Billy Martin Photo, Signed and inscribed to Lefty Gomez
Price: $350.00
Photograph. Fine.
Signed and inscribed by Billy Martin in black ink to HOF Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez: "To / Lefty / The best / to the best / Your friend / always / Billy Martin". Color portrait photo of Martin in his Oakland A's uniform, in a thin black frame, matted in white. Fine. Overall, a lovely inscription from one Yankees great to another. Though their playing careers didn't overlap (Lefty Gomez retired seven years before Billy Martin's rookie year), Billy Martin and Lefty Gomez were both iconic members of the Yankees. The two were friends despite their contrasting personalities - Gomez was goofy and lighthearted, while Martin was fiery and often belligerent. In a humorous anecdote, Lefty Gomez once approached Billy Martin at a spring training camp with a copy of Martin's autobiography No. 1 (1980). Gomez told Martin, "I read your book and when I woke up the next day, I beat the hell out of my pillow" (The New York Times, 1981). Billy Martin (1928 - 1989) won five World Series titles with the Yankees, four as a player (1951-1953, 1956) and one as a manager (1977). As a player, he was known for his clutch performances and aggressive playstyle, which frequently boiled over into arguments and fights. He achieved great success as a manager in the league, turning struggling teams into contenders in short periods of time. However, this part of his career was also marked by volatility - between 1975 and 1988 he was hired as manager of the Yankees and subsequently fired by George Steinbrenner five separate times. Except for a single game in 1943 with the Washington Senators, Vernon "Lefty" Gomez (1908-1989) spent his entire professional career with the Yankees (1930-1942). He was a key part of the team's dominant run in the 1930s, which saw them capture five World Series titles. In World Series games, Gomez was undefeated on the mound, boasting a 6-0 record, which still stands today as the longest undefeated winning streak for a pitcher in the World Series. In his relatively short but illustrious career, Gomez was selected for seven All-Star games and won the Triple Crown twice (1934 and 1937). He was the starting pitcher for the American League in the first ever All-Star game on July 6, 1933, and even drove in the first run. In 1972, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Item #BMART003
