Uniform & Team History
On March 3, 2015, the Red Sox and Boston College played an exhibition game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., in honor of Pete Frates, the former BC baseball captain who was battling ALS. What made this game special is that players on both teams wore No. 3 jerseys, after which they were auctioned off to benefit ALS research.
Bill Novelline, a Boston College graduate and a leading force in the Oldtime Baseball Game beginning in 1995, emerged as the high bidder for one of the BC uniforms and donated it to our game. Each year it is worn in the Oldtime Baseball Game by a current or former Eagles player.
It so happens the uniform he landed was worn by right-hander Mike King of Warwick, R.I. Not only was the uniform added to the Oldtime Baseball Game for 2015, it was Mike King himself who was invited to St. Peter’s Field to wear it.
One year later, King was drafted by the Miami Marlins. In 2017, he was traded to the New York Yankees. On September 27, 2019 he made his big-league debut for the Yankees, pitching two innings against Texas Rangers. In doing so he became the fifth veteran of the Oldtime Baseball Game to go on to play in the majors, joining Carlos Pena (Northeastern University, Texas Rangers), Chris Lambert (Boston College, Detroit Tigers), Nate Freiman (Duke University, Oakland A’s) and Chris Shaw (Boston College, San Francisco Giants.
Bill Novelline passed away in 2022. This uniform will continue to be worn in the Oldtime Baseball Game in memory of two proud Boston College graduates — Pete Frates and Bill Novelline.
Also worn by:
Anthony Maselli, Boston College (’16-17); Sam Shaughnessy, Boston College (alum) (’18); Jacob Yish, Boston College (’19); Sam McNulty, Boston College (’21); Nolan Shirmer, Boston College (’22-23).