If it’s October, it’s time for the baseball pennant race! The Library of Congress presents a new set of photos, Baseball Americana, celebrating the United States’ storied “National Pastime”.

“You’ll see players in all shapes and sizes, from the 1860s to the 1940s. You can observe local teams that gathered in neighborhoods, schools, factories, and elsewhere. You can also gaze at national stars like King Kelly, Casey Stengel in sunglasses, and Babe Ruth knocked out.” — Baseball Americana

Phil Michel, one of the key members of the LOC’s Flickr team, just authored a new book, “Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress,” published on September 29, 2009. A two-day symposium on baseball will also be held at the Library on October 2 & 3, 2009, adding to the story with a new collection of oral histories.

You can view all of the Library of Congress’ baseball photographs from their extensive Bain News Service collection.

Photos from the Library of Congress, in The Commons on Flickr.