In the summer of 1945 Hank Greenberg returned from five long years of war. When he went into the service in 1941 he was at the peak of his career, but now he was 34 and exhausted after serving in faraway China and India. When he took off his uniform he found his team, the Detroit Tigers, was in the midst of a pennant race. Though he hadn't played ball in years, Greenberg jumped back in the line up and led the Tigers to not only the pennant but a World Championship. Although it was good to be playing baseball again, throughout 1945 Greenberg didn't feel like he had found his old form. As the 1946 season dawned he was determined to be the same player he was before the war and he did. 1946 was one of Greenberg's finest seasons, slugging 44 home runs and 127 RBI to lead the league. Yet even after such a season the Tigers balked at their stars salary demands for the 1947 season. When no agreement was met Hank decided to quit rather than play ball at a reduced rate. The Tigers in turn sold Greenberg's contract to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates had a terrible team but had a young slugging star in Ralph Kiner - what could be better than pairing the new kid with veteran Hank Greenberg? Pittsburgh paid Greenberg what he was worth, making him the first ballplayer in history to surpass the $80,000 mark. The Pirates found it was worth every penny. Greenberg turned out before batting practice to mentor Ralph Kiner and helped fine tune the swing that would make him a home run champion with 51 that year. When Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barriers Greenberg became one of the first ballplayers to openly welcome him. When the books closed on 1947 Greenberg had hit 25 home runs, making him the first player to hit 25 home runs in both the National and American Leagues. As a nod to his batting eye and the danger pitchers saw him, he led the league in walks. And then, just like that, Hank Greenberg retired. The slugging first baseman transitioned to a second career running the Cleveland Indians and later the Chicago White Sox. In 1956 he was elected to the Hall of Fame, becoming the first Jewish player to have a plaque in Cooperstown.

   This Hillerich & Bradsby G79 bat was used by Greenberg in those final two seasons. The G79 shows excellent use and as would be expected from the man who led the league in homers, the barrel exhibits several ball marks. Green bat rack paint streaks from Briggs Stadium and Forbes Field are visible on the bat's surface. Louisville Slugger records show that Greenberg bulk ordered G79's throughout 1946 and 1947 although none exactly matching this bat's 34.5 inch and 33.9 oz specs. It is thought that Greenberg, in an effort to speed up his swing either shortened this bat from it's original 35 inch length or special ordered this bat from the Louisville factory, something that would not have been recorded in the company's records. Baseball historians know that Greenberg tinkered with different bat sizes and weights through out his career and as such PSA/DNA have deemed this bat to have been game used by Hank Greenberg during the 1946 or 1947 season. It is a Hall of Fame quality piece representing how one man's overcame five years of war and against all the odds regained his place as the American Leagues home run champion. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA (1B09994) who have graded this bat GU 7.5.

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