JULY 19TH AUCTION
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/20/2013
In the late summer of 1978, Lyman Bostock was on the way up. After being called up to the Twins in late 1975 he’d been an instrumental part of the team and one of the up and coming AL stars. In his rookie year he finished 4th in batting and in 1977 just missed the title, coming in second behind his teammate Rod Carew. 1978 was to be his year. One of the first big-time free agents, Bostock signed with the California Angels. Sports Illustrated memorialized the event with its iconic cover featuring Bostock in an Angels jersey wearing sunglasses with dollar signs on them. The first thing Bostock did after signing his lucrative contract was donate $10,000 to a Birmingham church for a new Sunday school. When he started off the 1978 season in a slump, Bostock tried to return his paycheck. When the Angels refused to take it back, Lyman donated the full sum to charity. He was that kind of guy, which makes what happened on September 22, 1978 all the more tragic. After a day game against the White Sox where he went 2-4, Bostock, as usual when he played Chicago, went to Gary, Indiana to spend the night with his Uncle Thomas. After dinner, he and his uncle visited a woman whom Bostock had tutored as a teenager. After a short visit, Bostock and his uncle agreed to drop the woman and her sister off at a friend’s house on their way home. Unknown to Bostock, the woman’s sister was estranged from a violent ex-husband and he was waiting outside, watching. When the four got into the car, the husband followed and at a stoplight unloaded a shotgun into the car. Lyman Bostock took the blast to his temple and two hours later was dead. In one of the biggest miscarriages of justice, the deranged husband copped an insanity plea and after one hung jury, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and freed. It was a terrible end to a good guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We are pleased to offer two game-used items from the short career of Lyman Bostock. The first is a pair of pants from Bostock’s first full season in the majors. The pair of official Wilson MLB Minnesota Twins uniform pants (size 30) were worn during his 1976 season. Bostock batted .323 in 1976 and collected 153 hits. The second item is Bostock’s game-used Louisville Slugger C243 bat. Used during the 1977 and 1978 seasons, the handle is cracked and shows excellent use. The handle has a heavy coat of pine tar and the barrel shows several ball marks with stitch impressions. Bat rack streaks and cleat impressions are also visible.
The Flame Burned finish has taken on a warm patina over the years making this rare bat all the more attractive. PSA/DNA sticker number 1B05360 is affixed to the knob end. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA, who have given this bat a grade of GU 8.5.