The oldest living Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Fame pitcher, Sandy Koufax (88), is auctioning off a glove from his “Bonus Baby” days.
The glove, which Koufax wore in 1956 when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the predecessor to the Los Angeles Dodgers, is up for auction, CBS Sports reported on Monday (June 26).
The glove, made by glove manufacturer Rollins, bears Koufax’s number 32 and nickname “KOO FOO” on the back.
There are also traces of rosin, which is now a banned substance due to fears of “foul pitching.
The bidding started at $25,000 (about $32.65 million) and has since risen to about $50,000 (about $65,000).
“There is plenty of time before the bidding expires on Dec. 10,” CBS Sports added.
Koufax is a legendary pitcher with a career record of 165 wins, 87 losses, 2,324 innings pitched, 2,396 strikeouts and a 2.76 ERA.
He won three Cy Young Awards and was named the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1963 after going 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA.
When he faced the Dodgers in the World Series that year and lost, New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra scoffed before the series, “Any National League hitter who gave up 25 wins to that kid is a fool,” and then handed him the trophy and said, “Now I know how you got 25 wins. How the hell did you lose five?” is a famous story.
The year 1956, the year of the glove in this auction, was Koufax’s second year as a professional, when he went 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA in 16 games.
At the time, MLB had a rule that players who signed for more than $4,000 had to play in the major leagues for two years after signing.
Players who were subject to the rule, which was created to prevent rich clubs from stealing players in the absence of a rookie draft, were nicknamed “bonus babies.
Koufax, who received a $14,000 signing bonus, didn’t get a chance to hone his skills in the major leagues until he was in his mid-20s. 먹튀검증