The state of Rhode Island has not had a major league baseball team of its own since the Providence Grays of the National League folded after the 1885 season, but other major league clubs have made brief visits to the state to play exhibition games. During World War II, from 1942 through 1945, 28 games were played in the state. These games fell into two categories: games against military teams, which were very common during the war, and contests held at the new Pawtucket Stadium against the minor league Pawtucket Slaters. The rosters of the major league teams would become diluted during the war due to 4,500 professional baseball players serving in the U.S. Military, but their visits still brought plenty of excitement.
You can read a recap of each game and view the box scores here: http://www.michaelhamel.net/writing/Major_Leagues_Visit_Rhode_Island_During_WWII.pdf
Pawtucket Stadium, renamed as “McCoy Stadium” a few years later, officially opened 81 years ago today, July 4, 1942. It became the home of several minor league teams, including the Pawtucket Red Sox, who hosted an (almost) annual game against the Boston Red Sox from 1973 through 1999. The Pawtucket Red Sox moved to Worcester, Massachusetts for the 2021 season, and McCoy Stadium is now slated for demolition, to make way for a new high school for the city of Pawtucket.