This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/24/2016
ADDENDUM: Please note that the lot heading has been changed to "GAME USED" as opposed to the printed catalog heading "GAME READY." The bat shows solid evident usage as described below. The minimum bid has been updated accordingly.
Throughout his career, Don Drysdale's command of home plate wasn't limited to his use of chin music. The pitching ace was also dangerous with a bat. For his career, Drysdale launched 29 homers (among pitchers, only Warren Spahn hit more), collected 218 hits and drove in 113. In his finest campaign ever at the plate in 1965, Drysdale hit .300 (39-for-130) with seven home runs! Offered here is one of the lesser-mentioned tools of Drysdale's trade: a professional model game-used bat from the pitcher/slugger heydays as king of the hill. Drysdale’s Louisville Slugger 125 model bat measures 34.75" long. Block lettered into the barrel end is "All Star Game Los Angeles 1959" along with impressed Drysdale facsimile signature. Model number "K55" is factory stamped in the knob. The offered bat shows decent use, including ball marks and stitch impressions on the barrel and some grain swelling from contact. In an effort to raise additional funds for the players' pension fund, the 1959 All-Star Game was presented as a "doubleheader," with the first contest waged July 7th at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field and the second on August 3rd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The latter was a home game for Don Drysdale, who started the contest for the NL and took the loss after giving up three earned runs in three innings. He did not get an at-bat in the 5-3 victory, but the bat’s evident usage indicates it saw service in the second half of the 1959 season. This terrific piece from the personal collection of one of the greatest sluggers ever to enter the Hall of Fame as a pitcher.
Includes LOA from the Drysdale Family.