This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/20/2017
With 27 World Series championships, the New York Yankees are unquestionably the greatest franchise in American professional sports. Their gallery of legends extends from the birth of the modern game, and has continued thanks to players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera. Yankee Stadium has become baseball’s cathedral, a monument to the outsized personalities and athletes of unparalleled quality who have shaped not only baseball, but American culture.
This collection of tickets contains one ticket from a game held at Yankee Stadium from every World Series the Yankees won, ranging from 1923 to 2009. The first ticket, from the World Series that sparked the incredible Yankee dynasty of the 1920’s and 1930’s is from Game 3 of the 1923 World Series. This game was a nerve wracking pitcher’s duel between Sad Sam Jones of the Yankees against Art Nehf of the cross town New York Giants. Nehf won the day, throwing a complete game shutout, with the only run coming on a solo home run in the seventh inning from light-hitting center fielder Casey Stengel. Stengel would later make up for this game by managing the Yankees to seven World Series titles between 1949 and 1960, including five consecutive from 1949 to 1953. Babe Ruth did his best to win Game 3 for the Yankees, finishing one for two, but reaching base twice via a walk. This series also contained a case of sibling rivalry, with Bob Meusel manning left field for the Yankees, while his brother Irish roamed left for the National League ballclub. The Giants could not keep the Yankees down for long, as the Bronx Bombers promptly won the next three games to bring the World Series title back from the Polo Grounds. This ticket is a stub, and it has been encapsulated and deemed authentic by PSA/DNA (25387096).
“The Babe” would be a fixture in the Yankee lineup for the next decade, helping the club win titles in 1927, 1928, and 1932. This ticket is from his final World Series game at Yankee Stadium, Game 2 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. In the very next game, Ruth would hit possibly the most infamous home run in MLB history, the “Called Shot” home run, at Wrigley Field. Lefty Gomez took the mound for the Yankees in Game 2, delivering a masterful complete game allowing only two runs early on the way to a comfortable 5-2 win. This series was the last World Series hurrah of the Murderer’s Row, with Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bill Dickey powering the Yankee offense to a title for the last time together. The Yankees handily won the next two games of the series, ensuring a dominant sweep of the overmatched Cubs. This ticket stub has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (25635192).
The Murderer’s Row era officially ended in 1939, when the great Lou Gehrig was forced by ALS to hang up his spikes and end his incredible career. Game 2 of the 1939 World Series would be the final game Gehrig attended in uniform at Yankee Stadium before his passing on June 2nd, 1941. The Yankees certainly showed up for their stricken compatriot, shutting out the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 behind a complete game, two-hitter from ace Monte Pearson. Joe DiMaggio and the rest of the Yankees would go on to sweep the series, with the tragic circumstances of their Hall of Fame teammate spurring them on to their fourth consecutive World Series title. This ticket stub has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26013332).
Joe DiMaggio led the Yankees during their next era of excellence, winning nine World Series between 1936 and 1951. This ticket is from his final game with the Yankees, Game 6 of the 1951 World Series against the New York Giants. DiMaggio ended his career how only he could, reaching base three times and scoring a run to ensure a 4-3 Yankee victory. The Yankees started four Hall of Famers in this game, with DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, and Johnny Mize all getting hits in Game 6, leading the Yankees to a six game World Series victory, the 14th in franchise history. While one door closed in 1951 another opened, with a bright eyed, 19 year old kid from Oklahoma named Mickey Mantle making his World Series debut. This ticket stub has been encapsulated by PSA/DNA (26013350) and graded a GOOD 2.
In 1953 the Yankees were firmly Yogi Berra’s team. The veteran catcher would win the American League MVP award in 1954 and 1955, capping off an incredible run where the Yankees won every World Series from 1949 through 1953. In ’53, the Yankees met their fearsome rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, in a cross town World Series matchup. The Yankees won the series in six, with Whitey Ford outdueling Carl Erskine to win the deciding game 4-3. Berra was the star of this series, hitting .429 with a home run and four RBI. Game Six, the game this ticket is from, was the clinching game of the Yankees 16th World Series victory, by far the most of any team to that point. This ticket stub has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (22622627).
It did not take the Yankees long to win their next World Series, as they played against (and lost to) the Dodgers in 1955, but earned a rematch in 1956. This series saw the most incredible World Series game of all-time when Don Larsen stepped to the mound in Game 5. Larsen proceeded to mow down Dodger after Dodger, repeating this process 27 times until he had pitched the first and only perfect game in postseason history. Larsen’s otherworldly pitching preserved the 2-0 victory for the Yankees, with Mickey Mantle hitting the eighth of his record 18 World Series home run to provide offense for the Bombers. The series would go on to seven games, though the Yankees won the final game emphatically, by a score of 9-0. For his incredible feat, Larsen earned the second World Series MVP trophy. This Game 5 ticket stub has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26683955).
After the Mickey Mantle era, the Yankees found themselves adrift from their usual position of Major League superiority. This would change in 1977, when Reggie Jackson hit five home runs in the World Series, including three in one game, to lead the Yankees to their 21st World Series title, this time over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 was the clinching game of this series, and it is the game where Reggie Jackson truly earned his nickname, “Mr. October”. Jackson, the MVP of the World Series, hit three home runs in three at bats to power the Yankees to an 8-4 victory and the title. This ticket has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26013392).
Other important tickets in this collection include Game 3 of the 1927 World Series, when Babe Ruth hit his ninth World Series home run (PSA/DNA Stub Authentic, 17220551), and Game 2 of the 1928 World Series, when Lou Gehrig hit the first World Series home run of his career (PSA/DNA Stub Authentic, 24637364). Next comes a collection of tickets from three consecutive Yankee World Series victories, Game 3 of the 1936 Series (PSA/DNA Stub Authentic, 26013330), Game 2 of the 1937 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub Authentic, 25635200), and Game 3 of the 1938 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub Authentic, 25635201).
The next group of tickets is from the DiMaggio era, starting with Game 1 of the 1941 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub FR 1.5, 26013334). Next is a stub from Game 2 of the 1943 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub GOOD 2, 26013335), followed by Game 6 of the 1947 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub GOOD 2, 26013339). Also represented is Game 2 of the 1949 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub PR 1, 26013340) and Game 3 of the 1950 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub VG 3, 26013343).
The next batch of tickets is from the 1950s and 1960s, and includes Game 3 of the 1952 Series (PSA/DNA Stub GOOD 2, 26013352), Game 4 of the 1958 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub GOOD 2, 26013357), Game 1 of the 1961 World Series (PSA/DNA Stub GOOD 2, 26013368), and Game 3 of the ’62 Series (PSA/DNA Stub, 26013373). The only other ticket from the 1970s is from the 1978 World Series. It is from Game 5, a 12-2 Yankee victory. PSA/DNA have deemed this ticket stub authentic (26013393).
The Yankees did win the World Series again until 1996, when the group of players known as the Core Four emerged. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada reestablished the Yankees lost dominance in the late 1990s, leading them to World Series victories in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. The first ticket is from Game 2 of the 1996 Series, when Derek Jeter recorded his first World Series hit. This ticket has been deemed authentic by PSA/DNA (26013396). Other tickets include Game 2 of the 1998 Series (PSA/DNA Stub VG – EX 4, 26013398), Game 3 of the 1999 Series (PSA/DNA Stub VG 3, 26013400), and Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, also known as the Subway Series (PSA/DNA Stub GOOD 2, 26013401). It was during this game that Roger Clemens retrieved a chunk of Mets catcher Mike Piazza’s broken bat and hurled it back at the Hall of Fame catcher.
The final ticket is from the Yankees’ most recent championship, the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. This full ticket is from Game 6, the clinching 7-3 Yankee victory. Andy Pettitte won the game for the Yanks, with Pedro Martinez on the losing end for the Phillies. Hideki Matsui claimed World Series MVP honors, hitting .615 with three home runs and eight RBI. This full ticket has been encapsulated and graded a VG – EX 4 by PSA/DNA (25635174). This collection of 27 tickets is a must have for Yankee fans, as it sums up the greatness of the New York ballclub in a unique, expansive, and aesthetically pleasing way. The owner of these tickets would have a collection of unparalleled rarity and elegance.