Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
After somehow failing to qualify for the World Series the previous season, the 1949 New York Yankees returned with a vengeance, winning 97 games and taking down the Brooklyn Dodgers in five games to start a string of five straight World Championships in the Bronx. From that ’49 squad, 22 members signed this Official American League (Harridge) ball, including the prominent placement of Joe DiMaggio, as well as fellow Hall of Famers Johnny Mize, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra. Manager Casey Stengel’s signature is deemed to be clubhouse (which was common for Stengel), but included are Vic Raschi, Eddie Lopat, Allie Reynolds, and many others. The ball displays significant yellowing with age and there is some chipping by DiMaggio’s autograph on the sweet spot but many of the signatures in steel-tip fountain pen remain very sharp. JSA LOA included.