October Legends Closing November 1
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/2/2014
In his 12th season with the Phillies, Mike Schmidt was Major League Baseball’s most prolific home run hitter from the moment his career began, leading the National League in six of his previous 10 seasons while averaging 35 home runs a year for 11 years, including the strike-shortened 1981 season and his abbreviated rookie campaign of 1973.
Schmidt reached the 400 home run plateau on May 15, 1984 in the 34th game of season. Number 400 came off Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Bob Welch with this 35-inch, 32-ounce Rawlings/Adirondack, Big Stick, Mike Schmidt, Flame Treated natural finish bat, in the top of the 5th inning of the Phillies 12-1 rout over Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. At the time, Schmidt’s 400th home placed him 20th on the all-time list, but he was climbing fast. Other milestones would soon fall as he leapfrogged over some of the most legendary power hitters the game has ever known, landing in seventh place at the time of his retirement behind Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew and Reggie Jackson.
Schmidt’s number 20 is written in black marker on both the knob and barrel ends of the bat and a “HR # 400” inscription is also in black marker just above the label. Bat shows excellent game use with ink transfers, stitch impressions, ball marks and cleat marks around the barrel to the top of the label with a moderate coat of residual pine tar and the handle extending beyond a red ring at the top of the handle and up near the label. “MS 20” and “145 4” are engraved in the knob end and the barrel has been covered in a white tube sock that also has a “HR #400” inscription in blue sharpie. This fantastic piece of home run history comes with a letter of authenticity from Mike Schmidt. Notarized letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA who have rated it a perfect GU-10.