Spring Premier Auction 2015

This is a sparkling game-worn road jersey from Lou Brissie, a journeyman pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1947 to 1951 and the Cleveland Indians from 1951 to 1953. He was a decorated veteran of World War II, having enlisted in the Army in 1942. In November 1944, he found himself in heavy fighting in Italy with the 88th Infantry Division (Blue Devils). On December 2, 1944, his unit suffered an artillery barrage, and a shell exploded which shattered his left tibia and shinbone in 30 pieces. At the Army field hospital, doctors told him that his leg would have to be amputated due to the severity of the injury. Brissie told the doctors that he was a ballplayer and insisted that the leg be saved even if it jeopardized his life. Two years and 23 major operations later, he was able to return to baseball with a metal brace on his leg. Signed by the Philadelphia A's, he made his first appearance late in 1947 and then got his first start of the 1948 season against the Boston Red Sox. His best seasons were with the A's that year as he went 14–10, and 1949 when he was 16–11. He pitched three innings for the 1949 American League All-Star Team. Brissie retired in September 1953. His career record was 44–48 with 436 Ks and 4.07 ERA. This super jersey comes from his next-to-the-last season in 1952 with Cleveland, a handsome road gamer that boasts the famed "Chief Yahoo" logo patch on the left sleeve at a time when the term "political correctness" primarily meant knowing which fork to use at a state dinner in Washington, D.C. The road shirt has the "Cleveland" text across the chest in block letters red-on-black felt. A black MacGregor Size 46 patch appears on the back collar directly above a white felt tag with "Brissie 12" in red stitching. Brissie's No. 12 appears on the back in red-on-black felt. The all-original garment shows game use but is essentially problem free.