The Blue Ox played in the independent Northeast League in 1996-97. This is the actual uniform worn by LaFrancois, who managed the Blue Ox in 1997. LaFrancois, a former catcher, played one season in the big leagues — with the Red Sox in 1982. With four hits in 10 at-bats for the ‘82 Red Sox, he holds the distinction of being a .400 lifetime hitter. (Uniform on loan from Blue Ox president Dean Gyorgy.)

Later known as the Boston Braves, the 1890 Beaneaters finished in fifth place in the National League. Their top player was Cambridge native John Clarkson, who won 26 games that year and went on to win 328 for his career. He was inducted into Hall of Fame in 1963. Clarkson, who died in 1909, is buried in Cambridge Cemetery.

The Boston Red Sox acquired 19-year-old Babe Ruth from the Baltimore Orioles of the International League on July 9, 1914. He appeared in five games for the Sox that season, making his big-league debut on July 11. He was then sent to the Providence Grays, for whom he would spend the remainder of the International League season before returning to the Red Sox in September. Ruth’s pitching and hitting helped the Grays to the 1914 International League pennant.

The 1918 Cubs hold the distinction of being the last team to lose to the Red Sox in the World Series until the Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 Fall Classic.

Ray Chapman, one of the best defensive shortstops of his era, is the only player in major-league history to be killed as a result of an in-game injury. Leading off the fifth inning of the Indians’ August 16, 1920 game against the Yankees at the Polo Grounds, Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays and died the next day.

Bruce Petway was catcher for the Detroit Stars in 1920 when they were a charter member of the Negro National League. He also managed the team for four seasons. According to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, legend has it that in a 1910 exhibition game in Cuba Petway threw out Detroit Tigers great Ty Cobb trying to steal second base three times.

Based in Atlantic City, the Bacharach Giants won the Eastern Colored League pennant in 1926 and 1927, led by player-manager Dick Lundy. In both cases they lost the Negro League World Series to the Chicago American Giants. Lundy’s great-grandson is dancer/choreographer/actor Savion Glover, who, among many other accomplishments, was nominated for a Tony Award for featured actor in a musical in 1992 while appearing on Broadway in “Jelly’s Last Jam.”

Rube Foster, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, founded the Chicago American Giants in 1911 and managed them through 1926. Foster died in 1930, but the club was active into the 1950s.

Left-hander Wilbur Cooper’s 22 victories were the most in the National League in 1921. It was the second of four 20-win seasons for Cooper, whose lifetime record was 216-178. Also on the roster for the ’21 Pirates were Possum Whitted, Kiki Cuyler, Johnny Gooch and Moses Yellow Horse.

Hall of Famer Josh Gibson, who spent his entire career in the Negro Leagues, is now acknowledged as MLB’s all-time leader in batting average (.373), slugging percentage (.458) and OPS (1.176).

Great uniform, bad team. The 1932 Chicago White Sox lost 102 games.

Nearly a decade before hitting in 56 consecutive games for the New York Yankees, DiMaggio hit in 66 straight games with the 1933 San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.

Righthander Fred Frankhouse, who went 13-10 for the ’36 Dodgers, won 106 games in 13 big-league seasons. Casey Stengel managed this team, and then the Boston Bees/Braves, before gaining greater fane as manager of the New York Yankees.

Two years before he made his major-league debut with the Red Sox, the future Splendid Splinter socked 23 homers and drove in 98 runs for his hometown San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League.

A .349 career hitter in the big leagues, Lefty O’Doul went on to manage the San Francisco Seals for 17 seasons, winning five Pacific Coast League championships.

One of the greatest second basemen in history, Rogers Hornsby, also known as the Rajah, later managed the International League Orioles.

Ted Williams patrolled left field for the Red Sox for 19 seasons, taking time out to serve his country in World War II and Korea. He’s the last man to hit .400 with a .406 mark in 1941.

Oakland native Billy Martin, who would later play for and manage the New York Yankees (and also the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and his hometown Oakland A’s) played for the Oakland Oaks in 1948 and ’49.

Cuban-born Martin Dihigo, who managed the New York Cubans to the Negro League World Series championship in 1947, is considered one of greatest all-around players in Negro Leagues history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

One of the greatest catchers in baseball history, St. Louis native Yogi Berra played on 10 World Series championship teams during his 18 seasons with the New York Yankees. A two-time American League MVP, Berra hit 358 career home runs. He later managed the Yankees, as well as the New York Mets, for whom he played briefly at the end of his career. Berra was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.