Baseball Great Moments Signed Baseball Hank Aaron Nolan Ryan Don Larsen Beckett

Presented is a “Great Baseball Moments” multi-signed and inscribed Official National League A. Bartlett Giamatti baseball, featuring the signatures of Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan as well as baseball stars including Orel Hershiser, Don Larsen, Bobby Thomson, Cookie Lavagetto, Pete Rose, Harvey Haddix,  Al Gionfriddo, Sandy Amoros, Johnny Vander Meer and Mickey Owen. Gionfriddo has signed his name in blue marker on the sweet spot and inscribed “10-5-47” above his signature (the date of his legendary catch of a Joe DiMaggio fly ball to the outfield in the bottom of the fifth with two men on during the 1947 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers).

Nolan Ryan has signed his name in gold marker to the left of Gionfriddo, and inscribed “5000KS 8/22/83” below his signature. Don Larsen has signed his name in purple marker above Ryan and inscribed “2-0 Oct. 8, 1956” below his signature. Larsen pitched the sixth perfect game in MLB history, doing so in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. It is the only no-hitter and perfect game in World Series history. Harvey Haddix has signed his name in purple marker to the right of Gionfriddo, and inscribed “1-0 5-26-59” below his signature. A pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Haddix is best known for pitching 12 perfect innings in a game against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959; the Pirates lost the game in the 13th. Below Haddix is the signature of Sandy Amoros in blue pen; he has inscribed “55 W.S.” below his signature. Below Amoros is Orel Hershiser’s signature in blue pen, with the inscription “59 Scoreless 1988” below his signature. Hershiser's most successful season came in 1988, when he set a major league record by pitching 59 consecutive innings without allowing a run. Hank Aaron’s signature is to the left of the ONL/Giamatti stamp, in blue pen; he has inscribed “715 4/8/74” above his signature.

Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s career home run mark of 714 on April 8, 1974 as a member of the Atlanta Braves, and went on to hold the MLB HR record of 755 up to 2007. Below Aaron’s signature is the signature of Johnny Vander Meer in black pen, and the inscription “3-0 6-0” below his signature. Vander Meer is best known for being the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw two consecutive no-hitters, early in the 1938 season with the Cincinnati Reds. To the right of the signatures of Aaron and Vander Meer is the signature of Mickey Owen, in blue pen, and the inscription, below his signature “1941 World Series”.  Owen is most remembered in baseball lore today for a costly mistake that he committed during the 1941 World Series, when the Dodgers catcher missed a third-strike pitch to Yankees batter Tommy Henrich with two out in the top of the ninth, allowing Henrich to make it safely to first base. The Yankees then rallied and scored four runs in the remainder of the inning and won the game 7–4.

Bobby Thomson has signed his name in black pen to the right of the ONL/Giamatti stamp, and inscribed “Oct. 3, 1951” below his signature. Thomson’s pennant-winning three-run home run for the New York Giants against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 is popularly known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and is one of the most famous moments in baseball history. Cookie Lavagetto has signed his name in blue pen below Thompson, and inscribed “1947 Oct. World Series” below his signature. He was the pinch hitter whose two-out, ninth-inning double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a victory over the New York Yankees. Pete Rose has signed his name in black pen below Lavagetto, and inscribed “#4256” below his signature. Rose accumulated 4,256 career hits from 1963 to 1986, surpassing Ty Cobb’s 4,191 career total (1928-1985). This item comes with a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A25409).

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