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From the archives | Sept. 20

Babe Ruth homers in finale with Red Sox

Swat beats White Sox 4-3 as 31,000 howl madly

Rome may have been made to howl for some particular or sundry reasons on the long, long ago, but the efforts of the Roman populace were only murmurs compared with the vocal explosion with which upward of 31,000 baseball fans expressed their feelings at Fenway Park yesterday afternoon, when “Babe” Ruth made his 27th home run of the season. Nothing like this demonstration was ever heard in Rome or elsewhere.

The stage was set for exactly what happened. It was the Knights of Columbus “Babe Ruth Day” and every one of the 31,000 fans came out there to see the big fellow add to his record string of home runs.

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It the ninth inning of the first game of a double header, with the score a tie, 3 to 3.

Ball goes through window

Williams, star White Sox southpaw, had been pitching great ball, and it did not look as if the Red Sox cohorts would be able to score another run against him, so effectively was he working. He had just struck out “Bobbie” Roth, and he then faced the terror of most pitchers with confidence. He put a fast one over the outside corner of the plate. “Babe” met the ball with his war club fairly, and sent it sailing over the scoreboard to the right of the clock and through a window of a building across Landsdowne st.

Talk about the howls in Rome -- a mere whisper compared to what followed. More than 30,000 fans jumped to their feet and howled and howled, until they had to stop from sheer exhaustion. After a breathing spell they began again.

Meanwhile Babe was jogging around the bases, and as he crossed the plate, he gracefully doffed his cap several times, while the players and bat boys patted him on the back and extended congratulations.

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That was the end of the game. Then came the presentation of gifts by the Knights of Pete Marquette Council, K. of C. to their fellow member.

The players of both teams gathered about home plate, and “Babe” and Mrs. Ruth were escorted to the center of the group, while the photographers and motion picture men opened fire on them. Mrs. Ruth was presented a traveling bag and then Grand Knight Arthur Leary of Pere Marquette Council presented Ruth six $100 United States Treasury savings certificates.

“Babe,” turning to Mrs. Ruth, handed her the certificates, one by one, like a dutiful husband, and after giving her the last one, kissed her, all of which was registered by the movie men.

Knights of Columbus members of both teams, which included Ruth and McNally of the Red Sox and Eddie Murphy, J. Collins, Urban Faber and Sullivan of the White Sox, were given fraternal charms.