$69,995.00
Prior to his arrival to North American shores as one of the most highly-touted players from the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, Ichiro Suzuki was making a name for himself as a member of the Orix BlueWave in the city of Kobe, Japan's seventh-largest city. At just 24 years old, Ichiro had already established himself as one of the greatest pure contact hitters in the league at the time, having owned a batting average no lower than .342 over the past three seasons. The 1997 season proved much of the same; Ichiro appeared in 135 games for the BlueWave, batting .345 with 17 home runs and 91 RBI while swiping 39 stolen bases. Four years later, he would be making his Major League debut as a member of the Seattle Mariners at the start of the 2001 season, thus beginning a career that would eventually lead the Japanese star to the Hall of Fame upon eligibility.
Presented is a professional model Mizuno baseball glove used by Ichiro Suzuki circa 1997 as a member of the Orix BlueWave. Ichiro has penned his flowing signature in black marker on the inside of the glove across the bottom of the pinky sleeve. The glove measures 12 inches and features a dual-laced T-style pocket web. "Blue Wave" and Ichiro's name in Kanji is stitched in blue lettering on the back of the glove's thumb sleeve. The glove exhibits excellent use, with substantial wear in the pocket, face of the web, and throughout the body of the glove. Authentication comes in the form of an LOA from PSA/DNA (1G00902) for game use, plus an LOA from Beckett for signature.
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