(LOT 162)
Incredible 1916 Boston Red Sox World Series Game #2 Braves Field Program – Babe Ruth's First World Series Victory Fully Scored Program (14 Innings)
In terms of desirability and value, virtually no memorabilia can remotely compare to ultra-scarce Babe Ruth Red Sox artifacts, substantiating why this highly-coveted 1916 Boston Red Sox World Series program resides as one of his most formidable treasures. True, while any 1916 program is considered somewhat obscure, "UNSCORED" version can eventually be found. However, this historical offering just happens to have been issued for Game#2 at Fenway Park, Babe Ruth's inaugural Fall Classic pitching appearance resulting in his first World Series win! Substantiating this notion is the fact that the scorecard has indeed been neatly scored, with both Ruth and Smith's names written in on their respective team's lineup cards. Rarely do any 1916 Red Sox programs include a completed scorecard, let alone for the classic 14-inning Game#2 contest whereby Ruth claimed his inaugural 1916 Series victory.

After winning the 1915 World Championship, the Red Sox would make it back to the Fall Classic in 1916, and after besting Brooklyn in game #1, the "Bambino" was called upon to start Game #2 against Brooklyn's crafty Sherry Smith. Brooklyn posted a run in the 1st inning via Hy Meyers "Inside-the Park" Home Run, but Boston battled back in the 3rd, tying the game on an RBI ground-out by Ruth himself. Ruth would hold the Robins scoreless the rest of the way, pitching all 14 innings until Del Gainer won the game with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 14th. The Red Sox would eventually claim their 2nd successive championship, besting Brooklyn in five games. Of further note, Ruth's 13 consecutive scoreless innings in game #2 would eventually extend to a then record 29+ World Series scoreless innings when he likewise stifled the Cubs in the 1918 Fall Classic (eventually surpassed by Yankee legend Whitey Ford).

While the 7" x 10-1/4" scorecard reveals a strong vertical fold, tape repair along the outer and inner spine, heavy corner wear, stray wrinkles and additional tape repair to some of the interior pages, most significantly is its scored lineup pages for Babe Ruth's inaugural World Series triumph. As a final "thumbs up" the rear cover includes a Boston team photo portraying one other than the bambino himself, sitting along the front row 4th from the left. In closing, it is an excruciatingly chore to locate a 1916 program representing Babe Ruth's fully scored inaugural World Series win, with the Red Sox ultimately claiming their fourth World Series title in a five-game series victory against the overmatched Brooklyn Robins!

MIN BID $500
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