By 1929, Babe Ruth was an unstoppable offensive force. His bat had led the Yankees to back-to-back World Championships in 1927-28 and he had broken his own single season home run record with 60. In 1929, one of the seasons this bat dates to, Ruth first wore his famous number “3” on his back as the Yankees became the first team to regularly feature numbers on their jerseys. Ruth contributed a .345 average with 46 home runs for 1929, but the Yankees, grieving at the late season loss of beloved manager Miller Huggins, could not catch Connie Mack’s Athletics.

The following season, Ruth became the first player in history to make more than the President of the United States, famously quipping: “I had a better year than he did.” Ruth proved he was worth every cent of his $80,000 paycheck, hitting AL pitching to the tune of .359 and crushing 49 home runs. He even returned to the mound, pitching a complete game victory. By observing several details present on this incredible Hillerich & Bradsby bat, PSA/DNA has been able to date it to Ruth’s tremendous 1929-1930 seasons. The center brand is the C-5B variation that was used on bats ordered between 1928 and 1931. Beginning in 1931, Hillerich & Bradsby added a “Powerized” logo stamp to their bats, and the absence of this on this bat dates it to 1930 at the latest. To further narrow the dates, the weight of the bat corresponds to those ordered by Ruth in 1929-1930. According to its measurements of 35.25” and 37.8 oz., the bat is what Louisville Slugger records referred to as “his 5-14-27”, later known as the R34 model. According to the Babe’s bat ordering records, Ruth only ordered several shipments of the 5-14-27 model and a single order of a Pat Collins model during the 1929-1930 labeling period that this bat dates to.

There is two distinct characteristics found on Ruth game used bats that are present on this bat: left barrel contact area and scoring to the handle and barrel. Throughout Ruth’s career, the slugger gripped his bat with the center brand turned away from him, resulting in the left barrel area, above his stamped signature, showing the brunt of ball contact. This is present on this bat. The other characteristic, scoring on the barrel and handle, can be seen on this bat. Ruth commonly used a bottle cap to create ridges that were thought to help create a backspin on the ball, causing it to rise. Ruth also commonly scored the handle of his bats, giving him a better grip. The left barrel wear and scoring are two characteristics one wants on a genuine Ruth gamer. Condition wise, the bat shows outstanding use. Along with the ball marks on the left barrel, cleat marks can be seen along with a chip on the left barrel, which is possibly a deep cleat impression. Green paint streaks from bat trays can be seen on its barrel and “Yankees 1930” has been hand written in vintage fountain pen above the center brand. This is an important piece of baseball history used by the greatest player in the game, at the very height of his legendary career. This bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B15120) for the game use and has been graded a perfect GU 10.

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