Granting the Pueblo crew some small token of appreciation led to MLB offering the pass as a symbol of gratitude to returning POWs in Vietnam and, most notably, the 52 Americans held during the Iranian hostage crisis: they had been held captive at a U.S. After being captured, 82 crew members were imprisoned, and many were tortured. The USS Pueblo crept into foreign waters in 1968 on an intelligence reconnaissance mission. “The first time we honored victims was in the Pueblo incident, which was a Naval ship that was impounded in North Korea,” Merhige says. The league has often recognized great accomplishments-Charles Lindbergh got one after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, while 24 astronauts got passes in 1965-and great hardship in global incidents. Not every pass has been circulated among presidents or MLB alumni. Thorn isn’t sure when the tenure limit was lowered to eight years, though he suspects the leagues just “wanted to give out more passes rather than fewer.” And while it’s greatly appreciated-José Bautista recently Instagrammed his newly-acquired pass-Thorn believes many don’t use it since players have existing relationships that allow them to get into games regardless. “The perks were the same, but men with 20 years got the gold pass.” “There were about 400 passes by the end of 1936,” John Thorn, MLB’s official historian, says. That changed in 1936, when gold and silver passes began circulating for players with between 10 and 20 years of service in either league. Although Ruth played the majority of his career in the American League, the AL had no such pass, and it seemed absurd that the “Bambino” couldn’t walk into his own association’s games. In 1935, Ford Frick, then-president of the National League, gave former Cincinnati Red Stockings shortstop George Wright a pass that was one part generosity and one part public relations: the gift made headlines. While the pass may have been wasted on Roosevelt, it was a few decades before players were able to relish the opportunity. “A few think they’ve put in the eight years and think it’s gotten misplaced.” It usually hasn’t they just happen to be a few days short of the minimum. “Players will sometimes call the union office looking for them,” Merhige says. Merhige tries to hand the passes to players as they come through MLB’s New York headquarters while in town for Yankee Stadium or Citi Field games other times, they’ll be forwarded through a team’s public relations staff. At the start of each season, they both get a list of American and National League players who could become eligible during the year. Merhige and a colleague, Katy Feeney, handle distribution of the passes. (You don’t need to call in advance.) Seating can be determined by each ball club, but it’s not likely you’ll be finding yourself behind home plate during a playoff game the pass isn’t valid for postseason attendance. Stadiums have instructions on recognizing the pass at their press or VIP windows. The pass-once paper and leather-bound, now a gold-covered alloy-entitles the recipient to enter any regular-season game of his or her choosing, along with one guest. “It’s for anyone with eight years in uniform or 25 years in the front office.” “It’s a recognition program,” Phyllis Merhige, Major League Baseball's senior vice president of club relations, tells mental_floss.
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