This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/18/2014
Major League Baseball was in the middle of a disconcerting power outage during the decades of the 1960's, with batting averages and power numbers slumping after a brief boost due to expansion in 1961, but Harmon Killebrew never really got the memo. Perhaps the most prolific power hitter of the period, Harmon Killebrew registered more than 40 homers in a season six times in the decade and eight overall. In the 1961 season when he wore this gorgeous home Twins jersey he hit 46 home runs to the delight of the fans in Minnesota in the team's first year in the Midwest after the move from Washington. Killebrew, named team captain by manager Cookie Lavagetto in 1961, also accumulated 122 RBIs, batted a career-best .288, and slugged over .600 for the only time in what was among the finest statistical seasons of his career.
Given that teams typically issued only two home and two away jerseys at the time, it's not inconceivable that this marvelous gamer could be the Hall of Famer's first home Twins jersey. The flannel jersey has "Twins" in blue-on-red tackle twill is sewn across the front and the Twins patch on the left sleeve; Killer's famed No. "3" in blue-on-red tackle twill is on the back. "Killebrew" is stitched on a swatch sewn in the collar. The bottom edge of the swatch is loose from the jersey with some fabric loss but nothing that infringes on the embroidered name. On the front tail is the Wilson Size 46 tag with "1961" year tag below. The jersey shows perfect use with no structural faults. It is all-original and a simply stunning artifact worn by one of the most beloved players in the storied history of Minnesota baseball in the franchise's first year there.