October Legends Closing October 29
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/30/2016
No player in the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers was more revered by their fans than Gil Hodges. In fact, legend has it that Hodges was the only Dodger who was never booed in Ebbets Field. Now THAT'S respect! From 1948 until they left a decade later, Gil Hodges was the team's quiet leader, a pillar of strength that supported the Dodgers through five hard-fought pennant drives and one unbelievable World Championship. And it was one of those World Series', 1952, that this brilliant Hodges bat originates from.
The Hillerich & Bradsby H138 model bat weights 34.5 ounces and is 34.875 inches in length. Allowing for age shrinkage, the bat matches the order placed by Hodges on September 26, 1952. The bat is un-cracked and shows medium game use. The barrel has several light ball marks and green bat rack paint streaks are evident. Hodges famously went hitless in the 1952 Series, inspiring more than one Catholic priest in Brooklyn to end their Sunday mass with "and pray for Gil Hodges to get a hit". While the first baseman went hitless, 15 of his outs were from balls hit into play, so the ball marks seen on this bat may have come from World Series use. As was common for the time, Hodges may also have kept this bat for use during the following season, where, much to the relief of Brooklyn fans, he came out of his slump by hitting .302 with 31 homers.
The barrel carries the custom "WORLD SERIES 1952" and "BROOKLYN DODGERS" stamping along with "HODGES" in block letters. Model number "H138" is stamped into the knob end. The ash finish has taken on a golden glow with age, which combined with its World Series stamping, makes this a beautiful display piece. The bat experts at MEARS agree, grading this spectacular piece of Brooklyn wood a perfect A10 (305546).