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Table of Contents
Baseball
2nd Base
In a baseball game, second base is the most often stolen base.1)
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, the unofficial national anthem of American baseball, is customarily sung in the middle of the seventh inning. Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer, who had never seen a baseball game, wrote it in 1908.2)
Mo'ne Davis
The first girl to triumph in a Little League World Series baseball game was Mo'ne Davis.3)
Effa Louise Manley
A big league baseball game has never included a female player. Effa Louise Manley (1897–1981), an American sports executive, is the first and only woman to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.4)
Baseball Lifespan
A big league baseball has a lifespan of 5-7 pitches. A regular game involves using around 70 balls.5)
Baseball International
Baseball originated in the United States but has now become a global sport. The International Baseball Federation now includes more than 100 nations. Outside of America, Japan boasts the biggest professional baseball league.6)
L.A. Dodgers
The L.A. Dodgers, a baseball team that was first established in Brooklyn, got their name from the legendary talent of the locals at “dodging” the city's trolley streetcar system.7)
First Win
In 1903, the Boston Americans won baseball's inaugural World Series.8)
Revenue
Major League Baseball generated over $9 billion in gross income in 2014, an increase from $8 billion in 2013.9)
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees, with 27 titles, are the baseball club with the most World Series victories.10)
First Use Of Baseball
A Little Pretty Pocket-Book by children's book publisher John Newberry has the earliest recorded use of the word “baseball”.11)
Can Of Corn
An easy fly ball is a “can of corn.” The phrase originated when former grocery store employees would use their aprons to retrieve cans that were dropped from a high shelf.12)
Craig Biggio
The Houston Astros' Craig Biggio (1965–) holds the record (285) for being hit by a pitch the most frequently.13)
Sliding Headfirst
Dr. David A. Peters discovered in 2008 that a head-first slide into a base is quicker than a feet-first slide.14)
Baseball Gloves
More than any other element of the sport's equipment, baseball gloves have undergone development.15)
Oldest Stadium
The Boston Red Sox's home field, Fenway Facility, was opened in 1912, is the oldest baseball park currently in operation.16)
Numbers On The Back
In the 1920s, the New York Yankees were the first baseball team to have numbers on their backs. At first, they were assigned numbers according to the batting order. Babe Ruth was number 3 because he usually batted third.17)
Color Line
Major league baseball teams prohibited African-Americans from attending their games throughout the first half of the 20th century. However, African Americans established “Negro Leagues,” which included some of the century's finest players.18)
Longest Home Run
Mickey Mantle of the Yankees owns the record for the longest home run in history thanks to a 565-foot blast hit at the former Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC, on April 17, 1953. He was hitting right-handed against left-handed pitcher Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators since he was a switch-hitter.19)
Fresh Baseball In Mud
Before every game, an umpire is required to touch the fresh baseballs with mud from a creek in Burlington County, New Jersey, to take the shine off of them.20)
Rick Monday Saving The American Flag
On April 25, 1976, during a game at Dodger Stadium, Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday saved an American flag from two guys who were attempting to burn it ablaze. This action made Monday a national hero. He received a standing ovation from the 25,167 spectators, who then started singing “God Bless America”.21)
First Pitch Tradition
William Howard Taft, a former semi-pro baseball player, was the first American president toss the ceremonial first pitch on April 14, 1910. Since then, every American president since Jimmy Carter has thrown out the first pitch on Opening Day.22)
The Star-Spangled Banner
On September 5, 1918, in the midst of the seventh inning of Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs at (rented-out) Comiskey Park, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played for the first time during a sporting event.23)
Father And Son
As teammates with the Seattle Mariners in 1990, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father and son to compete in the major leagues. They hit back-to-back home runs on September 14, 1990, setting yet another father-son baseball record.24)
Jackie Mitchell
Jackie Mitchell, a minor league pitcher (1913–1987), gained notoriety in the 1930s by simultaneously retiring Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Immediately, Major and Minor League Baseball suspended her.25)
Baseball Movies
The Pride of the Yankees (1942), The Natural (1984), Bill Durham (1988), Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), Moneyball (2011), 42 (2013), A League of Their Own (1992), Fear Strikes Out (1957), and Eight Men Out (1988) are a few well-known baseball-themed motion pictures.26)
Gray Uniforms
To make it simple for supporters to tell the difference between the visiting team and the host club, visiting teams typically wear (at least largely) gray jerseys. The custom began in the late 1800s when traveling teams lacked the time to clean their uniforms and instead wore gray to cover up mud.27)
First Baseball Game On TV
On August 26, 1939, the first professional baseball game to ever telecast on television was broadcast. Brooklyn and Cincinnati played two games.28)
Soaking
A very early baseball regulation called “soaking” permitted a runner who was off base to be out by being hit by a ball.29)
Players In Hall Of Fame
The San Francisco Giants, who have 24 Hall of Famers, are the team with the most players in the Hall of Fame.30)