In 1950, the Boston Red Sox found themselves in third place in the American League standings with a record of 94-60. They finished just four games behind the eventual World Series Champion New York Yankees and three games behind the A.L. runner-up Detroit Tigers. They posted a .610 winning percentage despite the fact that the team’s best player, Ted Williams, was on the disabled list with a broken left arm for 65 games. When one considers the close-knit race, it’s quite possible that Williams – had he been healthy – could have helped the Red Sox overtake the vaunted Bronx Bombers and perhaps record their first World Series title in 32 years.
The 31-year-old Williams was enjoying another noteworthy season in 1950 and earned his eighth All-Star Game nod. Playing in the Mid-Summer Classic in Chicago on July 11, Williams found himself racing to catch a line drive by Pirates’ slugger Ralph Kiner with his momentum carrying him into the Comiskey Park scoreboard at full speed. Williams made the catch but suffered a broken left arm in the process. Miraculously he played into the eighth inning of the All-Star Game, even hitting an RBI single to right field in the fifth inning that scored Larry Doby to tie the game at two runs apiece. But the injury proved to be serious and kept Williams out of the Red Sox lineup for two full months.
Despite missing 43% of the season, Williams still batted .317 with 28 home runs and 97 RBI. And his Boston teammates kept the team in the thick of the pennant race. This lot features Williams’ autographed and game-worn Boston Red Sox home jersey from that memorable season. The white Wilson size 46 jersey features a circa 1943-54 Wilson manufacturer’s tag and a similar McAuliffe tag on the left front tail. A single box tag is present to denote the year/season of issuance: “50.”
The jersey is made of a professional grade wool blend fabric and shows evidence of heavy use and wear, which includes the replacement of five of the original seven buttons on the front. The red soutache that runs along the collar and placket is frayed and completely missing – only anchor stitching remains – in the collar area. The garment features a short 2.5” Raglan sleeve which is consistent with period images of Williams at this point in his career. The left sleeve features a restored original American League Golden Anniversary Patch (1901 – 1951) that would not have been uncommon to find on a jersey originally issued in 1950. This can be seen by the presence of an open stitch line as well as the presence of the original anchor thread in the base of the patch suggesting that the jersey could very well have been worn by Williams during the 1951 season as well. For the record, he batted .318 with 30 home runs and 126 RBI that year. The seven-inch-tall rear numeral “9” and the three-inch-tall lettering of “RED SOX” across the front, all in red felt outlined in navy blue, are assessed as being original to the garment and show even and consistent heavy use and wear. The jersey includes MEARS final grading of A5.5. Finally, Williams autographed the jersey in consistent blue fiber-tip marker on the front just below the word “SOX.” The signature is solid and is written in diagonal fashion toward the left sleeve. This is simply an incredible piece of game-worn baseball memorabilia that once belonged to one of the game’s greatest hitters of all time.
Includes Letter of Opinion from MEARS with a final grade of A5.5. Autograph includes certification from both JSA (#Y42841) and PSA/DNA (#Y00130).