This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/5/2007
The 1934 National League season was defined by the rough and tumble St. Louis Cardinals, nicknamed the “Gashouse Gang” by the New York press after one of the toughest and most notorious of the Manhattan street gangs. The Cards pitching ace Dizzy Dean had been ridiculed for his springtime promise that he and his brother, rookie moundsman Paul, would win 45 games by seasons end. By the time they nipped the Giants for the National League Pennant Dizzy, who would win the league MVP by notching 30 wins and his brother Paul helped him exceeded the brash prediction by four games. The World Series matchup against Detroit proved to be a close, all out battle between baseball’s best. Each Dean brother would win two games with earned run averages of less than 2.00. The key game in the seven game series was Game Six, played on October 8, 1934 in Detroit’s Navin Field. The Tigers, holding a 3 games to 2 advantage, wanted badly to take the crown in front of more than 44,000 of their hometown fans. But Paul Dean, coming off his spectacular rookie season, played perhaps the best game of his career. Not only did he take on and beat the Detroit ace, Schoolboy Rowe, Dean also delivered what would prove to be the game winning single and the Cards prevailed 4 to 3. Here we offer the last out ball of the key game six, pitched by the victorious Paul Dean to his opposing pitcher Preacher Rowe who ended the game with a fly ball caught by the Cardinals centerfielder Ernie Orsatti. The ball was given by Ernie Orsatti to his brother Victor Orsatti, who had a brief stint in the majors himself. Upon his death, this ball, along with many other sports mementos were bequeathed by Orsatti to our consignor who was his caretaker for the latter part of his life. Among the items our consignor received along with this ball was the signed bat used by Babe Ruth to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium in 1923 (sold by Sotheby’s/SCP in 2004 for $1.25 million). The ball shows appropriate usage wear with identifying notations inscribed in an unknown hand on a side panel. This significant World Series game ball has a small and impeccably documented chain of ownership. LOA from Victor Orsatti’s beneficiary.
Estimate: $4,000-6,000