Nobody was more dedicated to the art of putting bat on ball than Ted Williams, a human hitting machine equipped with near-perfect eyesight, lightning reflexes, powerful forearms and unnerving patience. The "Splendid Splinter" also came with a heavy dose of arrogance and self-confidence, the most conspicuous traits of a baseball maverick who terrorized American League pitchers from 1939-60. If Williams wasn't the greatest pure hitter of all time, an acclaim, which he fervently sought, he certainly was of his era. Williams’ resume’ is filled with superlatives—two MVPs, six batting crowns, 2,654 hits, a .344 average, 521 home runs, four homer titles and five RBI crowns—numbers that could have been considerably higher if he had not lost four prime seasons to military service during World War II and the Korean War. In eighteen of Ted Williams' nineteen major league seasons he was voted to the American League All-Star team.
Offered here is an original, unaltered Red Sox road jersey donned by the outspoken, San Diego-born hitting icon during the 1959 season. This flawless grey flannel, button-down garment features "BOSTON" arched across the chest in blue felt characters and the Hall of Famer's since-retired number "9" applied to the back in like fashion. Situated on the left front tail is the "TIM McAULIFFE" local manufacturer's label accompanied by tags that respectively denote "'59" and "46." Handwritten vintage player identification “TED WILLIAMS” appears faintly below the tail tagging. Williams has added his autograph inside the back collar in bold blue sharpie. All seven original plastic buttons are intact and there are no signs of repair or alteration. Overall, the jersey’s visual presentation is superb, remaining exactly as it was the last time it was worn by arguably baseball's greatest pure hitter. Includes a comprehensive LOA from MEARS (Graded A10).
Full LOA from PSA/DNA on the signature.