Description
Rickey says Rickey could run like the wind and in 1982 when he used this bat, he was right. He stole 130 bases that year, second only to, yes you guessed it, Hugh Nicol, whole stole 138 in 1887 for the Reds. Lets say he has the modern day record. 12 ahead of Lou Brock’s 118 In 1974.
The bat shows really nice use on the opposite side for a right handed hitter as Rickey hit with the label down. I can tell that the bat was broken by a pitch hit off the end bat as evidenced by the location of the crack, as well as feeling and seeing a seem mark right where the cupped end starts. The Rawling’s factory stampings read DD26 M 304 2. Model number , batch and year 2 for 82. His A’s uniform number 35 is also on the knob in black marker over top the white polish used to make a spot for a number on a dark bat. It has a small mounting hole on the knob. The crack, thankfully is not repaired. I know some people do a good job repairing cracks but to me, the bat is not the same as when it came of the field from doing battle if it has glue, tape or pine tar missing and even sometimes having the Rawlings stripe partially sanded off in order to repair it properly. It's just like a reconditioned jersey in my opinion.
This bat comes from a Blue Jay bat boys collection many years ago. His letter has just been added.
