As vaunted as the “Murderers Row” dynasty appears in retrospect, few recall the rise of the Philadelphia Athletics at the conclusion of that remarkable pinstriper run. Setting the precedent for three straight American League titles, the A’s trailed the Bronx Bombers by 12-1/2 games as late as July 19 during the 1926 season before a torrid 38-12 run actually catapulted them into first place. But an ensuing head-to-head matchup in the Bronx saw the hosts take three straight to take over the top spot for good. Issued at Yankee Stadium on September 11, 1928 for the third of those contests, this program is among the most historically significant in that it simultaneously hails from the peak of one fabled career, and the very last day of another. The eight-page guide features scorecards with pre-printed lineups and scoring grids marked in pencil to detail a 5-3 Yankees triumph in which Babe Ruth broke an eighth-inning deadlock with his 49th home run of the season and 465th of his career. For the visitors, Ty Cobb popped to short in a pinch-hitting role to mark the final game of his unparalleled career. With covers and pages completely intact, the guide is free of compacting folds commonly found on stadium-issued publications. In summary: this is a remarkable survivor from a landmark afternoon.

In addition to the handwritten scoring legends, telltale signs that this program is from the September 9-12 series between the Yankees and Athletics include the listing of Hall of Famer Bill Dickey, who did not debut until August 15 and was not on the roster during the Athletics' previous visit to Yankee Stadium (July 1). Additionally, Philadelphia's Bill Shores is not listed, as he had been with the parent club until his May 27 assignment to the International League's Baltimore Orioles.