Yaz, Kissinger, Cronin and the 75 World Series

Old school World Series branded bats are rare and, depending on the player, Hillerich & Bradsby record suggest that historically either 2 or 4 were made for each player. Red Sox World Series bats from 1975, given the legendary nature of the series, are particularly tough.  These bats are also frequently found unused as the players get them immediately before the Series and often keep them as souvenirs.

Yastrzemski 1975 World Series Bat

We recently added this Yastrzemski 1975 World Series bat to the collection.  It is unused with Yaz’s 8 on the knob.  At first I was not thrilled with the multiple autographs on the bat.  Not a huge fan of autographs beyond the player unless it is a team autographed bat.  But then curiosity got the better of me, how and when were the signatures added to the bat?  And why would someone add these signatures to an incredible bat in it’s own right?

The large and distinct signature was easily identified as that of Henry Kissinger, not an autograph typically found on a baseball bat.

The second signature is that of Joe Cronin.

Cronin the former Red Sox player, coach, and general manager was also the President of the American League.  Not to mention a 1956 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  But his tenure as League President ended in 1973.

But why in the world would someone collect those two signatures on a Yaz World Series bat?

AP Images provided the first clue as a beaming Yaz is photographed chatting with Kissinger before game 2 of the 75 World Series played on October 12, 1975.

Kissinger was also photographed in a pose throwing out the first ball.

But Cronin?  Off to newspapers.com (which I will say as an aside is an INCREDIBLE resource for even the smallest historic tidbits) to unearth this little tidbit side note.

Some would have the signatures removed to return the bat to a pristine state, or leave only the Yastrzemski signature.  Not me, this is just another great piece of history in its own right with an interesting story that in my view raises the historic value.  The hobby has a way of delivering gems.

Enjoy your collecting!