This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/1/2012
History was made in St. Louis on October 4th, 1944, when All Star 1st baseman George McQuinn
homered off St. Louis Cardinals Mort Cooper in the 4th inning. With 1 on, and 2 out, George McQuinn
used this bat to hit the very first World Series homerun in team history, and leading his Browns to the franchise’s first ever World Series victory.
Born in Arlington, VA, the first baseman McQuinn was drafted by the New York Yankees (playing
behind Gehrig) before joining the St. Louis Browns in 1937. During his sophomore season, McQuinn put
together a 34-game hitting streak in 1938, finishing at .324. He remained a St. Louis regular for eight years, leading AL first basemen in fielding three times and in assists twice.
It was with this very bat the he hit the 1944 World Series homerun. Manufactured by Hillerich &
Bradsby, this bat measures 34” and currently weighs 32 ounces. The label period is 1938-44 circa, which is exact for a bat that was available to be used during the 1944 World Series.
Bat shows signs of visible, medium game use, which is appropriate for a 6 game series. During the 1944 World Series, George McQuinn batted .438, going 7-16, with 5 RBI’s and one homerun. 2 red streaks (St. Louis Cardinals bat rack colors) are found on the upper barrel. Over 10 distinct ball marks are found above the barrel facsimile signature stampings, with one most likely being residue from the homerun swing. Scoring is found on the handle near the knob.
The provenance comes in the form of a vintage inscription found on the bat's barrel below the facsimile signature. In period steel tip fountain pen appears the notation,
“This Bat hit home run in first game of World Series, Oct 4 1944 – Score Browns 2, Cardinals 0, By
George McQuinn. Fred Hofman Coach, St. Louis Browns”.
Coach Hofman immediately recognized the historic nature of this bat and kept it as a memento of the
historic feat. The notation is vintage, and appears to be in Coach Hofman’s own hand.
The historic bat has been carefully examined for manufacturing characteristics, player use traits, and provenance. With the bat matching George McQuinn’s personal records, and signs of distinct game use
appropriate for World Series game use, we then examined the vintage notation. It is our professional
opinion that the bat’s notation is vintage and was applied shortly after the 1944 season. With the
authentication complete, MEARS graded the bat as follows:
5 base points were assigned for bat matching player factory records, 3 points were assigned for heavy game use, 2 points for World Series / vintage provenance inscription. Final Grade: MEARS A10.
This bat represents the biggest moment in the St. Louis Brown’s 52 year team history. A rare
opportunity to own a true baseball rarity.
LOA Troy R. Kinunen / MEARS Auctions
(W0403)