Both Babe Ruth and Shoeless Joe Jackson became famous or infamous in 1920. Ruth’s notoriety began when he was famously sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees that changed the trajectory of both clubs with Ruth winning ** titles with New York and Boston not winning another championship until 2004. Jackson became notorious for his alleged involvement in the 1919 Black Sox scandal that nearly ended baseball. Although Jackson was acquitted of any wrongdoing by a jury, then Commissioner Kennesaw Landis permanently banned Shoeless Joe from professional baseball.

Ruth and Jackson crossed paths on the baseball field for the final time during a late September series in 1920, when Ruth was in his first season with the Yankees and Jackson playing his final season before Landis’ punishment took effect. Offered here is one of the game used balls from the September 18th game at Comiskey Park between the Yankees and White Sox that featured both Babe Ruth and Shoeless Joe Jackson. This ball is an Official American League Ban Johnson stamped baseball. The ball displays heavy game use and is inscribed on the side panel in black ink that reads “Pitcher McGraw of the New York Yankees batted by John Collins White Sox two base hit”. Also inscribed on the same panel along the stitching is “attendance 42000” and “Sept. 17-20”. John Collins, who was also known as Shano Collins, doubled off of Yankees pitcher Bob McGraw during the September 18th game, not the 17th as inscribed in the baseball. This historic baseball comes with a LOA from MEARS (317375) for the game use, dating this ball to the September 18th, 1920 game – the last game that featured both Babe Ruth and Shoeless Jackson.

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