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Baseball As America
at the Museum of Science
On June 15, 2008, Baseball As America, the first traveling exhibit featuring artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, makes its
15th and final stop, at the
Museum of Science, in Boston,
Massachusetts.
Baseball As America weaves artifacts from baseball history to explore the
game’s unique impact on American culture.
As a feature of Baseball As America during its run in Boston, the Hall of Fame has included a section highlighting baseball’s special relationship with
the Boston.
Beantown Baseball
Founded in 1857, the Tri-Mountain Club was Boston’s first baseball team. As the game took root, other amateur clubs such as the Beacons and Lowells followed, and soon baseball’s popularity in Boston rivaled that in New York City.
Led by the Hall of Fame Wright brothers (Harry and George), the Boston Red Stockings co-founded the first pro league in 1871. After winning four straight National Association titles from 1872 to 1875, they followed with eight National League pennants between 1876 and 1898. Unable to sustain this dominance into the 1900s, the team, long known as the Braves, moved to Milwaukee in 1953.
Eventually adapting the old NL nickname for their club, the Red Sox joined the new American League in 1901 and captured six flags and five World Championships by 1918, including the first modern World Series in 1903. The club’s 2004 title ended an excruciating 86-year drought, and with another triumph in 2007, Beantown looks to chart a new course in the annals of baseball history.
Some of the many artifacts in Baseball As America pertaining to
baseball in Boston include:
- Trophy ball for a July 24, 1868 match between the Brooklyn Eckfords and the Tri-Mountain Club, Boston’s first baseball club, founded in 1857
- Bat awarded to the Tri-Mountains’ Sam Jackson for the most runs scored in a game (5) versus the Boston Excelsiors, May 21, 1870
- Gold watch fob presented by Boston Globe to shortstop Fred Parent and his Red Sox teammates following their 1903 Series victory (attached to watch owned by Parent)
- Souvenir scorecard from the final game of the first modern World Series, a 3-0 Boston victory that gave them the championship over Pittsburgh, 1903
- Jersey worn by Red Sox pitcher Cy Young in 1908 when he went 21-11—his record 511 career wins and 751 complete games now seem unbreakable
- Ticket and program from the 1912 World Series, when the Red Sox defeated the Giants at Fenway Park in the first Fall Classic decided in the final at-bat
- Glove worn by Boston’s Bobby Doerr during the 1948 season, when he set a
then-record 73 games and 414 chances without an error at second base
- Ceremonial first-pitch baseball from Game One of the 1948 World Series, when Boston’s Johnny Sain outduelled Cleveland hurler Bob Feller for a 1-0 complete-game victory
- Bat used by two-time MVP, six-time batting champion and two-time Triple Crown winner Ted Williams to hit his 521st home run in his final career at-bat, 1960
- Silver bat awarded to 1967 AL MVP Carl Yastrzemski for his league-leading .326 average, contributing to the last Triple Crown (44 HR, 121 RBI)
- Patch commemorating Carlton Fisk’s famous game–winning home run in the 12th inning of Game Six of the 1975 World Series, and the subsequent ringing of the bell at St. Luke’s Church in Fisk’s native Charlestown, NH
- Ball from BoSox outfielder Jim Rice’s 400th total base in 1978, when he became the first AL batter to reach that mark since Joe DiMaggio in 1937
- Batting gloves worn by Boston Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs during 1989, his American League-record seventh consecutive season with at least 200 hits
- Spikes used by Mo Vaughn in 1995 when he became the eighth Red Sox player in history to win the American League MVP Award
- Blood-soaked sanitary sock worn by Curt Schilling after surgery allowed him to pitch a stirring six innings to win Game Two of the 2004 World Series
- Home jersey worn by Boston designated hitter David Ortiz during the 2004 postseason, when he garnered a record 19 RBI and three game-ending hits
- Baseball caught by first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz for the final out of Boston’s 2004 Series sweep, bringing home their first world title since 1918
- Cap donned by Clay Buchholz in his second major league start, when he no-hit the Baltimore Orioles, September 1, 2007
- Glove worn throughout 2007 World Series by Boston’s closer extraordinaire Jonathan Papelbon, who converted all three of his save opportunities
To learn more about the exhibit, select a section below:
 
 
 
Our National
Spirit
Ideals & Injustices
Rooting for the Team
Enterprise & Opportunity
Sharing a Common Culture
Invention & Ingenuity
Weaving Myths
The
Exhibition | Tour
Schedule | Highlights
The Book | Museum Store | Press
Releases
The Hall of Fame | Become
a Member
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and Museum, Inc.
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