Aug. 26, 1939

Television and major league baseball are joined for the first time. Ebbets Field is the site and Red Barber, Brooklyn's radio announcer, is the broadcaster as RCA-NBC televises the Dodgers splitting a doubleheader with the Cincinnati Reds. There are some 500 television sets in the New York metropolitan area.

Two cameras are placed slightly to the left of home plate, and at no time is the entire field visible. When long shots are attempted, third base, shortstop and left-field are completely out of the picture.

The cameramen are inexperienced at this kind of coverage and often plays are missed. They practically restrict the cameras to home plate and first base, showing little more than the batter, catcher and umpire and the plays at first base.