This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/22/2018
With a starting lineup that showcased four future Hall of Famers (Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri and Combs) and two starting pitchers (Pennock and Hoyt) that would also make it to Cooperstown, it seemed the 1926 World Series would be child's play for the New York Yankees. Just one season away from their famed "Murderer's Row" run of 1927, the Yankees had an amazing array of star power. Ah, but their World Series rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, had other plans. Backed by the pitching of 39-year old Grover Cleveland Alexander and "Sunny" Jim Bottomley's .345 batting average, the Cardinals rallied from the brink of elimination to take the final two games and the series. The Yankees would go on to win the next eight World Series matchups that they'd appear in over the next 16 years, ironically stopped again by the Cardinals in 1942. The featured piece could easily be on display in Cooperstown but instead is set to be added to a world-class collection; Jim Bottomley's game-used 1926 World Series bat. This Hillerich & Bradsby gamer is un-cracked yet exhibits plenty of game use in the form of ball and bat rack marks. A tape ring just below the knob exists where tape was applied and later removed, a telltale characteristic of Bottomley gamers, and a label just under the stamped signature reads, "Bottomley used this bat in the 1926 World Series, which was won by his team, the St. Louis Cardinals." PSA/DNA agrees, giving the bat a perfect determination of GU 10. This model bat (H117), though not printed on the barrel, was the same used by Cardinals teammate Rogers Hornsby, and Bottomley often referred to the model bat as "his Hornsby." This particular bat originated from the estate of Jim Bottomley's widow, having come home with Sunny Jim from the '26 series and remained with him until his death in 1959. The bat remained with Bottomley's widow and then passed to her second husband when she died in 1977. Upon his death, the bat was passed to his daughter, where it was acquired. There are few examples of such historical importance that are ever made available to the general public with such rock solid provenance and a perfect score from PSA/DNA. A truly spectacular item! LOA from PSA/DNA graded GU 10.