October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
All Time Hit King Pete Rose was on his way in 1984 to breaking TY Cobb’s MLB record of most career hits. However, he was 43 years old and like all players who have played a long time, Rose’s bat speed has become slower as he as aged. The quick-twitch muscles do not respond the same way they did when the player was in his 20s. So to “enhance” the reduced bat speed, the bat needs to be lighter. How does one swing a lighter bat without compromising the bat’s other attributes of length and strength? Well, one way is to cork your bat. What? Corking a bat? Isn’t that against the rules? Sure it is, but if you can get away with it why not? This 33.5 inch, 33.6 ounce un-cracked (thank goodness for Rose’s sake) Mizuno PR4000 bat has been confirmed by the manufacturer’s ordering records as being ordered by the player during the referenced labeling period. The barrel contains multiple ball marks and stitch impressions, with green and red bat rack marks, plus a multitude of cleat impressions. In addition, the barrel has been sanded to remove the glossy finish, a common Rose trait. A several inch spiral trait appears on the upper handle (another Rose trait); while a rubber knob attached to the lower handle to enhance his grip.
There are multiple enhancements to this bat applied by Pete Rose.
Recent X-Rays of this exact bat have been performed which indicate the bat has been corked. When a player (or his associate) corks a bat, they drill a small hole in the top barrel, with this area filled with cork, which is much lighter than the removed wood particles. Then wood is filled in at the top. Another benefit is a supposed “superball” bounce effect off the barrel allowing the ball to travel harder and farther.
In fact, this is not the first corked Rose bat PSA/DNA has authenticated. One common characteristic of these corked bats is a very large, very thick number “14” written in black marker at the top of the bat, where the drilling would have occurred. Rose’s number is also written on the knob for good measure. This is an outstanding Rose game used bat, used during the year prior to his breaking Ty Cobb’s All Time hit mark, which contains all the usual Rose characteristics including markings indicating the bat has been corked, which is ardently against the rules of MLB. Full LOA from PSA/DNA grading the bat a GU-10, cert number 1B07794. This is one of only three confirmed Rose corked bats as documented by PSA, with the other two being 1985 models.