Tracy Stallard Signed Baseball Red Sox (Inscribed #61 to Maris 10/1/61) – COA JSA

Presented is an OAL (Budig) baseball autographed by Tracy Stallard.  He signed it on the sweet spot in a blue ballpoint pen (“9”).  “He inscribed the ball #61 to Maris 10/1/61”). (Stallard is most remembered for having given up New York Yankees slugger Roger Maris’ 61st home run in 1961). The ball itself shows toning from age.

Tracy Stallard was an American professional baseball player, a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1960 to 1966. He played with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals. On October 1, 1961, New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season off of Stallard, breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season record of 60.  Stallard had said that he was probably having the best game he had ever pitched. Stallard threw a fastball, and Maris hit it over the wall for his 61st home run.  It was Maris’s only hit off Stallard in seven lifetimes at-bats.

Authentication: JSA Basic Cert & Sticker

This ball is from one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of autographed baseballs in the world. Altogether they were easily displayable in custom shelf form and alphabetically displayed, nonetheless. The choice of medium was visually easy for the encyclopedic collector who put these together. It took several decades to amass these rare autographs of the most prominent entertainers, historical figures, and sports players.  It proved quite difficult to acquire autographs of non-ballplayers on such an odd object (a baseball), but diligence proved otherwise and that it’s possible. So, now with the collection complete and his shelves empty there’s only one thing left to do…. bid on this item and start the challenge to see how far you can take it.