On July 11th, the Babe’s grandson, Tom Stevens, was hosted by the city of Nettuno, Italy at their annual Allstar baseball game. Tom was presented with a plaque commemorating the Babe’s major league debut with the Red Sox, 100 years ago to the day. The Babe pitched 7 innings and was credited with the win, 4-3.
Italy of all places? History tells us that they caught the baseball bug all the way back in 1946 from the American Allied forces occupying the area at the conclusion of World War II, and clearly it is still with them today.
Presently, there are 8 native born Italians playing at various levels within the American minor leagues, including Cal Ripken’s Aberdeen Ironbirds.