1936 was the first time the New York Yankees appeared in the World Series without Babe Ruth. Ruth had retired the previous year, and his shoes are filled by veteran Lou Gehrig and rookie Joe DiMaggio. The Yanks met their hometown rivals, the New York Giants, in the World Series, the 4th time the two teams clashed in the post season. The Giants pummeled the Yankees in Game 1, but then lost the next three. The Giants took Game 5 but lost the next game and the Series.
Although the Yankees had Gehrig and DiMaggio, it was Jake Powell who was the Series hero, batting .455 with 10 hits, 5 RBI and a home run. The troubled Powell would take his own life while being arrested by Washington DC police for passing bad checks in 1948. During the series, one of the Giants players passed his copy of the World Series program around to the players of both teams to autograph. No less than 8 future Hall of Famers appear: Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Red Ruffing, Tony Lazzeri, Carl Hubbell, Travis Jackson and Mel Ott plus World Series hero Jake Powell, Monte Pearson, John Broaca, Pat Malone, Johnny Murphy, Walter Brown, Kemp Wicker, Frank Crosetti, Red Rolfe, Jack Saltzgaver, Bob Seeds, Roy Johnson and Art Jorgens of the Yankees and Hal Schumacher, Fred Fitzsimmons, Al Smith, Frank Gabler, Dick Coffman, Slick Castleman, Harry Gumbert, Gus Mancuso, Harry Danning, Burgess Whitehead, Dick Bartell, Eddie Mayo, Mark Koenig, Joe Moore, Hank Leiber, Jimmie Ripple, George Davis and Roy Spencer of the Giants. The Terry and McCarthy have been deemed clubhouse signatures.
The signatures are in black fountain pen and have been well preserved within the pages off this program. The pages shows some wear, with a water stain on the top right of the front cover and some bent and some dented areas on the lower edges. The back cover shows some water staining and scuff marks from storage. A very choice signed piece from the first of the two post-season battles to settle which team was the champions of not only the world, but New York City.
Full LOA from PSA/DNA. Sourced from the estate of a former MLB player whose identity will remain anonymous.