Rollie Fingers joined an incredibly exclusive club in 1981 by winning the Most Valuable Player Award and
the Cy Young Award in the same season. Only nine pitchers have managed the feat: Don Newcombe,
Sandy Koufax, Denny McClain, Vida Blue, Fingers, Willie Hernandez, Roger Clemens and Dennis Eckersley.
Fingers joined the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981 after his sterling four-year, free-agent stint with the Padres,
and apparently found the return to the Junior Circuit to his liking. In arguably his finest campaign he
narrowly missed out on the mythological feat of holding opposing batters below a single run per 9 innings,
ending with a microscopic ERA of 1.06 and 28 saves in that strike-shortened season in 1981.
Fingers’ 1981 MVP Award is a circular showpiece comprised of a 16-inch in diameter black wooden backing,
with an inlaid Dieges & Clust sterling silver plaque with 10K gold components. Around the border, in raised
lettering, the 12-inch in diameter octagonal plaque reads, “KENESAW MOUNTAIN LANDIS MEMORIAL
BASEBALL AWARD.” In the center resides a 6 1/2-inch square baseball diamond design featuring the
following elements: a “BBWAA ” enameled insignia on home plate, a baseball-and-bat “1981” logo, a
brooch-sized bust relief of Landis and the words, “MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AMERICAN LEAGUE” and
“ROLLIE FINGERS” and “MILWAUKEE BREWERS” on a 5-by-1-inch silver nameplate. It is remarkably well
preserved, with very little no evidence of handling on the lustrous silver and gold surfaces and minimal
tarnishing of the sterling silver sections and only the tiniest and barely discernible small scratches on either
the black circular base or the primary octagonal plaque itself. It is a truly stunning presentation of one of
the most important awards of the modern era, a designation that helped redefine the role and stature of
the postwar relief pitcher and promoted the continued elevation of the key strategic role into the lofty
position it currently holds in our national game.
Comes with a LOA from Rollie Fingers.