This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/3/2020
Regarded by many as the greatest right-handed hitter of all time, Rogers Hornsby took special care of his batting eyes, refusing to read newspapers or watch movies. He hit over .400 three times, won seven batting titles and retired with the second highest batting average in MLB history (.358) behind only Ty Cobb. The parallels between Cobb and Hornsby are eerily similar. Both hard-nosed Southerners played until age 41 and suffered family tragedies (Cobb's father and Hornsby's brother each shot to death), and they finished just a single strikeout apart in 20,000 combined at-bats. The difference was Hornsby's power numbers as he claimed two Triple Crowns in 1922 and 1925 by blasting 42 and 39 home runs, respectively. In Cobb's lone Triple Crown season of 1909, he led the league with a measely nine long balls. Many say Hornsby's scientific approach to hitting was rivaled only by Ted Williams a generation later.
This ancient piece of lumber used by Rogers Hornsby dates to a torrid stretch with his beloved St. Louis Cardinals when he won two National League MVP awards (1925 and '30) and helped the Redbirds take the 1926 World Series. The Burke Batrite Beaver Driver 'TA Hornsby 10 5' professional model ash bat displays excellent use with ball marks, stitch impressions, cleat marks and repairs to a handle crack and barrel checking that bear witness to several years of punishment. While Batrite did not maintain ordering records to the extent of H&B, renowned bat whisperer John Taube confirms that the 35" and 34.5 oz. specs match Hornsby's preferences and it was game used by Rogers during the 1925-30 labeling period. What a fine pre-war gamer from one of the finest batsmen who ever lived. Includes LOA from John Taube of PSA/DNA (GU 7).