Base Ball Hall
Whether through museum programs or treasured artifacts, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is always on “base.”
The 15-by-15-by-3-inch squares in the Hall’s collection, several of which are currently on exhibit, have quietly played a role in a wide array of highlights and classic moments in baseball history.
It should be no surprise that many of the bases in the Hall’s collection relate to historic steals. Among those is the final base Maury Wills of the Dodgers swiped in 1962 to set a new mark for stolen bases in a season.
The all-time major league record for thefts is 138 by Hugh Nicol in 1887, but because modern stolen base rules weren’t put into effect until 1898, record books track another mark after that date. In 1915, Detroit’s Ty Cobb had 96 steals, which became the undisputed modern record. Decades passed and no one even reached as many as 70 swipes until Maury Wills in 1962. In Los Angeles’ 156th game, the same number the great Cobb had played, Wills stole two bases for a total of 97, besting the mark that had stood for so long.
The Dodgers finished in a tie with San Francisco, so the league added a three-game playoff that counted as part of the regular season. The final contest took place at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 3 when Wills contributed three steals. His 104th and last theft of the year was third base in the seventh inning. Even though the Giants advanced to the World Series, Wills earned the National League MVP Award.
In 1974 Lou Brock surpassed Wills’ stolen base record and in 1982 Rickey Henderson set the current mark at 130, but Maury Wills will be forever remembered for his achievements in 1962.
After hitting a home run, a batter visits each base only briefly. But when the homer is historic, even a brief connection is significant. Hank Aaron ended the 1973 season just one blast short of Babe Ruth’s hallowed record of 714 homers. The next season began with unprecedented excitement and anticipation. In his first at-bat in the season’s opener at Cincinnati, Aaron delivered a home run to tie Ruth, but it was his last of that series. He arrived in Atlanta for his club’s home opener on April 8, 1974, hoping to be crowned the game’s new home run king in front of a packed house and a national TV audience.
Facing the Dodgers’ Al Downing, Aaron walked in the first inning, but in the fourth he connected, launching career home run number 715 into the left field bullpen, and began his trot into history. After Aaron rounded second, two young men who had jumped onto the field ran up on each side of him, patting his back in congratulations. Their meeting was a strange but harmless footnote. Approaching third, the two interlopers split off, tried to elude ballpark security and failed. Aaron rounded the bag alone and headed for an emotional celebration at home. The Braves later presented the slugger with the third base he passed as he became the all-time home run leader. Aaron donated the base to the Hall and it is on display in the Chasing the Dream exhibit – near the uniform and shoes he wore during his at-bat and trip around the infield, one of the game’s most memorable moments.
Some bases carry memories of entire careers. Detroit’s Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker played 19 seasons in tandem as shortstop and second baseman. The two were minor league teammates with Montgomery, Ala., in 1977 and they both joined the Tigers during that year. Trammel and Whitaker remained together season after season, earning Gold Glove Awards, All-Star selections and a World Championship in 1984. The keystone combination developed such a reputation that many fans used one name for the two players, "Trammaker." Their long partnership was a remarkable accomplishment, besting the tenure of any pair of teammates before or since.
Whitaker had not officially announced retirement plans for the end of the 1995 season, but he raised no objection when fans saluted the two on Sept. 21. That day was the final game of Detroit’s last home stand on the schedule when the two veterans played together in front of the loyal crowd for what proved to be the final time. The Tigers marked the occasion by taking the keystone base used in the game and donating it to the Hall. That base is now on exhibit, symbolizing so well the historic partnership of “Trammaker.”
Another base illustrates the often elusive quest for perfection. Pitching in Detroit on June 2, 2010, Tigers starter Armando Galarraga was within one out of a perfect game. Seeing the Indians’ Jason Donald ground a ball near first base, the pitcher raced to take the throw and stepped on first in time to complete the final out of his perfecto. All that remained was for the first base ump to make the ending official. Umpire Jim Joyce admittedly blew the call, ruling that Donald was safe.
Denied a place in the record books, Galarraga was somehow able to focus on finishing the shutout and victory. He calmly induced another ground ball out to finish the game, officially a one-hit, 3-0 win. The Tigers showed the same degree of sportsmanship, sending first base from the center of the controversy to Cooperstown, where it is on display. Games such as this are a reminder of the rare combination of skill, timing and luck needed to produce a perfect game.
These are just a few of the bases collected by the Hall of Fame, offering varied and unique views of the game. They are a small but important addition to the many artifacts used at the Museum to explore and celebrate baseball history.
Lenny DiFranza is the assistant curator of new media at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
