It was 1966 at Connie Mack Stadium where the Cincinnati Reds traveled to play the home Philadelphia Phillies. It was Pete Rose’s fourth professional season, and he had won the 1963 Rookie of the Year award and led the National League in hitting the prior season with 209 hits.
Rose’s bat of choice was the S2 model, measuring 35 ¾” (recorded as 36” from the Louisville Slugger factory), and weigh 32 ounces. This bat was perfected recorded via the H&B factory records and Pete Rose’s personal bat record.
Our consignor was a young teen age baseball fan who prior to that day, she was an exclusive Phillies fan. After the game, Pete emerged from the field, with bat in hand, and came to the fence to sign autographs and talk to the fans. She waited her turn before approaching Pete, and he first spoke to her and said, “I was saving the ladies for last, and wanted to give you my bat”. Rose then gifted her what is arguable one of the finest Rose specimen’s to enter the hobby.
This bat is perfectly factory recorded, has Rose’s documented 14 on the knob, some of the heaviest application of pinetar on the handle seen, and ball/stitch marks heavy on the barrel.
In 1972, our consignor brought her prized bat to the Phillies new Veteran’s Stadium to show Pete that she had kept and cherished it. In typical Rose fashion, he replied, “Where did you get that bat, I only give my bats to retards!” Simply put, Pete has always been Pete.
MEARS has graded this bat a perfect MEARS A10 as it perfected matches all categories of perfection to achieve the coveted A10 designation. MEARS A10 LOA, Letter of provenance from consignor.
(93S0182)