sso le n 30 To baseball fans there wore the same kind of is no sweeter sound than uniforms as players wore the crack of a bat hitting a 100 years ago. baseball. Watching players hit, catch, and slide is especially exciting A GAME OF MEMORIES during October. This is when the best teams In the 1903 World Series, the first team in baseball compete in the World Series. to win five out of nine games became the The 2003 World Series was extra special. world champions. In 1905, the rules were The 2003 baseball championship marked the changed. Teams only had to win four out of 100th anniversary of the first World Series. In seven games to be World Series champions. 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston This change became permanent in 1922. Pilgrims (now the Red Sox) faced each other in eight games. Baseball legends such as Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner and Boston pitcher Cy Young played in that first series. Boston won the series by five games to three, thanks to the pitching of Cy Young and Bill Dinneen. That first World Series anniversary was celebrated during a regular season game in 2003, when Pittsburgh and Boston played each other for the first time since 1903. For “Turn Back the Clock Night,” Pittsburgh’s PNC Park was made to look 1903—The first World Series was played in Pittsburgh and at the like it did in 1903. Players Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston (shown here). 123 Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources WORD WISE Baseball Past and Present permanent Lasting, or meant When the first World Series was played 100 to last for a long time. years ago, the rules of the game were about inferior Not as good as the same, but life was very different. For something else. example, in 1903, there were dispute A disagreement or no radios or TVs, so argument. people could only see resumed Started again after a and hear a baseball break. game by going to the ballpark. Since The World Series has only the country was been skipped twice. In 1904, the National League’s New York just starting to get Giants refused to play Boston, the electricity, games American League champion. The took place only president of the Giants thought during daylight that the American League was hours. inferior and refused to compete. The series resumed in 1905. In 1994, a salary dispute between WORLD 1903 2003 players and team owners caused SERIES Pittsburgh Pirates Florida Marlins the series to be canceled. vs. Boston Pilgrims vs. New York Yankees The American League’s New World York Yankees, who have played in Series From 50 cents From $225 more World Series than any other Ticket Prices to a dollar to $1,100 team, have won 26 times, but not in 2003. Every World Series has great Fans In 1903, about This year, about moments. There was New York 11,600 attended 47,000 went to Yankee’s Babe Ruth hitting three each of the each of the home runs in Game 4 of the 1928 eight World games, and World Series. In 1954, Willie Series games. millions more Mays of the New York Giants watched the made an amazing catch on a dead series on TV. run toward the centerfield wall. And in 2001, the Yankee’s Derek Jeter hit a game-winning home Salary In 1903, the Today, the run in the 10th inning of Game 4. average average baseball Each great catch, dropped baseball player salary is ball, and ninth-inning homer player earned about $1.1 becomes part of baseball history. $2,500 a year. million. Watch to see which team will be this year’s world champs. You might even see history in the Drinks at Sarsaparilla Cola making! Games 124 Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources sson 3 e 0 l ?. Celebrating 100 Years c h t e u of the World Series ck it o Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. Which team won the first World Series? A Boston Red Sox B New York Giants C Pittsburgh Pirates D Boston Pilgrims 2. What did the World Series in the early 1900s have in common with the World Series today? A ticket prices B baseball player salaries C game rules D people in attendance 3. Which sentence uses the word bat correctly? A The bat flew into the dark cave. B The player hit the ball with the wooden bat. C The cat bat the toy around. D All of the above 4. Which game is most similar to the World Series? A a high school basketball state championship game B professional football’s Super Bowl game C a city’s softball league game D the Olympic track and field events 5. Underline three sentences in the article that tell about the 2003 World Series. Circle three sentences that tell about the 1903 World Series. 125 Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources.