1941 Los Angeles Angels, No. 17 John Martin
This is a recreation of a uniform from the 1941 Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. A minor-league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, their roster included shortstop Lennie Merullo, a native of East Boston who would later play seven seasons in the big leagues. Merullo, who died in 2015, was a coach in the Oldtime Baseball Game from 1999 to 2010.
1942 Boston Red Sox, No. 6 Johnny Pesky
Johnny Pesky’s name is synonymous with the Boston Red Sox, for whom he worked for more than 60 years as a player, coach, manager, broadcaster and goodwill ambassador. He was a .308 lifetime hitter and had three 200-hit seasons. Later in life, he was a longtime coach in the Oldtime Baseball Game.
1944 St. Louis Browns, No. 5 Vern Stephens
Vern “Junior” Stephens, who would later play five seasons with the Red Sox, led the American League with 109 RBI for the pennant-wining 1944 St. Lois Browns.
1944 St. Louis Cardinals, No. 6 Stan Musial
Stan “The Man” Musial played 22 seasons for the Cardinals and was a 20-time all-star. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
1945 Kansas City Monarchs, No. 5 Jackie Robinson
Two years before his 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson played for this legendary Negro Leagues team. Robinson played shortstop and hit .375 for the Monarchs in ’45, after which he was signed by Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey. He played for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1946, setting the stage for his history-making debut at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947.
1946 Boston Red Sox, No. 39 Eddie Pellagrini
Boston native Eddie Pellagrini made his big-league debut with the Red Sox on April 22, 1946 and hit a home run off Washington Senators right-hander Sid Hudson in his first at-bat. He went on to play eight years in the big leagues, including time with the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates. He then switched gears and went into coaching, running the Boston College baseball program for 31 seasons. He came out of retirement to coach in the Oldtime Baseball Game from 2000 to ’02. Pelly died in 2006.
1946 Havana Cubans
The Cubans were the first Havana entry into professional baseball in the United States, playing in the Florida International League. They were later upgraded to the Triple-A International League and renamed the Sugar Kings, adopting the slogan “Un paso mas, y llegamos!” (“One more step, and we arrive!”)
1946 Montreal Royals, No. 9 Jackie Robinson
The Royals, playing in the International League, were the top farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson led the IL in hitting with a .349 average in 1946 before making his history-making debut with the Dodgers in 1947.
1950 Philadelphia Athletics, No. 30 Bobby Shantz
The gold coloring on this uniform commemorated Connie Mack’s 50th (and last) season as manager of the Athletics. Lefty Bobby Shantz, who went 8-14 for the 1950 Athletics, had a breakout season for the A’s in 1952, posting a 24-7 record and being named National League MVP. Shantz went on to pitch 16 seasons in the big leagues and appeared in the 1958 World Series as a member of the champion New York Yankees. He is the last living player who was managed by Connie Mack.
1950 Philadelphia Phillies, No. 36 Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts went 20-11 for the 1950 National League pennant winners. With a lifetime record of 286-245, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976. The late Eddie Waitkus, who grew up in Cambridge, was a member of this team, known as the Whiz Kids.
1951 New York Giants, No. 21 Bobby Thomson
Bobby Thomson’s three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth in a 1951 playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers to win the National League pennant for the New York Giants — otherwise known as the shot heard ‘round the world — remains one of the greatest moments in baseball history.
1952 Boston Braves, No. 19 Joe Morgan
Though he signed with the old Boston Braves in 1952, it wasn’t until 1957 that Walpole, Mass., native Joe Morgan made it to the big leagues with the Milwaukee Braves. He went on to play parts of four seasons in the big leagues, including stints with the Kansas City Athletics, Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals. He is best known for his tenure as manager of the Red Sox from 1988 to 1991, during which he won two American League East titles.
1952 New York Yankees, No. 5 Joe DiMaggio
The Yankee Clipper closed out his career with the 1951 Yankees, who defeated the New York Giants in the World Series.
1952 New York Yankees, No. 7 Mickey Mantle
Steve McMann, Babson College (’98); Alex Hakesley, Northern Essex Community College (’00); Cary McConnell, coach (’02-03, ’05, ’07); Sam Shaughnessy, Boston College (’04); Matt Collins, Tufts University (’09); Donny Murray, Holy Cross (’12); J.R. Richard, Suffolk University (’13); Ryne Reynoso, Boston College (’14); Cam Monagle, Matignon High School/Merrimack College (’15-18); Rob Nadel, Siena College (alum) (’23); Nate Hartley, Clarkson University (’24).
1959 Chicago White Sox, No. 2 Nellie Foxx
Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox played 14 of his 19 seasons with the White Sox. He led the American League in hits four times and was a 12-time all-star.
1964 Boston Red Sox, No. 17 Dick Radatz
This is the actual uniform worn by Dick Radatz at the 2002 celebration of life in memory of Ted Williams at Fenway Park. Radatz, one of the greatest relief pitchers in Red Sox history, threw out the first pitch at the 1997 Oldtime Baseball Game. He was a longtime presence on “The Big Show” on WEEI. He died in 2005.
1965 Cincinnati Reds, No. 20 Frank Robinson
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson logged 10 of his 21 seasons in Cincinnati and later played on two World Series-winning teams with the Orioles. In 1975 he became the first African-American manager in the major leagues when he was hired by the Cleveland Indians.
1967 Boston Red Sox, No. 8 Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski made his major-league debut in 1961 and played his entire career — 23 seasons — with the Red Sox. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, he remains one of the greatest all-around players in Red Sox history. In 1967 he won the Triple Crown and was named MVP in leading the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox to the American League pennant.
1968 Boston Red Sox No. 10 Jerry Moses
Donated by the Red Sox, this uniform honors the late Jerry Moses, an early supporter of the Oldtime Baseball Game whose son Steve played in the game in 1995. Jerry Moses played nine seasons in the big leagues, the first four with the Red Sox. A successful businessman who settled in the Boston area after his playing days, Jerry died in 2018.
1969 Boston Red Sox, No. 50 Mike Timlin
This throwback uniform features the 100th anniversary Major League Baseball patch, which was worn by all big-league teams.