in uniform in this ballpark today? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert ? Also,
21648-414: The pitcher persists in throwing the ball out of the batter's reach . Players on the batting team who reach first base without being called " out " can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner, either immediately or during teammates' turns batting. The fielding team tries to prevent runs by using the ball to get batters or runners "out", which forces them out of the field of play. The pitcher can get
21812-441: The pitcher. A batter who hits the ball into the field of play must drop the bat and begin running toward first base, at which point the player is referred to as a runner (or, until the play is over, a batter-runner ). A batter-runner who reaches first base without being put out is said to be safe and is on base. A batter-runner may choose to remain at first base or attempt to advance to second base or even beyond—however far
21976-461: The pitcher—in the batting order, but does not field. Thus, even with the DH, each team still has a batting order of nine players and a fielding arrangement of nine players. The number of players on a baseball roster, or squad , varies by league and by the level of organized play. A Major League Baseball (MLB) team has a roster of 26 players with specific roles. A typical roster features the following players: Most baseball leagues worldwide have
22140-424: The player believes can be reached safely. A player who reaches base despite proper play by the fielders has recorded a hit . A player who reaches first base safely on a hit is credited with a single . If a player makes it to second base safely as a direct result of a hit, it is a double ; third base, a triple . If the ball is hit in the air within the foul lines over the entire outfield (and outfield fence, if there
22304-447: The playoffs, six umpires are used: one at each base and two in the outfield along the foul lines. Many of the pre-game and in-game strategic decisions in baseball revolve around a fundamental fact: in general, right-handed batters tend to be more successful against left-handed pitchers and, to an even greater degree, left-handed batters tend to be more successful against right-handed pitchers. A manager with several left-handed batters in
22468-429: The position for a strong hitter but weaker fielder. The 23-year-old Yankee's breakout season came in 1926, when he batted .313 with 47 doubles, an American League -leading 20 triples, 16 home runs, and 112 RBIs. In the 1926 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals , Gehrig hit .348 with two doubles and four RBIs. The Cardinals won the series four games to three. In 1927, Gehrig put together one of
22632-617: The position, about a month before his death. At 10:10 p.m. on June 2, 1941, 17 days before his 38th birthday, Gehrig died at his home at 5204 Delafield Avenue in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx , New York . Upon hearing the news, Babe Ruth and his wife Claire went to the Gehrig house to console Gehrig's wife Eleanor. Mayor La Guardia ordered flags in New York to be flown at half-staff , and major-league ballparks around
22796-404: The possibility of a draw (which occurs because of the restrictions on time, which like in baseball, originally did not exist ) often encourages a team that is batting last and well behind, to bat defensively and run out the clock, giving up any faint chance at a win, to avoid an overall loss. While nine innings has been the standard since the beginning of professional baseball, the duration of
22960-462: The preceding decade's average of 3:18. In 2016, the average nine-inning playoff game in Major League baseball was 3 hours and 35 minutes. This was up 10 minutes from 2015 and 21 minutes from 2014. In response to the lengthening of the game, MLB decided from the 2023 season onward to institute a pitch clock rule to penalize batters and pitchers who take too much time between pitches; this had
23124-551: The purpose of perpetuating, promoting, and playing the game of baseball as it was when it first existed. The Vintage Base Ball Federation was founded by New York Yankees World Series pitcher Jim Bouton and funded by Mass Mutual Financial Group. On August 19, 2007 at Bullens Field in Westfield, Massachusetts , the Hartford Senators won the 2007 World Series of Vintage Base Ball. The Senators defeated Division Champions from California, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Massachusetts to win
23288-463: The regular lineup, who knows the team will be facing a left-handed starting pitcher, may respond by starting one or more of the right-handed backups on the team's roster. During the late innings of a game, as relief pitchers and pinch hitters are brought in, the opposing managers will often go back and forth trying to create favorable matchups with their substitutions. The manager of the fielding team trying to arrange same-handed pitcher-batter matchups and
23452-533: The reserve clause was effectively struck down , leading to the free agency system . Significant work stoppages occurred in 1981 and 1994 , the latter forcing the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. Attendance had been growing steadily since the mid-1970s and in 1994, before the stoppage, the majors were setting their all-time record for per-game attendance. After play resumed in 1995, non-division-winning wild card teams became
23616-413: The rubric of MLB. In 2001, Barry Bonds established the current record of 73 home runs in a single season. There had long been suspicions that the dramatic increase in power hitting was fueled in large part by the abuse of illegal steroids (as well as by the dilution of pitching talent due to expansion), but the issue only began attracting significant media attention in 2002 and there was no penalty for
23780-630: The rules of MLB and Minor League Baseball , is that fields built or remodeled since June 1, 1958, must have a minimum distance of 325 feet (99 m) from home plate to the fences in left and right field and 400 feet (122 m) to center. Major league teams often skirt even this rule. For example, at Minute Maid Park , which became the home of the Houston Astros in 2000, the Crawford Boxes in left field are only 315 feet (96 m) from home plate. There are no rules at all that address
23944-449: The runner is touched by the ball, held in a fielder's hand, while not on a base. (The batter-runner is always forced to advance to first base, and any other runners must advance to the next base if a teammate is forced to advance to their base.) It is possible to record two outs in the course of the same play. This is called a double play . Three outs in one play, a triple play , is possible, though rare. Players put out or retired must leave
24108-437: The slumping Pipp took himself out of the day's lineup with complaints of a headache, and was replaced by Gehrig. Pipp would never get his job with the team back, while Gehrig went on to appear in every game the Yankees played until April 30, 1939. In 1925, Gehrig batted .295, with 20 home runs and 68 runs batted in (RBIs) over 126 games. Unlike Ruth, Gehrig was not a gifted position player so he played first base, often
24272-444: The stadium's groundskeepers and janitorial staff. As Gehrig was handed the gifts, he would immediately place them on the ground, as he no longer had the arm strength to hold them. The Yankees presented him with a silver trophy bearing all of their engraved signatures. Inscribed on the front was a poem written by New York Times writer John Kieran at the players' request. The trophy became one of Gehrig's most prized possessions. It
24436-430: The streak intact through pinch-hitting appearances and fortuitous timing; in others, the streak continued despite injuries. For example: In addition, x-rays taken late in his life disclosed that Gehrig had sustained several fractures during his playing career, although he remained in the lineup despite those previously undisclosed injuries. However, the streak was helped when Yankees general manager Ed Barrow postponed
24600-599: The two major league champions against each other, was inaugurated that fall. The Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series led to the formation of the office of the Commissioner of Baseball . The first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis , was elected in 1920. That year also saw the founding of the Negro National League ; the first significant Negro league, it would operate until 1931. For part of
24764-516: The use of performance-enhancing drugs before 2004. In 2007, Bonds became MLB's all-time home run leader, surpassing Hank Aaron , as total major league and minor league attendance both reached all-time highs. Despite having been called "America's national pastime", baseball is well-established in several other countries. As early as 1877, a professional league, the International Association , featured teams from both Canada and
24928-568: The worst of his career, with one RBI and a .143 batting average. Fans and the press openly speculated on his abrupt decline. James Kahn, a reporter who wrote often about Gehrig, said in one article: I think there is something wrong with him. Physically wrong, I mean. I don't know what it is, but I am satisfied that it goes far beyond his ball-playing. I have seen ballplayers 'go' overnight, as Gehrig seems to have done. But they were simply washed up as ballplayers. It's something deeper than that in this case, though. I have watched him very closely and this
25092-466: Was 30 years old. His mother ruined all of Gehrig's romances until he met Eleanor Twitchell (1905–1984) in 1932; they began dating the next year and married in September. She was the daughter of Chicago Parks Commissioner Frank Twitchell. She helped Gehrig leave his mother's influence and hired Christy Walsh , Ruth's sports agent ; Walsh helped Gehrig become the first athlete on Wheaties boxes. On April 30, 1934, Gehrig hit his 300th home run versus
25256-549: Was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. On April 18, 1923, the same day Yankee Stadium opened for the first time and Babe Ruth inaugurated the new stadium with a home run against the Boston Red Sox, Columbia pitcher Gehrig struck out 17 Williams Ephs batters to set a team record, though Columbia lost the game. Only a handful of collegians were at Columbia's South Field that day, but more significant
25420-411: Was affected, and at one point he collapsed at Al Lang Stadium , then the Yankees' spring training park. By the end of spring training, he had not hit a home run. Throughout his career, Gehrig was considered an excellent base runner, but as the 1939 season got under way, his coordination and speed had deteriorated significantly. By the end of April, eight games into the season, Gehrig's statistics were
25584-558: Was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him the nickname " the Iron Horse ". He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice, and
25748-529: Was an average game of 2:45. By 2014, though, the average MLB game took over three hours to complete. The lengthening of games is attributed to longer breaks between half-innings for television commercials, increased offense, more pitching changes, and a slower pace of play, with pitchers taking more time between each delivery, and batters stepping out of the box more frequently. Other leagues have experienced similar issues. In 2008, Nippon Professional Baseball took steps aimed at shortening games by 12 minutes from
25912-652: Was another notable who wore a Hartford uniform during the 1922 season." Many well known men grew up as managers in Hartford under Clarkin, among them were Bob Connery, "now president of the St. Paul (Minn.) club"; Dan Howley, later manager of the Cincinnati Reds; Si McDonald, Paddy O'Connor, Jack Coffey, Chet Thomas, Arthur Irwin, Tom Dowd, Danny Murphy of the Philadelphia Athletics fame. Three pennants were brought to Hartford under Clarkin's ownership of
26076-520: Was born in 1867 in Adelsheim, Baden, and came to the United States in October 1888. He originally spent some time in Chicago, but later settled in New York, where he met Christina, who was fourteen years younger than him. Like Heinrich, she was a Lutheran. They married in 1900. His father was a sheet-metal worker by trade who was frequently unemployed due to alcoholism and epilepsy , and his mother,
26240-505: Was rebuilt at once. The new stand erected in less than a month, and the Senators had a home again after having played at Trinity Field and in Manchester during the interval" Tribute was paid to Clarkin by Jack Coffey, his manager in 1922 and graduate manager of athletics at Fordham University, who said, "He had many endearing qualities hidden from those who did not know him intimately." The Hartford Senators were re-established in 2001 for
26404-402: Was surpassed by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995. Gehrig's consecutive game streak ended on May 2, 1939, when he voluntarily took himself out of the lineup, stunning both players and fans, after his performance in the field had become hampered by an undiagnosed ailment; it was subsequently confirmed to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable neuromuscular illness now commonly referred to in
26568-472: Was the presence of Yankee scout Paul Krichell , who had been trailing Gehrig for some time. Gehrig's pitching did not particularly impress him; rather, it was Gehrig's powerful left-handed hitting. Krichell observed Gehrig hit some of the longest home runs ever seen on various eastern campuses, including a 450-foot (137 m) home run on April 28 at South Field, which landed at 116th Street and Broadway. Scouts saw Gehrig as "the next Babe Ruth". Gehrig signed
26732-511: Was the simplest play you could ever make in baseball, and I knew then: There was something wrong with me". On April 30, Gehrig went hitless against the Washington Senators . He had just played his 2,130th consecutive major league game. On May 2, the next game after a day off, Gehrig approached McCarthy before the game in Detroit against the Tigers and said, "I'm benching myself, Joe", telling
26896-454: Was told that the cause of ALS was unknown, but that it was painless, not contagious, and cruel; the motor function of the central nervous system is destroyed, but the mind remains fully aware until the end. Gehrig often wrote letters to Eleanor, and one such note written shortly after the diagnosis said in part: The bad news is lateral sclerosis, in our language "creeping" paralysis. There isn't any cure ... there are very few of these cases. It
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