Winter 2020 Catalog Auction Ending Feb 22
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2020
Offered is former New York Yankees pitching star Don Larsen’s signature (twice) on a June 13, 1950 “Uniform Player Contract approved by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues” between the Wichita Falls baseball club and Larsen. The San Diego, California native has signed his name in blue pen on the first and third pages of the four-page blue-paper contract with black typewritten addenda. Larsen started his professional baseball career with the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Class-C Northern League in 1947, appearing in 16 games. He had a 4–3 record and a 3.42 earned run average. The next season with Aberdeen, he won 17 games and had a 3.75 ERA in 34 games. Larsen started the 1949 season pitching for the Globe-Miami Browns of the Class-C Arizona-Texas League, before he moved up the minor league hierarchy, playing for the Springfield Browns in the Class-B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League, and the Wichita Falls Spudders of the Class-B Big State League for the first half of the 1950 season. Larsen was promoted to the Wichita Indians of the Class-A Western League in the second half of the 1950 season. With the Indians, Larsen had a 6–4 record with a 3.14 ERA in 21 games.
In 1951, Larsen was drafted to the U.S. Army for the Korean War. He spent the next two years in the Army, working in a variety of non-combat jobs. He was discharged from the Army in 1953 and made the St. Louis Browns roster prior to the beginning of the season. This item comes with a LOA from Don Larsen.