This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/4/2021
Though the famed “Murderer’s Row” line up of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and Earle Combs gets most of the credit, it was the pitching that made the 1927 Yankees the complete baseball juggernaut that would win the pennant by 19 games and sweep the Pirates in the World Series. The starting rotation was anchored by Waite Hoyt, at 27 already a seasoned veteran and well on his way to establishing himself as the most successful pitcher in franchise history. Hoyt was joined by Urban Shocker who won 18 games despite battling a heart condition so severe that it would take his life early the following spring. Herb Pennock won 19 games and Dutch Ruether added another 13, giving the starting quartet 72 victories between them. And at a time when most big league bullpens were manned by used up veterans, sore armed starters or inexperienced rookies, the ’27 Yankees had the talented trio of Wilcy Moore, George Pipgras and Myles Thomas. Moore came out of nowhere and won an astonishing 19 games in his rookie season, the veteran Pipgras won 10 games and Myles Thomas contributed another 7. Adding to the arms at manager Miller Huggins disposal that year was Bob Shawkey, the aging Yankees ace who was in his final season as a player, and southpaw Joe Giard who mopped up many late innings after the Yankees bats had the put game far out of reach. Each of those nine pitchers are not only depicted in this extraordinary 1927 press photo, but have signed it in black fountain pen. This unique piece was obtained by the 10th man in the photo, pitcher Don Miller, who has also signed. Miller was a recent University of Michigan graduate who joined the Yankees as a batting practice pitcher. Though he never appeared in a game for the Yanks in 1927 or any other season, he is immortalized in team photos of that iconic ballclub. This remarkable autographed 8” x 10” photo of the Yankees pitching staff comes from Don Miller’s personal collection. The photo exhibits edge wear on all sides, with some chipping and pieces missing, most noticeably on the bottom left and upper left corners. The paper loss does not affect the content or signatures. Each player has signed their likeness vertically in black fountain pen which reads nicely against the white Yankees uniforms. A one-of-a-kind signed photograph of the pitching staff of the greatest baseball team of all-time, obtained by one of its own members, Don Miller. – Encapsulated PSA/DNA TYPE 1 & PSA/DNA Authentic – Also Accompanied by a full LOA from Beckett Authentication Services and a notarized letter of provenance from the family of Don Miller.