History will be made over the next several days as the 2012 World Series between the Giants and Tigers gets underway in San Francisco. Major League Baseball will have authenticators standing by to catalog anything used on the field of play.
The Baseball Hall of Fame will request some of the more important tools of the trade so it can tell the story of this year’s games. The Hall’s current collections contain many artifacts documenting the history of World Series and postseason play.
Among them:
The first and last pitched baseballs from the original modern day World Series in 1903; Don Larsen’s cap and Yogi Berra’s mitt from Larsen’s ’56 gem; Bill Mazeroski’s (1960) and Joe Carter’s (1993) bats from their Series-ending blasts…The gloves worn by Al Gionfriddo (1947), Willie Mays (1954) and Brooks Robinson(1970)…Babe Ruth’s bat from one of his two 3-HR games (1928) and the radio given to the 1940 Reds as the World Series share forwinning…From the 2000 Subway Series: Derek Jeter’s helmet, Luis Sojo’s game-winning hit bat, Don Zimmer’s jersey and Mike Piazza’s batting helmet…The Temple Cup, presented to the top two NL teams from 1894-97, is in Cooperstown, as is the Hall Championship Cup, presented to the 1888 World Champion New York Baseball Club.
Among the most recent: From 2011, the game-worn Game 6 jersey from World Series MVP David Freese along with the bat the Cardinals’ third baseman used to hit his game-winning home run in Game 6, and the spikes worn by the St. Louis’ Albert Pujols when he hit three home runs in Game 3; From 2010, the road jersey from the Giants’ Tim Lincecum from Game 5, and the bat used by World Series MVP Edgar Renteria to hit his game-winning home run in Game 5;
From 2009, the Game 6 bat from World Series MVP Hideki Matsui when the Yankees’ slugger drove in a record-tying six runs, and the spikes from Johnny Damon’s double steal in Game 4; From 2008, the jersey worn by World Series MVP Cole Hamels in Game 5;
From 2007, the cap worn by World Series MVP Mike Lowell and the spikes worn by Game 3 winner Daisuke Matsuzaka, the first Japanese-born pitcher to start a World Series game; From 2006, the home jacket worn by Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa, who became just the second manager to win World Series in both leagues; From 2005, the road jersey won by World Series MVP Jermaine Dye; And from 2004, nearly a dozen artifacts to commemorate the Red Sox’ first World Championship in 86 years, including the spikes and ‘The Sock’ worn by Curt Schilling during Game Two of the Series; the jersey worn by David Ortiz during home playoff games; and the bat used in Game 4 of the Series by MVP Manny Ramirez.
Check out more items from the collection:
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