The National Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame’s collection of more than 40,000 three-dimensional objects contains artifacts that tell the story of the sport’s most legendary players, moments and triumphs.
The Red Sox, of course, have a rich history, including the offensive exploits of Ted Williams and Carlton Fisk‘s famous home run against the Reds in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. museum managers took time to choose the best artifacts from this franchise.
Whether you’ve already been or are longing to go, there’s always a good reason to visit the Hall of Fame — the spiritual home of baseball in the beautiful town of Cooperstown, New York.
1. Roger Clemens’ sneakers
Fun facts: On April 29, 1986, Roger Clemens of the Red Sox wore these shoes when he became the first Major League pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game in the Red Sox’s 3-3 win over the Mariners. one. Clemens won the Cy Young Award that season and was also recognized as the American League’s Most Valuable Player, becoming the first Red Sox pitcher to sweep the accolades.
2. Talk to Bill Dinneen
Fun facts: On October 13, 1903, when the Red Sox were known as the Boston Americans, right-hander Bill Dinneen struck out Honus Wagner with this ball, ending the World Series and making the Boston team the first Modern Era champion. .
3. Bate of Carlton Fisk
Fun facts: It was the hit heard throughout Boston. It was Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk hit the game-winning homer using Rick Burleson’s bat and made his famous hand gesture, exhorting the ball to stay in fair territory. His walk-off home run in the 12th inning off the left field foul pole forced a decisive Game 7 between the Reds and Red Sox.
4. Pedro Martinez T-shirt
Fun facts: In the 1999 All-Star Game, Martinez wore this jersey when he struck out five of the six batters he faced at Fenway Park. The dominance of the Dominican helped the American League win 4-1. Martínez was recognized as the MVP of the game.
5. David Ortiz’s bat
Fun facts: What kind of postseason did the Dominican slugger have for the Red Sox in 2013? Ortiz used this bat that October, hitting .353 with five homers, 13 RBIs and a .706 slugging percentage. Bip Papi looked better in the World Series against the Cardinals, in which he had an average of .688, heading for the Most Valuable Player award of the contest.
6. Jim Rice’s bat
Fun facts: With this bat at Fenway Park on Sept. 29, 1978, the Red Sox slugger singled the game-winning hit and, in the process, reached his 400th base of the season. He became the first American League hitter to reach that number since Joe DiMaggio had a total of 418 bases reached in 1937.
7. Dave Roberts sneakers
Fun facts: As a pinch runner, Roberts used these spikes while stealing second base in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. That scam was the impetus for Boston winning that game in extra innings, the first of eight straight wins that ultimately gave the Red Sox their first World Series title since 1918.
8. La zona de strike de Ted Williams
Fun facts: Ted Williams was perhaps the greatest hitter in Major League history. This strike zone diagram of his first appeared in the July 8, 1968 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. This three-dimensional version was created for the television show The Baseball Bunch with Johnny Bench.
9. The Cy Young Trophy
Fun facts: In August 1908, Massachusetts Assistant Governor Eben Draper presented this cup to Red Sox pitcher Cy Young, then known as “The King of Pitchers.” The Boston Post newspaper collected donations from the many fans of the famous pitcher to have this trophy made, in time for a special ceremony to honor Young.
