While professional baseball in Japan dates back almost as far as it does in the United States, both countries have enjoyed a long-lasting symbiotic relationship revolving around the game. This included numerous goodwill tours and exhibitions played between American Major League teams and Japanese amateur as well as college ball clubs during the first three decades of the 20th century.

The Major League tours of Japan reached a zenith in 1934 when Japanese newspaper mogul Matsutara Shoriki organized the biggest exhibition of Major League All-Stars to-date, scheduling 18 games against Japan’s Big Six University League. Legendary Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack was asked to assemble the Major League team whose star-studded squad included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez, Lefty O’Doul, Earl Averill, Charlie Gehringer, Mo Berg, Eric “Rabbit” McNair, Earl Whitehill, Harold “Rabbit” Warstler, Bing Miller, Frankie Hayes, athletics trainer Doc Ebbling and umpire John Quinn.

Offered here is a photograph from one of those games showing Babe Ruth in his classic follow-through swing. This 8 x 10 sepia toned photograph shows Ruth at the plate with a Japanese catcher holding his glove out ready to catch a pitch that would never arrive. Ruth, in his follow-through swing, appears to be looking towards deep right field, a common destination for one of his at-bats. A full crowd is visible on what is the third base side and a dugout of players looking on. Matted and framed to an approximately 16 x 14-inch dimension, Ruth signed his name in black pen across his legs and inscribed “To My Little Friend Alan Sincerely Babe Ruth This was taken in Japan Nov 2nd 1934”. This is one of the nicest Ruth signatures around! The photograph and frame appear to be in good condition with only minor edge wear on the frame. This incredible artifact from the famous 1934 Tour of Japan comes with a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A56081), who has graded Ruth’s signature a perfect GEM MINT 10.

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