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Baseball As America
at the Museum of Nature and Science

On February 15, 2008, Baseball As America, the first traveling exhibit featuring artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, makes its 14th stop, at the National Constitution Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Baseball As America weaves artifacts from baseball history to explore the game’s unique impact on American culture.

As a feature of Baseball As America during its run in Philadelphia, the Hall of Fame has included a section highlighting baseball’s special relationship with the City of Brotherly Love.

Liberty Ball

The cradle of American liberty, Philadelphia wasted little time in adopting the democratic game of baseball, fielding at least eight amateur teams by 1860, including the dominant Athletic Club. The A’s soon crossed the money line, winning baseball’s first professional championship in 1871.

Adopting the familiar team name, the city’s new American League entry made an immediate impression. Led for 50 years by manager/owner Connie Mack, the reborn A’s won nine pennants and five World Series between 1901 and 1954, when the team relocated to Kansas City.

Formed in 1883, the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies are the oldest one-name, one-city franchise in all professional sports. After only two pennants in the franchise’s first 97 years, the “Fightin’ Phils” won their first world title in 1980 and NL flags in 1983 and 1993. With two recent MVP winners and the 2007 NL East division title, the City of Brotherly Love continues to make its mark on the game.

Some of the many artifacts in Baseball As America pertaining to baseball in Philadelphia include:

• Ball won and decorated by the Mercantile Base Ball Club after defeating the Continentals in one of the earliest matches played between two Philadelphia clubs, November 8, 1860
  
• Bat belonging to Philadelphia native and slugging star Levi Meyerle, the first batting champion of a professional league (National Association) when he hit .492 for the 1871 Athletics of Philadelphia
  
• Glove worn by Hall of Famer and Philadelphia Athletics southpaw Rube Waddell in a historic 20-inning showdown on July 4, 1905, when he defeated Boston’s Cy Young, 4-2
  
• Ball hit for a round-tripper on August 9, 1911 by A’s third baseman Frank Baker, who soon earned his “Home Run” nickname with two dramatic blasts during the team’s 1911 World Series triumph
  
• Glove worn by aging pitcher Howard Ehmke in his surprise start and win against the Cubs in Game One of the 1929 Fall Classic when he struck out 13, helping spark the Athletics to Series victory
  
• Mask worn by A’s catcher and field boss Mickey Cochrane, who won two World Series and one MVP Award during his stint with the Mackmen from 1925 to 1933
  
• Warm-up jacket donned by Athletics two-time batting champion “Bucketfoot” Al Simmons, who hit over .300 and collected more than 100 RBI every year he played for Philadelphia (1924-1932)
  
• Special 1941 program honoring longtime A’s “architect” Connie Mack, who managed the team for 50 years (1901-1950) and built two of baseball’s greatest dynasties
  
• MVP trophy presented to Phillies outfielder Chuck Klein in 1932 when he dominated the National League, leading the circuit in runs, hits, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage and stolen bases
  
• Spikes worn by center fielder extraordinaire Richie Ashburn, a major cog in the Whiz Kids 1950 pennant, the first for the Phillies franchise in 35 years
  
• Jim Bunning’s Phillies cap from his perfect game against the New York Mets on Father’s Day in 1964, the first in the National League since 1880
  
• A 1980 World Series ring, presented to Philadelphia Phillies players and staff for defeating the Kansas City Royals and winning the first world championship in franchise history
  
• Ball hit by the Phils’ Pete Rose off Cardinals starter Mark Littell for career hit #3,631, breaking Stan Musial’s record for most hits by a National Leaguer, August 10, 1981
  
• Phillies jersey worn by four-time Cy Young Award-winner Steve Carlton in becoming the 16th pitcher and fourth southpaw to achieve 300 career wins, September 23, 1983
  
• Bat wielded by Phillies three-time-MVP third baseman Mike Schmidt to hit his 536th home run, at the time tying Mickey Mantle for seventh place on the all-time list, June 17, 1988
  
• Helmet sported by Jimmy Rollins when he ended 2005 with a 36-game hitting streak, exceeded only by Pete Rose (44) and Paul Molitor (39) since 1945
  
• Spikes worn by Chase Utley during the final game of his 35-game hitting streak in 2006, tying Luis Castillo for the longest streak by a second baseman
  
• A 1923 belt buckle celebrating the first of three straight Eastern Colored League championships won by the Hilldale club of Darby, PA, one of the most powerful black teams of the 1920s
  

To learn more about the exhibit, select a section below:

Our National Spirit
Ideals & Injustices
Rooting for the Team
Enterprise & Opportunity
Sharing a Common Culture
Invention & Ingenuity
Weaving Myths

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