Mazeroski's World Series Game 7 Memorabilia Heading To Auction
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Bill Mazeroski's Game 7 home run won the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For 53 years, only Mazeroski had seen some of the rare items from that moment, such as the uniform and cleats he wore rounding the bases.
"According to Bill, he only looked at it once or twice just to make sure it was still there, everything was okay. And I think that just adds to the allure of it, just was there resting that whole time and here it is," David Hunt of Hunt Auctions said.
Thanks to Mazeroski, Hunt has the opportunity to take those items to market.
"There's no other home run in a Game 7, walk-off, situation that ended a World Series. None. So, and even if there were, something that was close enough, such as some of those other moments, none of those major artifacts have ever been sold from those moments," Hunt said.
Mazeroski could set the standard. The uniform alone is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars complete with the remnants of the locker room celebration.
"You'll see some light staining spots at various places on the front of the jersey. That's from the champagne being poured down him," Hunt said.
What about the bat Mazeroski used to send that home run over Yogi Berra's head? As it turns out, the Pirates' bat boy saved it amid all the chaos on the field. It's a save likely to be worth a couple of hundred thousand more at auction.
"When something like that happens, it is their job to scramble out there and grab whatever they can and get out of there," Hunt said.
The collection includes the ball that recorded the final out in Forbes Field history and a unique bat from Roberto Clemente. It's a model signed with his nickname making it even more valuable than usual.
You have to wonder why anyone would give it all up.
"Over time, the memories are what mean something to them. The objects are really their work tools," Hunt said. "Many of these things are more appreciated by fans because we didn't live those moments, we weren't on that field. So, this is as close as we can get to being there."
Most people would say a bat like this and this type of memorabilia is priceless, but we'll find out what someone is willing to pay for it on Nov. 9 when it's auctioned off at the Louisville Slugger Museum.
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