Baseball and cardboard musings from Tom DiGiandomenico, the baseball collectibles columnist for Boston Baseball. Lots of baseball with heavy dose of Red Sox and baseball cards.
The most recognizable and coveted baseball card ever produced is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. A rare version graded Mint-9 by Professional Sports Authenticated (PSA) on a scale of 1-10 recently sold for a whopping $2.88 million. That’s the second-highest price ever paid for a baseball card, falling short of the $3.12 million a …
Continue reading 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle … Why All the Fuss?
By 1940, Doerr was a key member of a potent Red Sox lineup that included Williams, Jimmie Foxx, and Joe Cronin. The man Williams called “the silent leader” hit a robust .291 with 22 homers and 105 RBI -- impressive numbers for a second baseman of any time period.
Any comparisons to Babe Ruth are subject to hyperbole, but the exploits of 23-year-old Shohei Ohtani give us reason to believe the Japanese -- and soon-to-be Los Angeles Angels -- star could be the next great two-way ball player. The 2016 Most Valuable Player of the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball was the first …
Continue reading Shohei Ohtani Signs with Angels; Aims To Become Next Babe Ruth
During the summer of 1941, Joe DiMaggio established the benchmark for hitting streaks when he achieved the most treasured – and, arguably, unreachable – record in baseball history. The same year that Ted Williams hit .406 for the Red Sox, DiMaggio compiled a 56-game hitting streak for the Yankees, shattering Wee Willie Keeler’s record of …
Continue reading Celebrating Joe DiMaggio and “The Hit Streak”
Three weeks into his major league career, Rafael Devers has risen from Red Sox savior to rookie phenom. National attention has made his early baseball cards must haves for rookie card collectors. In desperate need for a power hitting third baseman, the Red Sox turned to Devers instead of acquiring a veteran slugger. The …
Happy Birthday to baseball legend and American icon Babe Ruth, born on February 6, 1895. The discussion of two-way baseball players starts and ends with Babe Ruth. In the years before the infamous sale that sent Ruth from Boston to New York, the man known as the “Sultan of Swat” was baseball’s premier left-handed pitcher. …
Any comparisons to Babe Ruth are subject to hyperbole, but the recent exploits of 22-year-old Shohei Otani give us reason to believe the Japanese star could be the Major League's next great two-way ball player. The recently-named Most Valuable Player of the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball became the first professional league Japanese player …
As David Ortiz climbs the charts among baseball’s all-time great sluggers, we see the name Jimmie Foxx appear in the record books over and over again, but for some reason Ole Double-X is seldom discussed. Dubbed “The Beast” because of his powerful right-handed swings, Foxx was one of the most underappreciated players in baseball and …
Continue reading David Oritz Makes Us Remember Legendary Slugger Jimmie Foxx
On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron smacked an Al Downing fastball over the leap of Dodgers left fielder Bill Buckner for his 715th home run at Atlanta Stadium, breaking the record held by Babe Ruth for over 50 years. The night of April 8, 1974 still hails as one of the most iconic moments in …
The first of a semi-regular series on "Baseball's Most Unbreakable Records". During the summer of 1941, Joe DiMaggio established the measuring stick for hitting streaks when he achieved the most treasured – and, arguably, unreachable – record in baseball history. The same year that Ted Williams hit .406 for the Red Sox, DiMaggio compiled a …
