Though it is hard to pick an era which to call Pete Rose’s best, 1974 to 1977 is a pretty good choice. During those seasons, the Reds, led by Rose’s fiery play and unbridled desire to win, led to the Cincinnati Reds finally winning the World Championship. And the Big Red Machine didn’t stop at just one – after beating the Red Sox in one of the most exciting World Series ever played in 1975, the Reds repeated the next year and swept the New York Yankees in four straight games.

This Adirondack bat was used by Pete Rose in not only both those Championship seasons but the ones bookending them as well. During that 1974-1977 stretch, Rose led the league in doubles for three straight seasons, hits twice and batted a cumulative .304. In 1975 Rose led the Reds with 10 hits in the World Series, batting a lusty .370 against Boston and being named Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year." He finished up the 1977 season just shy of the 3,000-career hit mark, a milestone he would reach in the second month of the 1978 season. As you would guess, Pete’s 1974-1977 Adirondack 69A model bat exhibits heavy use with a slight handle crack. Many ball marks with stitch impressions are found on the left and right barrel along with black ink transfers. Red bat rack paint streaks are visible and there is a light coat of pine tar still clinging to its handle. The model number “69A” is stamped into the knob along with Rose’s famed number “14” in red ink and the bat’s weight “34 ½” in blue ink. The Hit King has signed the barrel in fine black marker, completing this museum-ready gamer from Pete’s prime years as the sparkplug of “The Big Red Machine.” The bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B05142) for the game use and has been graded a near-perfect GU 9, plus a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication for the signature.

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