Following in the tradition Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice became the next great power hitting leftfielder to play his entire career in Boston, a 16-season run from 1974-1989. During his tenure at Fenway, Rice was an eight-time American League All-Star, was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 1978 and went on to become the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons, while joining Ty Cobb as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three years in a row. He batted over .300 seven times, collected 100 runs batted in eight times and four times topped the 200-hit mark. Rice displayed consistent power as well, with eleven seasons at or above the 20 home run mark while leading the league in home runs three times. After he was the AAA International League Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Triple Crown winner in 1974, he and fellow rising star Fred Lynn, nicknamed “The Gold Dust Twins,” were brought up to the Red Sox to finish the big league season. Rice finished that season playing 24 games, with 67 at-bats before becoming the full-time left fielder the next season.
Proudly presented is the game-used “pre-rookie” home jersey of Hall of Famer Jim Rice, worn during that late season call-up in the fall of 1974. Inside the front tail is the McAuliffe Uniform Corp. label, with team tagged “1974” stitched above it and size “42” tag stitched below. The jersey shows extensive game use, especially considering he only played in 24 games, and many of those were on the road. The individually stitched letters and numbers on the back show significant puckering, with loosened stitches (specifically on the X in Red Sox and the number 1 on the back). Under the “14” is a large, black sharpie autograph of Jim Rice. This is a rare and exquisite piece of baseball memorabilia! LOA from Mile High Card Co.