Bat, Baseball
Object number2019.8.1
Manufacturer
Hillerich and Bradsby Company
Date1948
OriginLouisville, KY
MediumWood; Metal; Paint
Credit LineGift of W. Michael Shaffer
DescriptionWooden baseball bat. Medium brown wood. Bat is cracked along the taper. Barrel has engraved maker text.DimensionsLength x Diameter: 35.125 x 2.625 in. (89.2 x 6.7 cm)MarksEngraved text at the base of the barrel, just above the taper "LOUISVILLE SLUGGER / 125 / HILLERICH & BRADSBY Co / MADE IN U.S.A. / LOUISVILLE, KY. / TRADE MARK REG. / Powerized".
Engraved text near the end of the head "GENUINE / Frankie Gustine / LOUISVILLE SLUGGER".
Engraved text on the end of the knob "R43".
Historical NotesFrank Gustine 1948 All Star Game baseball bat. The donor, W. Michael Shaffer, received this bat as a gift at the age of 11 from his grandfather in Monessen who had a connection to Pittsburgh Pirates player Frank Gustine. The bat, a cracked Louisville Slugger with “Frankie Gustine” engraved barrel signature, was purportedly used in the 1948 All-Star Game played on July 13 in St. Louis. Playing in his last of three All-Star games (1946-1948), the Pirates third baseman, as a manager’s pick, pinch-hit for Brooklyn starting pitcher Ralph Branca in the fourth inning and struck out. The American League beat the National League 5-2. Gustine played for the Pirates from 1939-1948, then with the Chicago Cubs for a year, and briefly for the St. Louis Browns the following season. He ran “Frankie Gustine’s” restaurant in Oakland, near Forbes Field from 1952-1982.
Previous owner
Frank William Gustine
(1920 - 1991)
Previous owner
W. Michael Shaffer
Related institution
Pittsburgh Pirates
(founded 1887)
Subjects
On View
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