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This cover is actually a First Day cover for the Babe Ruth
Issue of 1983 - Scott #2046. I've included it in the events section
as the cachet commemorates the Providence Baseball Team - 1914
International League Champions.
Babe Ruth began his playing career in 1914 with Baltimore
of the International League. Midway through the season Baltimore sold
"The Babe" to the Boston Red Sox.
Ruth pitched his first major league game against Cleveland on July 11,
1914; winning the game by the score of 4 to 3.
Ruth finished the season playing in the minors for Providence
of the International League. Ruth is the fifth player from the left
in the back row of this photo taken in 1914 taken after Providence won the
League Championship.
Many Rhode Islanders and New Englanders still believe that
there was a curse, (The
Curse of the Bambino) placed on
the Red Sox when team owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees at the
end of the 1919 season to finance the musical "No No Nanette,"
This, they firmly believe is the reason that the Red Sox have not won the
World Series since Ruth departed in 1919. The Sox won their last World
Series in 1918 and had taken 5 of the first 15 World Series. (The
Yankees had won none.)
Rhode Island's current baseball team, the Pawtucket
Red Sox, are a triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and
play in McCoy Stadium in
Pawtucket, RI. The PawSox and
McCoy stadium have the distinction of hosting the longest baseball game in
history. The game lasted 33 innings and the first 32 innings were played
during the night and morning of April 18th and 19th. The game was
suspended after 32 innings and the final inning was played on June 23.
Future all-star Wade Boggs was a member of the PawSox when this marathon
event took place.
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