In the fall of 1957, second-year Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, 20 years of age, found out via an early morning phone call from team General Manager Buzzie Bavasi that he had to enter into a six-month program with the U.S. Army Reserves or else he would be drafted into military service. Drysdale, along with Dodgers teammate Sandy Koufax, was destined to spend the next half a year in the U.S. Army Reserves at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
This lot features a U.S. Army fatigue shirt and pants that Drysdale wore during his time in basic training. The size “38R” shirt shows noticeable wear but is in pretty good condition despite its age. The front of the shirt sports two different pockets; above left breast pocket is a black-and-gold “U.S. ARMY” patch, while just above the right breast pocket is a sewn-on white identification tag in black lettering: “DRYSDALE.” The left sleeve of the jacket boasts an embroidered, sewn-on, red-white-and-black “A” patch. The accompanying green, button-down pants are in even better condition than the shirt, except for a small hole in the left knee area. His length of service, according to his Armed Forces of the United States identification card featured in a separate lot, ran from October 11, 1957, to April 5, 1958.
Includes LOA from the Drysdale Family.