(LOT 331)
Historic 1916 Brooklyn Robins vs. 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" versions are certainly more abundant than an ultra-desirable "SCORED" program that transcends the individual back in time to that exact date. That said, 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 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 one, 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 second 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 29-2/3 World Series scoreless innings when he likewise stifled the Cubs in the 1918 Fall Classic. This record would last some 44 years until Whitey Ford eclipsed it in the 1962 Fall Classic against San Francisco, with the "Chairman of the Board" eventually tallying a still standing record of 33-2/3 scoreless innings in the World Series. While the 7" x 10-1/4" scorecard reveals a commonly seen vertical fold from its original owner having folded the program to place it in their pocket, this crease is atypically light, and no obtrusive flaws are evident. The interior pages are completely intact, and most significantly, the scorecards have been fully scored in light period-style pencil, with its inaugural owner writing in the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th innings across the top for each team.

As a final "thumbs up" the rear cover includes a Boston team photo portraying none other than the "Bambino" himself, with the flamboyant rookie sitting in the front row fourth from the left. It is truly 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. The 1916 BoSox were obviously led by the immortal George Herman Ruth, who in his sophomore campaign with Boston tallied a sensational 23 wins and league-leading 1.75 E.R.A. via his astonishing nine shutouts. Historic to say the least, this scored program is a sheer reminder of how the Bambino would literally turn Brooklyn's bats into sawdust, tossing 13 consecutive shutout innings to claim his first World Series victory while also jump-starting his magnificent feat of twirling 29-2/3 successive scoreless innings in the Fall Classic!

MIN BID $2,500