Stream Ken Burns Baseball for free. Ken Burns makes his “Baseball” documentary mini-series available to stream for free
If you’re jonesing for some baseball with Spring Training canceled and Opening Day postponed Ken Burns announced on Twitter that he has arranged for PBS to make his documentary miniseries Baseball available for FREE streaming.
There are nine episodes (innings) in the mini-series. Each is about two hours long. I watched it when it came out but all I remember is that is was good and I learned a lot. The mini-series chronicles the history of America’s pastime from its beginnings in the late 1800s up through 1990. So it doesn’t cover the Strike or Moneyball but it’s still a fascinating story of the history of baseball. Read more about it here. Baseball was Burns’ ninth documentary and it won the 1995 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series.
How to stream Ken Burns Baseball for free
You can watch on your computer here. Or on your smart TV or a streaming device like Roku or Amazon Fire — and to download the PBS app for that device. You can find info about all the various apps here, or just locate the app through your device.
Innings description
Inning One, Our Game, looks at the origins of baseball in the 1840s and takes the story up to 1900.
Inning Two, Something Like a War, takes viewers through 1910 and introduces some of the game’s most celebrated and colorful characters, including Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.
Inning Three, The Faith of Fifty Million People, examines the century’s second decade, which was dominated by the Black Sox scandal. George Herman “Babe” Ruth makes his first major league appearance (as a member of the Boston Red Sox) and a wave of immigration helps fill the stands with new fans, eager to “become American” by learning America’s game.
Inning Four, A National Heirloom, concentrates on Babe Ruth, whose phenomenal performance thrilled the nation throughout the 1920s and rescued the game from the scandal of the previous decade.
Inning Five, Shadow Ball, tells the story of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s.
Inning Six, The National Pastime, covers the 1940s and includes Joe DiMaggio’s celebrated hitting streak, the awe-inspiring performance of Ted Williams and what Burns calls “baseball’s finest moment” — the debut of Jackie Robinson.
Inning Seven, The Capital of Baseball, takes viewers through the 1950s when New York City had three successful baseball teams and dominated the World Series. By the end of the decade, the Giants and Dodgers had left New York, a signal that the old game was changed forever.
Inning Eight, A Whole New Ball Game, moves the field to the 1960s. This episode traces the emergence of television, the expansion to new cities and the building of anonymous multipurpose stadiums that robbed the game of its intimacy and some of its urban following.
Inning Nine, Home, looks at baseball from the 1970s to the present, including the establishment of the free agent system, the rise in player salaries, the continued expansion, the dilution of talent, the ongoing battles between labor and management and the scandals.
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