Bob Gibson First Victory ball
Date1974 April 28
DescriptionWhite leather baseball with faded yellow stitching and black manufacturer stamps, including "Official Ball / National League" and "The Cushioned Cork Center / Spalding." The ball has handwritten inscriptions over the entire surface in black and red ink. "Cincinnati - 100000100 -2-10-2" and "Cardinals - 43200000X-9-15-1" is written on the sweet spot. "RBIs / Sizemore, Smith 2 / Simmons-McBride / Reitz-2-Torre / 2BH-(Rose, Driessen, Perez) / Gibson-Sizemore 2 / SB-McBride / DP-Cards-2 / LOB-Reds-11 / Cards-8 / A-21, 146 / D-April 28, 1974" is handwritten on one side panel. There is a small bunny face drawn to the upper right of the "Official Ball / National League" stamp. "#1 Victory / Gibson (1-2) / vs / Kirby (S-L-1-3) / McQueen, Osburn / SO-Gibson-5 / BB-Gibson-3 / R-ER-Gibson-2-2 / HBP-By Gibson / (Rose) / WP-(Hall) / PB-(Bench) / B. Williams / U-Stello / Tata, Gorman / T-2:12" is handwritten on the opposite side panel.
Bio/Historical NoteBaseball purportedly from Bob Gibson's first victory on April 28, 1974. It was decorated with the game particulars by the equipment manager, Butch Yatkeman.
Object numberB-2021-0010
Artist, Creator, or Manufacturer
A.G. Spalding & Bros.
(Manufacturer)
Subject
Gibson, Bob, 1935-2020
Classificationssports and athletic equipment
Dimensionsdiameter: 3 in.
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