In his 2001 rookie season, Alfonso Soriano finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, batting .268 with 18 homers and 73 RBI. The slugging second baseman used this offered bat during that fateful season in which the Yankees came oh-so-close to winning another World Series, which would have made it five in six years. The lot also includes a ball used in Game 5 of the 2001 Fall Classic, which has been signed by Soriano.
Soriano was known to prefer longer, heavier bats in his heyday, and this 35", 35-oz. pro model SAM BAT is no exception. The barrel has "Alfonso Soriano" printed in black with the model number "GH 1" just above. There are a few cracks along the label and the bat has significant game use with a moderate amount of pine tar running up the label and Soriano's custom crisscrossed tape job on the handle. The barrel is loaded with ball, rack and spike marks. The knob end has the SAM BAT Canadian manufacturing sticker. The barrel end has the written notations "35 33oz. 21 10 01 GH1 AS" indicating length, weight (short by 2 oz.), date used, model and player.
What's interesting about the "21 10 01" date is that is likely stands for "October 21, 2001", meaning this could be the bat Soriano used in Game 4 of the ALCS to crush a game-winning, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki. Images on Getty would need to be blown up in high resolution to be conclusive. That was a pivotal game for the Yankees as they took a commanding 3-1 series lead and would clinch a trip to the Fall Classic in five, ruining Seattle's record-setting regular season.
The Official 2001 World Series (Selig) baseball shows obvious game use with significant soiling. Soriano's autograph blesses the sweet spot in 8/10 blue ballpoint. MLB Authentication hologram (GR097007) confirms the ball's use in Game 5 against the Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium. It was a memorable one for the Yanks as they rallied from 2-0 down in the ninth inning on Scott Brosius' dramatic 2-run shot off Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim. Soriano won it in the bottom of the 12th with a walk-off single, his second hit of the night. Alas, the D-Backs would take the final two games of the series at home to win their first and only world championship.
Autograph pre-certified by PSA/DNA.