On the heels of their 1915 World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching once again led the way for the 1916 Red Sox in the Fall Classic as they bested Wilbert Robinson's Brooklyn Robins in five games. While he did make a brief pinch-hitting appearance in the 1915 World Series, young Babe Ruth made his first World Series start on the mound in 1916 — a 2-1 fourteen-inning complete-game in Game 2 that began a historic 29.2-inning World Series scoreless streak, a mark not surpassed until fellow Yankees Hall of Famer Whitey Ford achieved the feat in 1961.
Featuring 27 members of the 1916 Boston Red Sox plus their trainer and batboy, the presented photograph was captured at Fenway Park on October 2, 1916. This very image then appeared in the Boston Globe the following day and alternate angles from the same shoot appeared in New York papers just prior to the start of the World Series and on the back cover of the 1916 Red Sox World Series program. Along with Ruth, fellow Hall of Famers Harry Hooper (middle row, second from left) and Herb Pennock (first row, second from left) are also present in these images.
Surface of the photo does exhibit a single, approx. 1” crease visible to the naked eye along the bottom edge towards the center. A few wrinkles in the emulsion are also present but cannot be seen unless the photo is tilted to catch the light. Corners exhibit light chipping and creasing but do not deter from the historic central image. Verso displays evidence of being removed from it's original mount, known to be an extremely rare and desirable cabinet photo advertising piece from the Sprague-Hathaway company. Measures approx. 5” x 7”.