Touching All the Bases

Thomas D. Phillips lectures on baseball history to a wide variety of audiences. His writings about baseball have appeared in Elysian Fields Quarterly: The Baseball Review, Spitball: The Baseball Literary Journal, and other publications.

Baseball writer Phillips offers a compendium that spans baseball's history from its beginnings (most likely in 1845) all the way to game five of the 2011 World Series. Phillips covers notable firsts (night game, radio/TV broadcasts, salaried team), famous plays (including "The Catch" by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series and Bill Buckner's ball-between-the-legs error in the 1986 World Series), and remarkable streaks (Eric Gagne's 84 consecutive saves between 2002 and 2004 and the 1899 Cleveland Spiders' loss of 134 out of 154 games). Chapters devoted to Hall of Famers, ballparks, equipment and statistics—as well as a whopping 18 appendixes dig deeper into the game and may provide new information even for longtime fans, as might lengthier essays on the steroids era, the impact of WWII, the legacy of Jackie Robinson, the evolution of pitching, and the reserve clause. The book works both as a cover-to-cover read and a reference, and Phillips's straightforward style gives it broad appeal.

• IntroductionChapter One: In the Beginning1. The Diamond, the Team, and the RulesChapter Two: Firsts2. First All-Salaried Professional Team3. The Pioneers4. First World Series5. First Night Game6. First Farm System7. First Radio and Television Broadcasts8. First Designated Hitter … and the DH’s AncestorChapter Three: The Most Famous Plays9. Bill Wambsganss: Unassisted Triple Play10. Willie Mays: “The Catch”11. Bobby Thomson: “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”12. Enos Slaughter: “The Mad Dash”13. Gabby Hartnett: “The Homer in the Gloamin’” 14. Jeter’s Miracle15. Bill Mazeroski: Seventh Game Walk Off Home run16. Kirk Gibson: The Unbelievable Home run17. Babe Ruth: “The Called Shot”18. Bucky Dent: The Unprintable Middle Name19. Al Gionfriddo: The Catch That Frustrated DiMaggioChapter Four: The Most Famous Misplays20. Mickey Owen: The Dropped Third Strike21. Fred Snodgrass: “The $30,000 Muff”22. Fred Merkle’s Bonehead Play23. Bill Buckner’s ErrorChapter Five: Streaks and Sustained Excellence24. DiMaggio’s Hitting Streak25. Ted Williams: Consecutive Games/Times on Base26. Johnny Vander Meer: Two Consecutive No-Hitters27. Orel Hershiser: 59 Consecutive Scoreless Innings Pitched28. Eric Gagne: 84 Consecutive Saves29. Charles Radbourn: 60 Victories in a Season (Or Maybe Only 59)30. Carl Hubbell: 24 Consecutive Pitching Victories31. Home runs in Eight Consecutive Games32. New York Yankees: Five Consecutive World Championships33. Longest Winning Streak34. At the Top of Their Games … For Years and Years Chapter Six: Streaks and Sustained (Lack of) Excellence35. Zero for 201136. Longest Losing Streak37. Anthony Young: 27 Consecutive Losses38. The Worst TeamChapter Seven: Highs and Lows39. First Pitch Grand Slam40. First Game No-Hitter41. Home runs on First Two At-Bats42. Two Grand Slams in One Inning43. Three Hits in One Inning44. Twelve RBIs in a Game45. Twelve Hits in a Row46. Seven for Seven47. Three Swings Seven Outs, and Other Bad TimesChapter Eight: Special Games48. The Long and the Short49. The Most Innings50. Seventeen Runs in One Inning51. The Most Runs Scored52. Twelve Perfect Innings53. Double No-Hitter54. The Most Unusual No-Hitter – Or Was It a 26-Out Perfect Game?55. Larsen’s Perfect Game56. The Pine Tar Game57. The Bloody SockChapter Nine: Moments to Remember58. The Garbled Phone Calls Game: “Can You Hear Me Now?”59. The Fan in Aisle 4, Row 8, Seat 11360. Jeter Hits a Home run – Or Maybe Not61. Stirnweiss’s Batting Title62. Ted Williams: .406 on the Last Day63. September 28, 2011: Hours and Hours of Excitement64. Moments that Transcend the GameChapter Ten: Hall of Fame65. Babe Ruth66. Walter Johnson67. Ty Cobb68. Honus Wagner69. Christy MathewsonChapter Eleven: All-Star Game70. The Windblown Balk71. Carl Hubbell: 5Ks in a Row72. The Eephus Pitch73. The CollisionChapter Twelve: The Most Famous Teams74. “Murderer’s Row”75. The “Big Red Machine”76. The “Miracle Braves”77 The “Hitless Wonders”Chapter Thirteen: Franchises and Leagues78. Major League Franchises79. Other Major Leagues80. The Negro LeaguesChapter Fourteen: Elysian Fields81. The Ball ParksChapter Fifteen: The Equipment82. The Baseball83. The Baseball Bat84. Gloves and Mitts85. Uniforms and Associated GearChapter Sixteen: Computing the Stats86 The Major Stats: What the Numbers Mean87. The Stories the Numbers TellChapter Seventeen: The Awards88. Honors BestowedChapter Eighteen: The Black Sox Scandal89. “Say It Ain’t So, Joe”Chapter Nineteen: The Steroids Era90. The Doping DilemmaChapter Twenty: The Impact of World War II91. Ted Williams: Left Fielder, Boston Red Sox92. Bob Feller: Pitcher, Cleveland Indians93. Warren Spahn: Pitcher, Boston/Milwaukee Braves94. Pete Gray: The One-Armed Ballplayer95. The Women’s LeagueChapter Twenty-One: The Legacy of Jackie Robinson96. JackieChapter Twenty-Two: Pitching97. Pitching: From Past to Present – Tracing the ChangesChapter Twenty-Three: The Reserve Clause98. Management vs. LaborChapter Twenty-Four: Running the Business99. Front Office Operations: Rosters, Waivers, Options, Free AgencyChapter Twenty-Five: Baseball in Song, Verse, and Show Business100. Baseball in the Arts and on ScreenChapter Twenty-Six: Nicknames101. Dr. Strangeglove and other LabelsAppendixesAppendix 1: Spring Training SitesAppendix 2: World Series ResultsAppendix 3: Unassisted Triple PlaysAppendix 4: Perfect Games Appendix 5: Hall of Fame MembershipAppendix 6: Major League Ball Parks Appendix 7: Batting ChampionsAppendix 8: Home run ChampionsAppendix 9: Triple Crown WinnersAppendix 10: MVP Award WinnersAppendix 11: Cy Young Award WinnersAppendix 12: Rookies of the YearAppendix 13: Gold Glove Record HoldersAppendix 14: Silver Slugger Record HoldersAppendix 15: Commissioners of BaseballAppendix 16: Labor DisputesAppendix 17: Casey at the Bat and a Sampling of SequelsAppendix 18: NicknamesNotesBibliographyIndexAbout the Author