This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/24/2016
ADDENDUM: The notation on this baseball is not a match with the one Don is holding in the photo. The three baseballs in the attached image could be ceremonial ones used for the photo op in the clubhouse. We are confident that the milestone game-used baseball in this lot, having ended up as a keepsake in Drydale's personal collection, was plucked from the historic inning in which Don tied Walter Johnson's mark of 56 scoreless innings.
In 1968, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Don Drysdale set the Major League Baseball world on its ear by throwing 58 2/3 innings’ worth of scoreless baseball. Hall of Fame pitching great Walter Johnson (1911 to 1927) held the previous MLB mark of throwing 56 straight innings of scoreless baseball, but Drysdale not only tied that mark but exceeded it on June 8, 1968. Having pitched six consecutive complete game shutouts (54 straight scoreless innings) stretching from May 14 versus the Chicago Cubs until June 4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Drysdale took the mound at Dodger Stadium on June 8 determined to set the new record. Drysdale was cruising with a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning when he allowed back-to-back singles to Tony Taylor and Clay Dalrymple to put runners at first and third. After striking out Roberto Pena, Drysdale saw his streak end when pinch-hitter Howie Bedell hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Taylor. The new mark was set at 58 2/3 innings. Drysdale’s record would stand for 20 years until another Dodgers’ pitcher, Orel Hershiser, set the new mark in 1988 by pitching 59 consecutive innings without allowing a run.
This lot features the game-used baseball that was captured from that June 8th game against the Phillies in which Drysdale tied the great Walter Johnson, following the third out of the second innings. The ONL (Giles) Spalding baseball shows considerable game use with some contact marks and noticeable toning throughout. On the north panel it is clearly marked in blue ink with the number “56” to indicate the ball that was used to match Johnson’s record that day. The attached photo shows Drysdale in the clubhouse holding three different notated baseballs chronicling his incredible streak: one that tied Walter Johnson’s old mark (“56”); one that broke Johnson’s mark (“56 1/3”); and one that officially set the new bar (“58 2/3”). What an incredible sports artifact this is to commemorate one of Major League Baseball’s greatest pitching achievements in history.
Includes LOA from the Drysdale Family.