Touching All the Bases

Around 1863, William “Candy” Cummings discovered he could make clamshells curve when thrown—a skill he transferred to baseball as a pitcher for the New York Excelsiors. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team in baseball to place all of their players on salary. And in 1945, the St. Louis Browns recruited a one-armed outfielder to the majors. These stories and much more are brou...