Johnny Sain / Johnny Kucks (Inscription first & last pitch to Jackie Robinson) Signed Baseball – COA JSA

Presented is an ONL (Coleman) baseball autographed by Johnny Sain / Johnny Kucks.  Johnny Sain signed it on the sweet spot in a blue ballpoint pen on the left side panel he inscribed “First pitch to Jackie”(Jackie Robinson), he also inscribed on the ball on the right-side panel the year “4-15-47” (“9”). Jackie Robinson played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Johnny Kucks signed it on the sweet spot under Johnny Sain signature in a blue ballpoint pen on the left side panel he inscribed the “last pitch to Jackie (Jackie Robinson), he also inscribed on the ball on the right-side panel the year “10-10-56”.

Johnny Sain was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was the runner-up for the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in the Braves’ pennant-winning season of 1948, after leading the National League in wins, complete games, and innings pitched. He later became further well known as one of the top pitching coaches in the majors. Sain had the distinction of being the first pitcher in the Major Leagues to face Jackie Robinson. In 1943, while participating in a benefit game for the Red Cross, Sain became the last man to pitch against Babe Ruth in organized baseball.

Johnny Kucks was a pitcher for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics in Major League Baseball. In 1952, he was signed as an amateur free agent. Johnny Kucks won the final game of the 1956 World Series between the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, shutting out the Dodgers, 9–0 at Ebbets Field—the last World Series game ever played in that ballpark. Kucks was also the last pitcher to face Jackie Robinson, striking him out for the final out of the 1956 World Series.

Authentication: JSA Basic Cert & Sticker

This ball is from one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of autographed baseballs in the world. Altogether they were easily displayable in custom shelf form and alphabetically displayed, nonetheless. The choice of medium was visually easy for the encyclopedic collector who put these together. It took several decades to amass these rare autographs of the most prominent entertainers, historical figures, and sports players.  It proved quite difficult to acquire autographs of non-ballplayers on such an odd object (a baseball), but diligence proved otherwise and that it’s possible. So, now with the collection complete and his shelves empty there’s only one thing left to do…. bid on this item and start the challenge to see how far you can take it.