Before Babe Ruth came along, Frank “Home Run” Baker was the premier slugger in the game. Baker, like Ruth, was a Marylander, and while the latter was learning the game from the brothers at St. Mary’s, Baker was thrilling baseball fans with his long ball heroics with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics. Baker was the third baseman on the famous “$100,000 Infield” that won three World Championships between 1910 and 1913. In an era where inside baseball was the way to play the game, Baker became a proto-slugger, winning four consecutive home run titles between 1911 and 1914. At the end of his career Baker was teammates with Ruth on the Yankees of the early 1920’s and had a first-row seat as the Babe surpassed his own career home run total of 96 and became the game’s home run king.

This Hall of Fame gamer dates from the last of Baker’s four consecutive home run championship seasons which also coincided with the fourth year in a row his A’s made the post-season. The Hillerich & Bradsby World’s Championship model bat is un-cracked and displays excellent use. Several vintage ball marks are visible on the left and right barrel along with cleat imprints and green bat rack paint streaks. The C-2A style center brand combined with the “Kork” branding dates this bat to the September 15, 1914 through 1915 time period. Home Run Baker gamers are few and far between, and this is a superb example of this early star of the game and Hall of Famer. The bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B15090) for the game use and has been graded a solid GU 8.

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