Early Baseball Star Jim Creighton

About this episode

The episode discusses the life and impact of early baseball star Jim Creighton, as detailed in Tom Gilbert's biography.

Author Tom Gilbert has written an excellent biography of baseball's first superstar, Jim Creighton. Even though he died in 1862 at only 21 years of age, Creighton revolutionized the way the game was played and his death was mourned throughout the sporting world. In his book, "Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero" , Gilbert tells of how Creighton revolutionized pitching, caused the invention of the strike zone, and helped make Brooklyn the center of the baseball universe in the 19th Century. And we learn about his catcher Joe Leggett as well! One of baseball's original scoundrels. Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear . Contact the show at HelloOldSports@gmail.com and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

People in this episode

Host: Hello Old Sports

Guest: Tom Gilbert

Topics covered

• baseball history
• Jim Creighton
• pitching revolution
• 19th century sports
• biography

Keywords

• Jim Creighton
• baseball
• Tom Gilbert
• pitching
• 19th century
• biography
• sports history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sports History Network

Books & works: Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero

More episodes of Hello Old Sports

• Ray Handley's New York Giants · June 1, 2026 · 2h 9m
• 1936 in Sports · May 4, 2026 · 2h 18m
• Author Keith O'Brien on Larry Bird and Indiana State · March 30, 2026 · 34 min
• Random Team Challenge: 1989 Green Bay Packers · March 19, 2026 · 1h 29m
• Olympic Heroes Redefined with Doug Levy · February 16, 2026 · 47 min
• Best NFL Title Games 1933-1965 · February 2, 2026 · 1h 53m