The Finest Roger Maris 1967 Game Used Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat PSA DNA 10

Six summers after beating Babe Ruth’s single season home run record, Roger Maris was happily out of the New York spotlight and manning the outfield for the Cardinals in St. Louis. Since joining the Cards in 1965, Maris had been a steadying influence on the team as they geared up for a pennant run in 1967. That season Maris hit .261 with 9 home runs, not bad, but nothing when compared to what he did in the World Series that fall. Facing the Red Sox, Maris pounded Boston pitching to the tune of .385. He added a home run and knocked in seven of the Cardinals 25 runs.

The Cardinals repeated as pennant winners the next season, with Maris hitting .255 in 100 games. That would prove to be Maris’ final season, capping off a career that made him a household name. Interestingly, it was his time in St. Louis and not the ones spent as a Yankee that the slugger considered his happiest in the Majors. This game used bat dates to those Cardinals seasons, and more specifically, 1967 and 1968, when Maris and the Cardinals won a pair of pennants and a World Championship.

The Hillerich & Bradsby A92 model bat is un-cracked and displays outstanding game use. There are many ball marks with stitch impressions that are visible on all sides of the barrel, along with cleat imprints. There are blue and red bat rack paint streaks abound, giving this bat real “been there” eye appeal. The knob end has been stamped with the model number “A92” and Maris’ iconic number “9” is handwritten in black marker. The bat’s weight “33 1/3” is written in black marker and “33 ½” in pencil on the knob as well. A feature which sets this Maris gamer apart from all others is that the handle has been taped in a distinctive spiral pattern to enhance the grip. This pattern of white adhesive tape appears to match a photograph taken of Roger Maris during his years with the Cardinals, putting this bat directly in the hands of the Home Run Champ during his playing days. In addition to the tape application, the proliferation of cleat imprints on all sides of the barrel are also clearly visible. A copy of this photo is included with this lot. A tremendous piece of baseball history with solid game used attributes leading directly to Roger Maris. This bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B03706) for the game use and has been given the highest possible grade of GU 10.