Summer Premium and Catalog Auction July 31 & Aug 8
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/9/2015
With a compact yet powerful swing, Harmon Killebrew was the most feared slugger of the 1960's. The 13-time All-Star hit 40 or more home runs eight times during his career, but his finest season was 1969. During that magical summer The Killer slugger 49 round trippers knocking in 140 RBI's, leading the Minnesota Twins to the AL West title. That he even played that year was a minor miracle as he had ruptured his medial hamstring at the end of 1968, an injury that was thought to be career ending. Tough rehabilitation got The Killer back in the line up when 1969 began but he played in constant pain, even as he tallied single season totals in home runs and RBI's that still stand to this day as Minnesota Twins franchise records. When the Twins met the Baltimore Orioles in the AL play-offs, the O's, who boasted one of the greatest pitching staffs in baseball history, refused to pitch to Killebrew, cowardly walking him six times in three games. Killebrew's spectacular season was capped off with him being voted the American League's Most Valuable Player. This is one of the bats he used during that 1969 season. The Killer's Hillerich & Bradsby S207 model bat show excellent use and is un-broken. Several ball marks and stitch imprints are found on the barrel along with cleat impressions. A moderate coat of pine tar is still evident on the bat's handle and Killebrew's number "3" and weight "2" are hand written on the knob end in black marker. These three items are uniquely characteristic of Killebrew's game used bats from this time period. Any Killebrew gamers are hard to come by, but this one truly stands out for its use during the Hall of Famer's MVP season. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA (1B09747) who have graded the bat GU 9.