Baseball digest celebrates 60 years of baseball 1942-2002.

LIKE A LOYAL FRIEND, Baseball Digest has been at the side of many readers during the last 60 years of major league baseball's greatest events and tragedies.

Beginning in the summer of 1942, the publication has covered many of the game's top players--from Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Bob Feller through Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken and Roger Clemens.

In the 60 years of Baseball Digest's existence, the game at the major league level, has undergone many changes, including the increase of teams from 16 to 30, the adoption of the designated hitter rule in the American League, the introduction of season-ending playoffs, interleague play, wild card teams, artificial turf and indoor stadia with retractable roofs.

We have been around to record the deeds of eight of the 20 pitchers who won 300 career games; 11 of the 12 pitchers who have struck out 3,000 batters; 18 of the 25 batters who achieved the 3,000-hit plateau; 15 of the 17 players who hit 500 home runs and note the enshrinement of 180 of the 206 players elected to the Hall of Fame.

In this anniversary edition of Baseball Digest, we have put together a timeline of some of the most significant events in major league baseball history over the last 60 years.

1942

June 19: Boston Braves outfielder Paul Waner singles against Rip Sewell and his former club the Pittsburgh Pirates for his 3,000 career hit. Waner becomes the seventh player to reach that plateau.