The 100 Greatest Baseball Games Of The 20th Century Ranked

More than 150,000 major league baseball games were played in the 20th century. Here are ranked the 100 greatest, the very best (less than 1/10th of 1 percent) of the contests. They feature brilliant individual pitching performances, pitching duels, remarkable individual batting achievements, team offensive explosions, mind-numbing comebacks, multiple lead changes, team rivalries and heroics in final at-bats. The games are from the regular season, pennant races, playoffs, and the World Series. The inclusion of some games might be surprising, but all of them twanged or hammered the nerves of both spectators and participants.

Just who was the greatest baseball player of the 20th century—Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron? It's difficult to choose just one of those players over the other three megastars. Then think how really hard it is to pick (and rank) the hundred greatest players of the century, judging and juggling position players, pitchers, active players and retired ones. The authors of this work looked at statistics, the different eras, the “five tools,” and even oral legend in compiling this list of the 100 diamond dandies of the second millennium. They've ranked the Negro League players and superstars from around the globe alongside the Major League legends. Some of their choices may surprise even the most learned fans. Year-by-year playing statistics (if available) are included for all players.

There has been an explosion in the quantity of sports history literature published in recent years, making it increasingly difficult to keep abreast of developments. The annual number of publications has increased from around 250 to 1,000 a year over the last decade. This is due in part to the fact that during the late 1980s and 90s, many clubs, leagues and governing bodies of sport have celebrated their centenaries and produced histories to mark this occasion and commemorate their achievements. It is also the result of the growing popularity and realisation of the importance of sport history research within academe. This international bibliography of books, articles, conference proceedings and essays in the English language is a one-stop for the sports historian to know what is new.

Includes, beginning Sept. 15, 1954 (and on the 15th of each month, Sept.-May) a special section: School library journal, ISSN 0000-0035, (called Junior libraries, 1954-May 1961). Also issued separately.

The best baseball team of the 20th century? How about the 1906 Cubs? Or the 1998 Yankees? Don't forget the 1929 A’s, or the 1976 Reds. Some say the Yanks had a pretty good squad in 1927. There were so many great teams in the last century, it would be hard to compile a list of the 25 best—much less rank those clubs—but that’s what the authors have done! This is an endlessly fascinating tome, sure to prompt spirited discussions around the water cooler or above the dugout. Let the arguments (and the fun!) begin!

Vols. 8-10 of the 1965-1984 master cumulation constitute a title index.