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Batting average measures the batter’s ability to avoid striking out and his ability to “hit ’em where they ain’t.” However, the relative importance of these two skills is blurred by the traditional way in which we write AVG (H/AB). By rewriting AVG as a function of strikeouts per at-bat and hits per ball put in play, we gain greater insight […]

For the first time since 1941, major-league baseball was able to conduct its winter meetings without having to adjust to World War II, which had decimated rosters and affected the quality of play over the previous four years. After the war ended in August 1945, the commissioner, league presidents, and team owners met in Chicago […]

The cover of The Plot to Kill Jackie Robinson, illustration by Steve Carter & jacket design by Todd Radom. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House)   Consider this quote from eminent baseball historian Donald Honig’s 1985 book Baseball America: “For those who cared to pay attention, Robinson’s style of play should have been both threat and […]

This article was originally published in “The Empire State of Baseball,” the 1989 SABR convention journal (Albany). In 2020, Bud Fowler was selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend.   New York state made a significant contribution to black baseball in the 19th century. Not only did such great independent clubs as the […]

In 1916, former National League President Abraham G. Mills said at a banquet celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the National League, “I cannot doubt that all true lovers of Base Ball will always cherish and honor the memory of William A. Hulbert.”2 Twenty years later the first honorees were elected to the new Baseball Hall […]

In the winter of 1916 – 1917, a stock company headed by W. K. Stripling and Paul LaGrave purchased the Fort Worth franchise of the Class B Texas League. Mr. Stripling was elected president of the club, while LaGrave was engaged as secretary and business manager. They immediately hired, as field manager, Jake Atz, a […]

Read the 2015 TNP on your computer or e-reader in PDF, EPUB, or MOBI/Kindle formats! Since 2009, The National Pastime has served as SABR’s convention-focused publication. Published annually, this research journal provides in-depth articles focused on the respective geographic region where the national convention is taking place in a given year. All SABR members receive […]

Abe Saperstein created the Harlem Globetrotters and is widely credited with pioneering the three-point shot. (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History)   Abe Saperstein is best known as the founder of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, but he also was deeply involved in baseball. During the 1930s, Saperstein worked as a promoter, publicist, and agent […]

He spent 20 years as a professional umpire, baseball’s loneliest profession, passing judgment on the performances of the game’s great athletes and egos. Many people have pursued this particular job, but Emmett Ashford had the added burden of breaking racial barriers throughout his career, as a black man whose job required maintaining authority over white […]

As I sprinted across Oracle Park with my son during the San Francisco Giants home opener on April 7, 2023, an usher and I struck up a conversation.1 Understanding that I was from the Twin Cities and a fan of the Minnesota Twins, he asked me point blank, “Will Joe Mauer end up in the […]

“It takes courage to be a pioneer”1   The Hero Two Doors Down, written by Sharon Robinson, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and cover design by Elizabeth B. Parisi and Mary Claire Cruz. (Courtesy of Scholastic Publishers)   There is a lovely scene in Ken Burns’ documentary series Jackie Robinson in which Robinson’s daughter, Sharon, remembers […]

A playoff souvenir from the Ottawa Nationals. (City of Ottawa Archives, MG-946-1-1)   The Second World War ended, sparking a boom in affiliated minor-league baseball across Canada and the United States. In 1945, there were 12 leagues with 86 teams. The 1946 season began with 43 leagues and 316 teams. On December 9, 1945, a […]

Hanlan’s Point illuminated in 1928, not for baseball, but for opera. (City of Toronto Archives)   As soon as it became possible to play ballgames at night, baseball purists scoffed at the idea. In 1915, the Toronto Daily Star declared that night baseball had always been, and would always be, a dismal failure. “When it […]

As a young teenager growing up in The Bronx, I was a devout Yankees fan. Then along came the New York Metropolitans and an opportunity to witness National Leaguers on the main stage. Sandy Koufax became my idol. He and I have the same heritage. My dad had a color photo of Sandy laminated on […]

Power-Plus and Thunder and Lightning are just two of the names given to a select group of players who are capable of generating offense via the home run or the stolen base. A great emphasis has been placed on this dual prowess in recent years. For a single season there is the 30 home run […]

Walter Johnson’s shutout, strikeout, and victory records (including his remarkable record in winning and losing 1-0 games) have been well documented through the years. An often-overlooked achievement by Johnson is the remarkable success he enjoyed in games played on opening day. Fourteen times he was selected to open the season for Washington, and on these […]

In November 2019, The Athletic published an article that credibly accused the Houston Astros of electronically stealing catcher signs in 2017.1 Stealing catcher signs can potentially provide an advantage to batters since they know in advance the type of pitch the pitcher will throw. Late in the 2017 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) forbade the […]

Researching Baseball Records The primary way the technological revolution has affected the way we do records research is not so much in giving us new sources; it is in the way it has allowed us to access those sources more easily. Researching an individual, team or league record for a game, a season or a […]