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1924-28 Rogers Hornsby Game Used Bat 1924-28 Rogers Hornsby Game Used Bat.

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop / Sports - Game Used Memorabilia Start Price:9,500.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD
1924-28 Rogers Hornsby Game Used Bat 1924-28 Rogers Hornsby Game Used Bat.
<B>1924-28 Rogers Hornsby Game Used Bat.</B></I> "I don't like to sound egotistical," Hornsby once quipped for the press, "but every time I stepped up to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the pitcher." While this may sound immodest, we must paraphrase his fellow Cooperstown inductee Dizzy Dean's contention that it isn't bragging if you can back it up. Hornsby certainly could, and did. Twice he topped the magically elusive .400 mark during the five-season span of this bat's potential service, and only during the World Championship season of 1926 did he fail to place at least second in average for the National League for this period. Much of this fine work is clearly evident in the ash of this signature model Hillerich & Bradsby owned and operated by one of the greatest batsmen of the pre-war period. Dozens of ball marks coat the barrel, with punishment so severe that the grain has swollen from the impacts. Gouges from Hornsby's spikes are visible in the barrel as well, as Rajah used the bat to tap caked dirt from his shoes. A slight handle crack does not threaten the structural integrity of the bat, but did put an end to what had to have been a long period of service. A close inspection of the left barrel reveals traces of factory side-writing, indicating that this bat was returned to the factory to be used as a template for models of the same specifications, proving that this bat was not only used by Hornsby, but favored by him. Lathe marks are clearly visible on the knob and barrel end. Length and weight are thirty-six inches and thirty-five ounces respectively, also proper to Hornsby's preferred lumber. All in all, a marvelously strong representation of a very tough and desirable bat. Graded PSA GU7.