1919: The Year That Changed Baseball Walking Tour

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with American Legacy Tours is pleased to offer 1919: The Year That Changed Baseball, a new walking tour of downtown Cincinnati, that looks back on the infamous 1919 World Series scandal and the central role Reds owner August "Garry" Herrmann played in helping create the annual clash between league champions that, in 1919 , was at the focal point of the scandal that rocked the game to its very core.

Cincinnati is birthplace to not only the first professional baseball team but also the location of the National League and American League merger, the creation of the World Series, and home to a championship that changed baseball forever.

One man is at the heart of all these historic events, August "Garry" Herrmann. Learn about the man who is known as the "Father of the World Series." He brokered the deal that helped form the modern Major Leagues and gave Cincinnati its first World Series title, an victory over the Chicago White Sox in the 1919 World Series. That title is arguably the most infamous in the history of professional sports as the 1919 World Series was tainted by a gambling scandal that resulted in the permanent banishment of eight White Sox players for their role in conspiring to throw the Series to the Reds. The "Black Sox Scandal" led to the establishment of the baseball commissioner's office and resulted in baseball's strict anti-gambling rules that are in effect to this day. The "1919: The Year That Changed Baseball" tour visits many of the Cincinnati locations where the scandal unfolded and examines the colorful cast of characters involved in one of baseball's most infamous events..

The 1919 tour is conducted on Saturdays of Reds home games. See list of dates below. The tour starts promptly at 10:30 am and departs from the Cincinnati USA Visitor Center located at Fountain Square. Tickets for the approximately 90-minute-long tour are $20 per person. Guests are strongly encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early to check in for the tour.  

For questions regarding the 1919 Tour, please contact the Reds Hall of Fame box office at [email protected] or by phone at (513) 765-7923.

* Tours begin promptly and late arrival may result in you missing the tour. Tours go out rain or shine so please dress appropriately to the weather conditions for your tour. No refunds are available for tour tickets.