On October 1, 1970, baseball witnessed the end of an era, when Philadelphia’s venerable Shibe Park (also known as Connie Mack Stadium) hosted its last Major League game. This ball is the very last ball hit at Shibe Park on that historic day.

This ball came off of the bat of Phillies outfielder Oscar Gamble, whose single to center in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Tim McCarver the winning run in the Phillies' exciting 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos. Boots Day was the Expos center fielder who retrieved the ball at the end of the game and, afterwards, realizing its significance, gave it to Phillies shortstop Bobby Wine. The ball remained in Wine’s personal collection for many years until he finally decided to part with it in 1990.

Shibe Park opened its gates on April 12, 1909 and, for the next 61 years, was home to both the Philadelphia Athletics (1909-1954) and Philadelphia Phillies (1938-1970). Built at a cost of $300,000, it was the first concrete and steel stadium in Major League history. It was originally named for Ben Shibe, an A’s stockholder and baseball manufacturer, but, in 1953, the team changed the name of the stadium to Connie Mack Stadium in honor of its longtime manager. It was torn down in 1976.

When you think about who played at Shibe Park, one of baseball’s last “cathedrals,” it makes this “last ball” that much more significant. Among those who had played at the stadium were Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane and Lefty Grove. In addition, Babe Ruth hit the most home runs of his career at this stadium, while Ty Cobb stole bases there. The Philadelphia Athletics won World Series at the stadium in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929 and 1930.

Connie Mack Stadium sat empty and unwanted for the better part of six years, suffering a fire on August 20, 1971, the same day that the Connie Mack statue was re-dedicated at Veterans Stadium. It was finally razed in 1976 during the 1976 All-Star game. The ballpark that was once a "church of baseball" is now the site of an actual Christian church, the Deliverance Evangelistic.

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Some of the greats who called Shibe Park home.