February 2023 Vintage Sports Card & Memorabilia Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/19/2023
This baseball is signed by Cal Ripken Jr. and the other Iron Man, Sachio Kinugasa of Japan. The overall PSA/DNA grade is 8.5 (Auto grades are 9 and the baseball grade is 8). Ripken captivated baseball when he chased Lou Gehrig's seemingly unbreakable record of 2,130 games. Then Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. overtook Japanese player Sachio Kinugasa, who held the world record of 2,215. The Japanese legend's streak ran from October 19, 1970 to October 22, 1987 with the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese Central League. Ripken and Kinugasa exchanged gifts in a pre-game ceremony at home plate and Kinugasa threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Ripken when he broke the record. The crowd gave Ripken a two-minute standing ovation and two curtain calls. Kinugasa has hardly minded seeing his record go by the wayside. In fact, he said having someone with the stature of Ripken break it has only made his achievement more impressive. 'Because of the record I knew about Lou Gehrig and then about Cal Ripken,' Kinugasa said through an interpreter. 'When I was playing I wanted very much to pass Gehrig. Ripken helps me get notice for what I did, because what happens in Japan didn't count too much here.' Kinugasa played with broken ribs, a broken bone in his left wrist, a broken left thumb and a broken bone in his left shoulder during the streak. He was hit by a pitch in his 1,123rd straight game, but, fortuitously, the schedule called for a day off and he had time to heal.
Condition: NM-MT
RARE Cal Ripken Jr. & Sachio Kinugasa (Japan's Iron Man) Dual Signed Baseball - PSA/DNA Graded 8.5
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