1941 HIRAM BITHORN HOLLYWOOD STARS ROAD UNIFORM -- ONLY KNOWN STYLE EXAMPLE

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/20/2011

In 1935, Hiram G. Bithorn helped the Puerto Rican basketball team achieve a bronze medal in the Central American and Caribbean games, and signed with the New York Yankees in 1936. Assigned to the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League, he was 16-9 his rookie year with a 4.22 ERA. In 1937, he was almost unbeatable as he posted a 10-1 record with the Tars and advanced mid-season to the Binghamton Triplets of the Class A Eastern League, where he was 7-8 with a 3.99 ERA. Bithorn joined the Oakland Oaks of the Class AA Pacific Coast League in 1939 and then played for the Hollywood Stars in the same league in 1940 and 1941. Hiram would go on to post 17 wins with a 3.59 ERA in 1941 for the Hollywood Stars. Bithorn became the first Puerto Rican major leaguer when he joined the Chicago Cubs in 1942, making his debut against the Cardinals on April 15. Bithorn finished the season with a 9-14 record and a respectable 3.68 ERA. In 1943, Bithorn was 18-12 for the fifth-place Cubs with an outstanding 2.60 ERA. He led the National League with seven shutouts and his 18 wins was fourth best in the league.

This 1941 Hollywood Stars jersey, from one of Puerto Rico's most revered players, is the only one known to exist in the hobby to date. The jersey is unaltered and has a Wilson tag in the collar with a size 44 tag. It shows good use with a few team repairs and some slight fraying of the red thread around the collar and sleeves. The accompanying pants also have a Wilson tag in the waistband along with a 38 size tag as well as a stitched number 11. The pants appear to have belonged to Gene Lillard, who wore number 11 that year. This is common as often times during the following season or two the equipment would be used for tryouts for potential talent. The offered jersey and pants were sourced indirectly through one of those such talents and eventually came by way of Dick Dobbins, who has featured this jersey in two of his books on the history of the P.C.L.. Tragically Bithorn would be killed at the early age of 35 on New Years day in 1952. The people of Puerto Rico honored him in 1962 by having the country's largest baseball stadium named after him - Estadio Hiram Bithorn.