(LOT 330)
1915 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox World Series Unscored Braves Field Program - Ruth's Rookie Season & First World Series!
The hobby is currently experiencing an extraordinary pricing uptick for Babe Ruth memorabilia from his early playing days with the Boston Red Sox. Indeed, a tidal wave of euphoria is streaking across the collectable's hobby regarding baseball's greatest and most popular icon who ever graced the diamond, and don't expect this hype to diminish in the near future. With that in mind, presented here is a 1915 Boston Red Sox World Series un-scored Braves Field program that resides as one of the "Bambino's" most sought after heirlooms from his 1915 rookie season. The Red Sox would ultimately claim their third World Series Championship, besting the Phillies in five games. Ironically, although Babe Ruth would win 18 games and post a stellar 2.44 E.R.A. during his first full season in 1915, he did not throw a single pitch in the World Series, with the dominating pitching trio of Rube Foster, Dutch Leonard and Ernie Shore more than enough to tame the Phillies.

The Phillies would actually take game one, with the great Grover Cleveland Alexander taming the BoSox by a 3-1 score at the by-gone Baker Bowl on October 8th. Of utmost significance, game one would see "The Babe's" sole appearance in the Series, when as a pinch hitter for Ernie Shore in the 9th inning, he grounded out against the legendary Alexander. Interestingly enough, this would be the last Phillies win in the Fall Classic until 1980, when Philadelphia would claim their first championship by beating the K.C. Royals in a six-game contest (the Phillies were swept by the Yankees in the 1950 World Series). The next three games of the 1915 Series would see Foster, Leonard and Shore each claim 2-1 victories, turning the Phillies bats to sawdust, with Leonard outdueling Alexander in the pivotal game #3 contest at Braves Field to give Boston a 2-1 Series advantage.

The "clincher" would see Foster win his second game, besting Hall of Famer Eppa Rixey by a 5-4 score. The Sox would belt three round-trippers (two by Harry Hooper and one by Duffy Lewis), with the story of the Series being the amazing pitching of the Red Sox, as all three Boston hurlers held the Phillies to a futile .182 team batting average. The 7" x 10-1/4" scorecard itself depicts superb aesthetics with the front cover reflecting a few typical vertical creases due to likelihood of its original owner(s) folding it for purposes of placing the program in their pocket. For full disclosure, there is also a mild surface abrasion on the front cover's bold blue "D" in "RED SOX." Standard/even corner wear and toning is evident throughout most of the pages, and of utmost significance, the critical spine and somewhat rusted staples are completely intact.

No obtrusive flaws are evident within the interior pages that miraculously exhibit fine eye appeal, stubbornly defying 107 years of potential wear. Of momentous importance, the rear cover reveals a blue-toned Red Sox team photo including Babe Ruth himself, with a rookie "Bambino" standing fifth from the left in the back row. The final superlatives are the two interior un-scored scorecards that have likewise retained a majority of their original factory-issued aesthetics. To reiterate, any keepsake from Ruth's "rookie-era" playing days carries an incredible aura cherished by the hobby's most esteemed collectors. We can only imagine a handful of those obscurities possibly matching the prestige and majestic stature of a program representing his inaugural 1915 Fall Classic, with this museum worthy periodical residing as one of the "Sultan of Swat's" most coveted mementos!

MIN BID $500