This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/11/2023.
Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven played 22 seasons in the majors between five different teams and struck out a total of 3,701 batters. His most important strikeout iis represented here. On August 1, 1986, pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Blyleven put in a masterful performance against the Oakland A’s by striking out 15 batters in a 10-1, complete game victory. This outing included his prized 3,000th K, which occurred in the fifth inning against Mike Davis. With the count reading 1-2 with one out, Blyleven delivered a curveball that struck Davis out. This lot features the actual baseball that was used to deliver that pitch. The OAL (Brown) Rawlings baseball has “3,000th K” gracing the sweet spot in blue ink and is covered on every panel with inked notations from that game. Other callouts on the baseball include: “STRUCK OUT MIKE DAVIS 1-2 CURVEBALL 5th INNING 1 OUT,” “AUGUST 1, 1986 OAKLAND A’s,” “WON GAME GAME 10-1,” and “STRUCK OUT 15 BATTERS DURING GAME TIED TWINS STRIKEOUT RECORD,” the latter referencing the team’s single-game record for strikeouts. This ball was presented to us as game-used and shows appropriate wear. Accompanied by a signed Letter of Provenance from Bert Blyleven.