1918 World Series: Difference between revisions

Game 1 went to the Red Sox, 1–0, with [[Babe Ruth]] pitching the shutout before 19,274 fans. [[Stuffy McInnis]] knocked in the game's only run, driving in [[Dave Shean]] with a fourth-inning single off [[Hippo Vaughn]]. During the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band began to play "The Star-Spangled Banner", Red Sox infielder [[Fred Thomas (third baseman)|Fred Thomas]]—who was in the Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series—immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute, according to the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/ct-wrigley-field-national-anthem-20170703-story.html|title = 1918 World Series started the U.S. Love affair with national anthem|website = [[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> Other players turned to the flag with hands over hearts, and the already-standing crowd began to sing. At the song's conclusion, the previously quiet fans erupted in thunderous applause. At the time, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that it "marked the highest point of the day's enthusiasm."<ref>{{cite news |title=Red Sox beat Cubs in initial battle of World's Series |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/06/97025138.pdf {{Bare|work=The New York URLTimes PDF|date=MarchSeptember 20226, 1918}}</ref> The song would be played at each of the Series' remaining games, to increasingly rapturous response. Other baseball parks began to play the song on holidays and special occasions, and Red Sox owner Harry Frazee made it a regular part of Boston home games. "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially became the U.S. national anthem in 1931, and by the end of World War II, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden ordered that it be played at every football game. The tradition quickly spread to other sports, aided by the introduction of large sound systems and post-war patriotism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.com/news/why-the-star-spangled-banner-is-played-at-sporting-events|title = Why the Star-Spangled Banner is Played at Sporting Events}}</ref>