Five Great Philly Artifacts in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Mo’ne Davis will donate to the National Baseball Hall of Fame the jersey she wore in pitching a shutout at the Little League World Series.
Mo’ne Davis appears at the National Baseball Hall of Fame today to donate they jersey she wore when she pitched a shutout at the Little League World Series — making history as one of the few girls to compete in the tournament. The hall will preserve her jersey in “perpetuity” — giving Davis a bit of baseball immortality while she’s still an adolescent.
We gave the National Baseball Hall of Fame a call and asked what other significant Philly-related items will be joined by Davis’s jersey. Matt Kelly compiled the text; Milo Stewart Jr. took the photos:
Connie Mack’s Hall of Fame Plaque
Mack was the patriarch and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics franchise that captured nine American League pennants and five World Series titles. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937, Mack is one of 306 players, managers, umpires and executives whose plaques are proudly displayed in the museum’s Hall of Fame Gallery. Fifty-five of those 306 inductees either played for or managed Philadelphia ball clubs.
Connie Mack’s white elephant statuette
In 1902, as part of the National League’s crusade against the new rival American League, New York Giants manager John McGraw said that Mack’s Athletics had a “big white elephant on its hands” due to overspending. Mack responded by making a white elephant the unofficial symbol of his ball club. Throughout his life, Mack was given many white elephant-related gifts.
1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship Ring
From Grover Cleveland Alexander to Gene Mauch, the first 97 years of the Phillies franchise were filled with colorful personalities but no World Series titles. That all changed on Oct. 21, 1980, when the Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games to claim their first Fall Classic. The Phillies’ championship ring, displayed on the Museum’s third floor in the Autumn Glory exhibit, features an inset ruby topped with a sparkling diamond-encrusted Phillies ‘P.’
Mike Schmidt’s game-worn jersey from 500th home run
Considered by many to be one of the greatest third basemen in baseball history, the Phillies’ Mike Schmidt wore a powder-blue Phillies road uniform when he hit the 500th home run of his career on April 18, 1987. With his team trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 at Three Rivers Stadium, Schmidt joined the 500 Club in style by launching a three-run shot off Don Robinson to win the game for the Phillies. Schmidt retired in 1989 with 548 home runs – the most in Phillies franchise history and the most ever hit by a third baseman.
Chase Utley’s bat from the 2009 World Series
Though the Phillies ultimately failed in their quest to repeat as World Series champions in 2009, it was not due to Chase Utley’s lack of power. Philadelphia’s star second baseman tied a World Series record held my Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, by clubbing five home runs with his black bat, which is now on display in the Museum’s Today’s Game exhibit. Utley smacked two homers each in Game 1 and Game 5 during the Phillies’ six-game series loss to the New York Yankees.
