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1 of 15Just months prior to being named American League Most Valuable Player, Detroit Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane gazes out from behind his mask at Philadelphia's Shibe Park, Aug. 29, 1934.National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
2 of 15Energized by the first World Series held at Chicago's Wrigley Field, baseball fans crowd the corner of Addison and Sheffield as they await the matchup between the hometown Cubs and the Philadelphia Athletics, Oct. 1929.National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
3 of 15As part of the annual preseason City Series between Philadelphia's two major league clubs, Athletics catcher Mickey Cochrane dives home and tags out Phillies base runner Pinky Whitney at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, April 1, 1933.National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
4 of 15Children raise their souvenir Louisville Sluggers at the second "Bat Day" ever held at Yankee Stadium in New York City, Aug. 14, 1965.Don Rice—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
5 of 15Members of a baseball team at Peddie Institute, a private boarding school in Hightstown, N.J., gather for a group photograph in front of the main school building, May 1891.J.C. Sunderlin—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
6 of 15During his first season in the big leagues, Cincinnati's George "Admiral" Schlei sits for a studio portrait in Boston, 1904.Carl J. Horner—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
7 of 15Visiting Egypt in the midst of their around-the-world ball-playing exhibition, tour organizers and baseball players climb the Sphinx for a photo, Feb. 9, 1889.P. Sebah—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
8 of 15New York Yankees pitcher Red Ruffing shows off his fastball grip, 1938.William C. Greene—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
9 of 15Following the 1927 World Series, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth barnstormed across the country, playing 21 games in just three weeks. Here the Yankees' legends loom large on either side of Kenichi Zenimura and other members of the Fresno Athletic Club at Fireman Park in Fresno, Calif., Oct. 29, 1927.Frank Kamiyama—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
10 of 15Mel Allen (front), "The Voice of the Yankees," calls a game from the booth at Celeveland Stadium, June 23, 1948.National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
11 of 15Jackie Robinson opens the door to the Dodgers' clubhouse on the day Brooklyn purchased his contract, making him the first African-American player in modern baseball history to join a major league club, New York City, April 10, 1947.William C. Greene—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
12 of 15The St. Louis Giants and pitcher Bill Drake (far left) pose for a photograph following their game against the Kansas City Monarchs in the inaugural season of the Negro National League, June 14, 1920.J. E. Miller—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
13 of 15Billed as the "female champions of the world," Margaret Nabel (far right) and the New York Bloomer Girls promoted their barnstorming tours by sending out team photos such as this picture of the 1929 club.Henri H. Davis—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
14 of 15Photographer Bob Bartosz takes a self-portrait amidst the weeds, debris and ruins of Philadelphia's abandoned Connie Mack Stadium, 65 years after it opened as Shibe Park and nearly four years after it hosted its final big league game, June 1974.Bob Bartosz—National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y. -
15 of 15Pittsburgh great Honus Wagner selects a bat in front of the Pirates dugout, 1915.National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown N.Y.
Of all the major professional sports, baseball is the one that most readily and ably lends itself to photography. Maybe it’s the leisurely — killjoys might call it glacial — pace of the game, punctuated by moments of intense drama, that allows photographers the time and space to chronicle the action. Or perhaps the cozy relationship between the national pastime and picture-taking is the natural result of the two endeavors coming of age at virtually the same time, in the mid-19th century. But whatever the reason, classic baseball pictures possess an evocative power that images of, say, football or basketball or even the beautiful game of soccer often lack.
On the 75th anniversary of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and on the occasion of the Hall partnering with the Google Cultural Institute for an online version of the exhibition, Picturing America’s Pastime, TIME celebrates the game in photos.
Here are major league legends (Mickey Cochrane, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson), passionate amateurs, die-hard fans and long-vanished ballparks. Here, in a nutshell, is a fond glimpse of a sport that — in the words of the great photographer, Charles M. Conlon — “seems to breathe the restless spirit of American life.” Let’s play two!
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