For a variety of reasons, the 1908 American League pennant race has received much less attention from baseball historians than what happened in the National League that year. Yet the AL's race, involving the league's four westernmost teams, was equally dramatic; with only five games left in the season, all four still had a chance to win the pennant. It was the height of what came to be called the "deal ball era," marked by spectacular pitching and mostly low-scoring, quickly played games, and featuring an abundance of colorful characters and controversial, often bizarre, episodes. It was also a time when professional baseball truly came into its own as America's "National Pastime."