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The national anthem makes its major league debut

The date was Sept. 5, 1918. The teams were the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. The event was the World Series.

For the first time at a professional sporting event, the United States national anthem was played.

'The Star-Spangled Banner' debuts

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was adopted as the U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931. Twelve-and-a-half years earlier, it made its debut at a professional sporting event prior to Game 1 of the 1918 World Series.

The anthem made its debut in front of arguably the person who would go on to be the most iconic American athlete: Babe Ruth. The 1918 World Series marked the end of Ruth's postseason career with the Red Sox, as Boston would miss the postseason in 1919 and then infamously would sell him to the New York Yankees the following offseason.

The game

Game 1 of the World Series was a pitcher's duel between Ruth and Cubs pitcher Hippo Vaughn. Ruth pitched a shutout. Vaughn allowed the game's only run on a single by Stuffy McInnis in the fourth inning.

The Red Sox went on to win the World Series in six games. It would be their last World Series championship before breaking the infamous "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004.

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