Baseball (documentary)

Baseball was a documentary by Ken Burns that aired in the United States beginning on September 18, 1994 and running through September 28th (except September 23 and 24) on the PBS television network. It had a total run time of 1140 minutes.

Baseball was broken down into nine segments, called innings. Each inning ran for about two hours and covered one decade of baseball history. Baseball is credited with a reemergence of interest in the Negro Leagues. It also brought fame to Buck O'Neil, who was featured prominently discussing the Negro Leagues.

The documentary aired during the 1994 players strike. It is currently available in VHS and DVD formats.

In 2009, MLB Network re-ran the original nine episodes with special commentary not available anywhere else. There is also due to be broadcast a tenth "inning" to cover the years 1992 to 2009 which will include the 1994 strike, the 1998 home run race, and the steroid controversy. A book illustrating the series was also published when it was first broadcast.

Further Reading

• David Moriah: "Burns reflects on impact of 'Baseball' after 20 years: Landmark documentary illustrates how game has mirrored societal change", mlb.com, September 18, 2014. [1]
• Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns: Baseball: An Illustrated History, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, 1994.

External Links

• IMDB entry for Baseball