William Howard Taft Autographed ball

Date1910 April 15

DescriptionWhite leather baseball with faded red and blue stitching and black stamps, including "Reach," "Warranted 5 oz. 9 in. 1 oz. Rubber" and "Official American League Ball." The ball has been signed in black ink, "White House, Washington, D.C. / For Walter Johnson with the hopes / that he may continue to be as formidable as / in yesterday's game- Wm H Taft April 15, 1910."

Bio/Historical NoteIn 1910, President William H. Taft began the tradition of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch, the ball being thrown to future Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators. This is the ball from that inaugural first pitch. Taft had been invited to throw out the Opening Day ball by American League President Ban Johnson. The previous year, Taft had become the first president since Benjamin Harrison in 1892 to attend a major league game while in office. Taft's toss was captured on film.

Object numberB-1968-0026

Artist, Creator, or Manufacturer A.J. Reach Co.

Subject Johnson, Walter, 1887-1946

Attributes

Classificationssports and athletic equipment

Dimensions3 in. diameter

Public Access NotePlease note that not all works are on view at all times - their availability is subject to change per the discretion of the Museum staff. Only a portion of NBHFM's collection is currently online and the information presented here is subject to updates and additions based on research and imaging activities. The images, titles, and descriptions are products of their time. If you have corrections or additional information about this object, please email research@baseballhall.org to help improve our records. This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of images. Please email us if you have further information on the rights status of an image contrary to or in addition to the information in our records. For more information or access to a high resolution reproduction (some fees may apply), contact: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Giamatti Research Center, research@baseballhall.org, 607-547-0330.