Baseball’s Iron Man Cal Ripken, Jr. played his final MLB season in 2001, ending a career that saw him collected over 3,000 hits and 431 home runs. Ripken, baseball’s all-time leader in consecutive games started, played in his 19th All-Star Game in 2001, hitting a home run off Chan Ho Park and earning All-Star Game MVP honors. In 2007, Ripken was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot, collecting 98.5% of the vote. Presented here is a Louisville Slugger P72 model bat that comes directly from the personal collection of Cal Ripken, Jr. and was used for the final time in his last at-bat of the August 14th, 2001 game against the Kansas City Royals. Played at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Ripken went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the Orioles 5-2 victory during the August 14th game and in the bottom of the 7th inning, Ripken used this bat to fly out to right field. This bat displays outstanding game use and is un-cracked. There is slight checking or grain swelling from repeated ball contact present on the barrel. The handle has a moderate coating of pine tar and Ripken added athletic tape that wraps around the lower barrel and wrote in blue marker “Last AB 4th AB VS KC Henry August 14, 2001”. This bat comes with a signed LOA from Cal Ripken, Jr., plus a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B19742) for the game use and have given this bat the highest possible grade of GU 10.

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