Don Mattingly wore these cleats circa 1984-86, when he announced himself as one of the best hitters in baseball. The rangy first baseman played his first full season in 1984 and promptly won the American League batting title, hitting at a .343 clip. Mattingly led the AL in hits and doubles while smashing 23 home runs and driving in 110 RBI. Mattingly improved the next season, winning the American League MVP with a .324/35/145 Triple Crown slash line. In 1986, Mattingly led baseball in hits (238) and doubles (53), while hitting for a career high .352 batting average, with a paltry 35 strikeouts. Mattingly was an All-Star in all three of these seasons, and claimed Gold Glove and Silver Slugger honors in 1985 and 1986.

     These cleats are black and white Converse baseball cleats. Mattingly’s number “23” is written on each insole in black marker. A Converse tag is sewn on each lace guard. The heel of each shoe features a black star. Mattingly has signed the outside of the left cleat in silver marker. The cleats come with a LOA from JT Sports for game use and a COA from Steiner Sports for the signature.

     Also included in this lot is Mattingly’s personal Franklin bat bag. This white and black bag has “23” printed on the body in black. Mattingly signed the bag in blue marker, inscribing “My Personalized Bat Bag N.Y.Y. #23”. This bag, which shows heavy use, is also inscribed with the name “Nokes”, indicating that Mattingly shared the bag with Matt Nokes, a catcher on the Yankees from 1990 to 1994. This item comes with a LOA from JT Sports for game use and a COA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication for the signature.

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