With 363 career victories, Warren Spahn is the winningest left-handed pitcher of all time. A mainstay of the Boston/Milwaukee Braves' starting rotation for two decades. Spahn recorded thirteen seasons of 20+ wins (tied for the MLB record), hurled two No-Hitters and made 17 All-Star teams in a career that stretched from 1942 to ’65. If not for three years of service in WW2 (during which he earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart), 400 wins would have been well within his grasp. The man was a tireless workhorse who finished with 382 complete games – 382!! – and a 3.09 ERA over 5,243 innings. He could get an out any which way, although he did go “Fascist” – as Crash Davis would say – when he led the National League in strikeouts four consecutive seasons (1949-52).
1955 was a bit of a down year for the southpaw, as he mustered only 17 W’s in 31 decisions with a respectable 3.26 ERA. Two years later, Spahn led the Bravos to the NL pennant and a World Series title over the Yankees, earning himself a long overdue Cy Young in the process. This all-original ’55 home gamer worn by Spahn exhibits the aesthetics that made Braves jerseys from the period the most admired garments in baseball. Adorning the front of the cream-colored flannel is the classic team name “Braves” logo and Spahn’s famed No. “21” in red and black felt, with the embroidered felt tomahawk iconography in between. A larger "21" is repeated on the back, while the left sleeve sports the notorious Screamin' Indian patch (otherwise known as Chief Noc-a-Homa). The left front tail has a size 42 Wilson tag, a white strip tag with "Spahn ‘55" chain-stitched in red, followed by the washing instructions. Red and black trim outlines the collar and runs down the full length of the zipper front; the sleeves have the same team color piping near the ends. Aside from a tiny hole below the Indian head patch on the sleeve, the jersey has been remarkably well-preserved. Original gamers from a Hall of Fame player of Spahn’s caliber are rare enough. This astonishing example, hailing from its era of recycled and restored flannels, is an extremely endangered species.
It comes with a pair of 1954-55 Braves home pants with a "55" year strip tag and washing instructions inside the rear waistband; inside the front waistband is the Wilson size "34" manufacturer's label and a "27" strip tag that may stand for the length of the pants (players wore them short in those days with their stirrups). The "27" could also denote another player's uniform number, which would atttribute them to either Danny O'Connell or Catfish Metkovich. A large "54" is handwritten in black marker on the left side of the inner waistband, most likely denoting the prior 1954 season; it was common in those days, with such tight team budgets, for pants to be reused over multlple seasons, especially if they were a comfy fit for someone. The pants show a ton of wear with dozens of team repairs and one hole on the lower left leg. The full uniform was originally sourced by a Minor League player according to a previous listing. The jersey appears to match the one Spahn is wearing in his 1955 Golden Stamps Milwaukee Braves issue (image included).
The jersey includes a letter from MEARS graded a nearly perfect A9.5. Also comes with a nice SGC authentication booklet (22 pages long) by Dave Grob with a perfect Superior "S" grade (equates to 6/6 on their six level grading scale).