In 1975, the union’s power—and players’ salaries—began to extend greatly when the reserve clause was effectively struck down, resulting in the free agency system. Significant work stoppages occurred in 1981 and 1994, the latter forcing the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in ninety years. Attendance had been growing steadily because the mid-1970s and in 1994, earlier than the stoppage, the majors have been setting their all-time document for per-game attendance. After play resumed in 1995, non-division-winning wild card groups grew to become a permanent fixture of the post-season. Regular-season interleague play was launched in 1997 and the second-highest attendance mark for a full season was set.

We sat down with new Baltimore Orioles outfielder Brett Phillips to ch...