Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. wore this Rawlings Pro-6HF model fielder’s glove for during the 1996 and 1997 MLB seasons and comes directly from his personal collection. This glove has also been photo matched to the August 10th, 1997 game by Sports Investors Authentication. Ripken, in the season after he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak, put up a solid Triple Crown slash line of .278/26/102 as the Orioles made a surprising appearance in the American League Championship Series. 1996 was the first season in which Ripken was moved to third base, albeit for a brief six-game stint. The next season, 1997 saw Ripken moved permanently to third base following the acquisition of Mike Bordick.

This offered Rawlings glove displays substantial use with excellent wear shown on the pocket and face of the web. There are two tears in the pocket, one between the base of the index finger and the other in the web crotch. The index finger sleeve above the “Holdster” is slightly depressed from Ripken’s extended index finger. The glove also features a red Rawlings tag sewn on the wrist and a circular Rawlings logo on the back of the thumb slot. “Cal Ripken Jr.” is embroidered on the thumb in black. Ripken has inscribed “96-97 Game” in black marker on the back of the index finger. This glove comes with a signed LOA from Cal Ripken, Jr., plus a LOA from PSA/DNA (1G00699) for the game use. Additionally, there is a LOA from Sports Investors Authentication (210215M4), who photo matched this glove to the August 10th, 1997 game in Anaheim.

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