Game-used baseball from the legendary Tim Murnane Day benefit game played one hundred years ago on September 27, 1917 at Fenway Park, which pitted the Boston Red Sox against a team of Major League All Stars in a fundraiser for the family of beloved Boston Globe sportswriter Tim Murnane, who had passed away suddenly seven months before.
Although there are quite a few baseballs available within the hobby that have been signed by ‘the Babe,’ there are very few that he may actually have pitched to Ty Cobb or that may have been tossed around the outfield by Shoeless Joe Jackson. This remarkable game-used baseball is an incredible relic to behold and an important artifact from a day that honored Tim Murnane, Boston’s premier baseball writer, in a game that many consider to be the inspiration for the modern day All Star Game.
Murnane, a former professional ballplayer himself, was one of the few player-friendly voices in the baseball media and a treasured ‘prince’ among journalists.The fundraiser was arranged by former Red Sox owner John I. Taylor, the American League, and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Despite there being four regular season American League games scheduled that day—including one between Walter Johnson’s Washington Senators and Joe Jackson’s Chicago White Sox—the pennants were locked up, and teams granted their star players leave to converge on Fenway Park from around the country.
Prior to the game there was a skills competition, with Joe Jackson winning a long-distance throwing contest, Ray Chapman taking a foot race around the bases, and Babe Ruth earning top prize in a long-distance fungo batting competition. Actress Fanny Brice helped sell programs in the stands, and Will Rogers performed rope tricks on the field.
The starting pitcher for the Red Sox was a young Babe Ruth, facing a formidable lineup of stars that included Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb, Buck Weaver, and former Red Sox favorite Tris Speaker. Pitching for the All Stars were Walter Johnson, Urban Shocker, and Howard Ehmke, managed by Hughie Jennings and Connie Mack. Legendary boxing champion John L. Sullivan coached third base for the hometown team. Playing before an audience 17,000 strong at Fenway Park, the game was a pitcher’s duel until the eighth inning, when Boston rallied against Walter Johnson to take a two-run lead on a triple by Duffy Lewis. The Red Sox held on for a shutout victory in the ninth. The game raised close to $15,000 for the Murnane family, helping to defray funeral costs and pay for a permanent grave marker at the Old Calvary Cemetery in Boston. Major League Baseball and the city of Boston showed true humanity and kindness in a game that provided support for a local hero and his family, and helped to establish the tradition of the modern day All Star Game.
This amazing baseball, which tells the story of the Tim Murnane Day benefit game in a ‘thousand words’ through its game use, is an official horsehide American League baseball manufactured by Reach, featuring 116 red-and-blue stitches, with most stampings still visible. Baseballs were considered very expensive in 1917 and when foul balls were hit into the stands, fans threw them back onto the field to be re-used. The provenance for this ball comes in what was the customary form back in the day—a period ink inscription across the sweet spot: “9 /27/17, All Stars—0, Red Sox—2.” It exhibits heavy wear commensurate with use in the game, and a small puncture near the inscription, likely caused by the method of display by the original owner. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from Mears.
