Summer Premium and Catalog Auction July 31 & Aug 8
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/9/2015
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt had firmly established himself as Major League Baseball’s premier home run leading the National League for three consecutive years from 1974-1976. Schmidt hit a career-high 45 home runs in 1979 but earned his first league MVP award during the Phillies memorable World Series championship season of 1980 launching a league-leading, new career-high 48 long balls and also led the league with 121 RBI, a .624 slugging percentage and 1.004 OPS. Schmidt knocked this Rawlings Charles S. Feeney National League ball for his 19th home run of the season (the 254th of his career) and 1001st career hit off San Diego Padres hurler Randy Jones with Pete Rose on second base in the bottom of the first inning at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia on June 13, 1980. “1001 Base Hit” and “HR#19” is inscribed by Schmidt in black ball point pen on a side panel while “19th HR” and “1001 1980” are also written in fading black ball point ink on another side panel above the Rawlings label. The ball displays some toning and has a hard scuff mark off to the side of the center labeling where it may have landed, it’s also bruised just above where it may have been hit and comes with a notarized letter of authenticity from Mike Schmidt.