Global crises have left their mark on baseball
Five days later, Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth threw a three-hitter on Opening Day against the New York Yankees and Boston won 1-0.
It was likely the first time the song had been played at a baseball game. The Red Sox went on to beat the Chicago Cubs in six games, unknowingly marking the beginning of an 86-year World Series drought.
With the Armistice reached on Nov. 11, 1918, ballplayers-turned-servicemen began to return home that winter. In recognition of this, MLB shortened the 1919 season to 140 games and delayed its start until the end of April to allow players to return to their teams. Beyond these concessions, the season carried on as normal until news of the Black Sox scandal unfolded in October.
Prior to the 2020 season, this was the only time in professional baseball history that a season was disrupted or delayed based on events outside of major league baseball.
Isabelle Minasian was the digital content specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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