Opening Day Auction 2014
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/26/2014
The Reds star was a mere 24 that summer, just a pair of big league seasons under his belt. Though he was a good ballplayer - exciting to watch and always hustling - Pete Rose had yet to have that truly big breakout season. 1965 was that year. Hitting .312 down the line, Pete led all National League batters with 209 hits, the first of 10 seasons of 200 or more hits. On August 27th of that year, the defending NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals came into town for a weekend series at Crosley Field. The Friday game was a long nail biter, eventually won in the 14th by St. Louis, 6-5. Rose went 1 for 7. The next day Cincinnati roared back beating Curt Simmons and Steve Carlton 8-2, Rose going 1 for 3 with a sacrifice and run scored. Sunday Pete went 1 for 4 with a double and run scored but the Reds went down 10-4. What are the significance of those three games? During the series one lucky young Reds fan was given this Louisville Slugger by Pete Rose himself. The boy noted the dates of the games on this bat which is still visible below the facsimile signature on the barrel. 37 years later Pete once again took this bat in hand and examined it, declaring it to be his from the '65 season. Turning the bat in his hands he recognized the particular pine tar application and handwritten number "14" on both ends of the bat as his own work. Pete wrote out his authentification of the bat on Cincinnati Reds stationary and signed it, which is of course included with the bat. The bat is a Hillerich & Bradsby S2, a magnificent piece of lumber which after 40 some years has taken on a nice warm patina. The barrel exhibits ball marks and stitch impressions from genuine 1965 vintage Pete Rose hits, most in a concentrated 4" area above the barrel signature. Cleat marks, which Pete claimed as his own in the LOA, are on the bat. The ink transfers from more than one Official National League baseball can be seen. On the barrel are blue and red paint streaks left from the bat racks in long gone places like Forbes Field, Connie Mack Stadium, and Crosley Field. Reunited with the bat, Rose signed the barrel in strong black marker adding "Hit King" and "4256 1965". It's a beautiful bat, wielded during the early years of the man who would go one to have the most hits in the history of the game. MEARS thoroughly examined the bat and issued it their perfect grade of 10 as did PSA/DNA, their Letter of Authenticity calling it a perfect GU 10. This may be the earliest Pete Rose game used bat in existence and certainly the only one from such a significant time in Rose's career.