No sports figure did more to help America’s war effort than Babe Ruth. The Babe was fully aware of his exalted status among both young and old fans of the game, and as soon as he learned of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, resolved to do all he could to support his country. The Babe’s mere presence at War Bond drives and charity events ensured a large enthusiastic crowd and he quickly became one of the most visible celebrities to aid in the war effort. This offered baseball may have originated at one of Ruth’s most famous appearances during the war – the August 23, 1942 doubleheader between the Washington Senators and New York Yankees. In between games, The Babe donned a Yankees uniform and stepped up to the plate to face Hall of Famer Walter Johnson one last time.

His old teammate on the 1927 Yankees, Benny Bengough, was behind the plate. Both teams left their seats and stood at the top of their respective dugout steps in awe while the crowd of 69,136 roared with glee as Ruth hitched up his pants and dug in to face the greatest pitcher of all-time. The 48-year-old slugger fouled off a few pitches before Johnson blew one past The Babe, his huge body corkscrewing as he swung at air. Ruth connected on the next pitch, sending the ball deep into “Ruthville,” the right field stands where he had lined so many others in his heyday. The exhibition raised a record $85,000 for the Army-Navy Relief Fund and proved to be Ruth’s final home run hit in Yankee Stadium. Sometime that day, Ruth, Johnson and 28 other legends signed this baseball. Besides Ruth and Johnson, the sheer star presence on this ball is remarkable – Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Earle Combs, Bill Dickey, Red Ruffing, Phil Rizzuto and Lefty Gomez have signed along with Buddy Rosar, Charlie Keller, John Lindell, Tuck Stainback, Joe Gordon, Red Rolfe, Tommy Henrich, Jerry Priddy, George Selkirk, Frank Crosetti, Johnny Schulte, Marius Russo, Buddy Hassett, Hank Borowy, Marv Bruer, Rollie Helmsley, Johnny Murphy, Arthur Fletcher, Paul Schreiber and Atley Donald. Also appearing on the ball is Billy Evans, the umpire who was behind the plate when Ruth hit his homer off Johnson. Additionally, there is a signature of Joe McCarthy which has been deemed a clubhouse version. The signatures are in black fountain pen and display nicely against the warm cream-colored leather of the Spalding Association Official baseball. The ball comes with a LOA from JSA (Z89939) for the signatures.

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