The long-suffering Boston fans finally had a bit of luck in 1961. Just as Ted Williams hung up his spikes for good, a bright young rookie made his appearance in Fenway Park – Carl Yastrzemski. It took the kid a season or two to meet the tremendous expectations placed on him, but by 1963 he had not only met but also surpassed fans expectations. Not only was Yaz as tremendous a hitter as Williams, but he was also a talented outfielder, two skills that would bring a pair of pennants to Boston.

     This Louisville Slugger was there at the very beginning, Yaz’s 1961 rookie campaign. PSA/DNA has determined through factory records that Hillerich & Bradsby shipped a batch of W215’s to Yastrzemski on July 18th, 1961. The Hillerich & Bradsby W215 model bat shows excellent use and is cracked on the handle. There is slight checking found on the back barrel from repeated ball contact and there are many ball marks and stitch impressions visible. The model number “W215” is stamped into the knob end and Yaz’s number “8” is hand written in black marker. A vintage tag is attached to the handle indicating that this bat is the “1st bat, a Louisville Slugger He ever used”. This note is not accurate in that Yastrzemski had ordered bats from the Louisville factory as early as 1959, so, while this is most likely not the very first Louisville Slugger bat the Hall of Famer used with Boston, it was manufactured and most likely used during 1961, Yaz’s rookie year. The bat comes with a full GU 8 graded LOA from PSA/DNA (1B00412) for the game use.

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