Johnny Pesky Autographed Picture and Ball

Item Number: 159
Time Left: CLOSED
Description
Johnny Pesky, nicknamed "The Needle," is a former Major League Baseball shortstop/third baseman who played in the American League from 1942 to 1954. He missed all of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons while serving in World War II.
Pesky has been associated with the Boston Red Sox for 56 of his 68 years in baseball – from 1940 through June 1952, 1961 through 1964, and continuously since 1969. He was their manager in 1963-64, and in September 1980.
A lefthanded hitter who threw righthanded, Pesky was a tough man for pitchers to strike out. As a hitter he specialized in getting on base, leading the American League in base hits three times - his first three seasons in the majors, in which he collected over 200 hits each year - and was among the top ten in on-base percentage six times.
Pesky attended the 2004 World Series and, after the Game 4 triumph, was embraced by current Boston players such as Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling as a living representative of star Red Sox players of the past whose teams fell short of winning the Fall Classic. He played a poignant and prominent role in the ceremony in which the World Series Championship Rings were handed out (April 11, 2005). With the help of Carl Yastrzemski, he raised the 2004 World Series Championship banner up the Fenway Park center field flagpole.
On his 87th birthday, September 27, 2006, the Red Sox honored Pesky by officially naming the right-field foul pole "Pesky's Pole." There have also been persistent rumors that the club will retire the number 6 Pesky wore as a player, even though he does not meet the stated requirements for such an honor.
Special Instructions
These autographs come on an official 2004 World Series ball and a Cooperstown Collection authentic MLB photograph of Johnny in his rookie year with the Red Sox. There is no COA for this item. Johnny signed these items on June 9, 2006 when he came to a SeaDogs game and was a presenter at the Teacher's Hall of Fame game. A picture of him signing these items can be seen at left. Items may be picked up at the Center or will be shipped to the winning bidder for $7 over the final auction price.