This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/12/2020
Though the 2006 Cardinals were known for the potent offence of Pujols, Eckstein, Rolen and Encarnacion, it was their pitching that proved to be the decisive factor in their World Series victory over Detroit. One of the World Champs unsung heroes was the Cards’ bullpen coach, Marty Mason. Though he never made it to The Show as a player, Mason had several lights-out seasons in the minors, including back to back records of 11-2 and 10-5 in 1981 and 1982. After his playing days ended, Mason began moving up the ladder of coaching positions in the Cardinal organization, finally reaching the majors in 2000 as the team’s bullpen coach. It was in part due to Mason’s tutoring and experience that the Cards developed such a talented pitching staff in the early 2000’s. In 2006, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan, Jason Marquis and Brandon Looper combined to win 50 games and Jason Isringhausen saved 33 for the pennant-bound Cardinals. In the World Series against Detroit, St. Louis’ pitching staff boasted an ERA of just 2.05, stifling the Tigers bats. This was especially important in the ’06 Series as the Cardinals only managed to hit a collective .228 average against the Tigers pitching. As the Cards bullpen coach, Marty Mason helped manage the arms that led to St. Louis’ tenth World Championship.
Mason’s ring features the intertwined “STL” logo of red stones mounted on a diamond encrusted baseball diamond with “ST. LOUIS CARDINALS WORLD CHAMPIONS” in raised letters encircling the perimeter of the face. One shank has the Cardinals script logo surmounted on the World Series trophy with “2006” above and “TENTH WORLD SERIES TITLE” below. The opposite shank has “MASON” and his number “38” in raised letters above and below a dimensional representation of Busch Stadium with “INNAGURAL SEASON” engraved on it. The interior has the Intergold 14K hallmark engraved into the surface. The ring shows light wear from age and the diamonds and engraving are both bright and clear. The ring comes complete with its original display case with “St. Louis Cardinals 2006 world Champions” engraved on its cover. A tremendous World Series ring from the coach who helped shape the pitching staff that brought home the Championship. Weight: 66 grams. Size: 9.5.