Spring is here (finally). Temperatures are rising; the sun is setting later in the evening; flowers are blooming; and a new season of America's national pastime has started. That’s right: It’s time for some baseball.
We’re getting into the spirit with the digital collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which is a baseball and history lover's dream. It contains more than 10,000 pieces of baseball-related ephemera, from game-used uniforms and equipment to archival photos, videos, and more. It even has fascinating baseball-adjacent paraphernalia, including vintage baseball cards and costumes worn by actors in baseball-themed movies like The Bad News Bears, A League of Their Own, The Natural, and 24.
Here are some of our favorites from the collection.
- Shoes worn by pitcher Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians when he struck out 18 batters in a nine-inning game on October 2, 1938—a modern record that remained unsurpassed for more than 30 years.
- Babe Ruth’s final homerun baseball. Playing for the Boston Braves, Ruth hit this ball out of Pittsburgh's Forbes Field on May 25, 1935, for the 714th and final round-tripper of his major league career.
- An All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ball signed by members of the 1946 Muskegon Lassies team.
- The trademark glasses worn by broadcaster Harry Caray while working for the Chicago Cubs.
- The shirt worn by Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox when he recorded his 3,000th career hit in a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 12, 1979.
- The cap worn by pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland A's when he threw a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins on May 8, 1968.
- A reproduction Brooklyn Dodgers jersey worn by actor Chadwick Boseman while portraying Jackie Robinson in the movie 42.
To learn more about the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum and Library, visit American Libraries for explorations of its archival and research work and holdings.
Photo: At Yankee Stadium during the 1955 World Series, Brooklyn batter Roy Campanella and New York catcher Yogi Berra both start toward first base: Campy attempting to beat out his grounder and Yogi preparing to back up the play. Courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
