Official Base Ball Rules, with Explanatory Notes on the Playing Rules, Compiled Exclusively for Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide
Price: $100.00
Original Wrappers. [No Place]: 1938. First Edition. Near Fine.
First edition, first printing. Signed by Lefty Gomez in black ink on the front wrapper. Publisher's tan wrappers, printed in black. Near fine, with a light crease to bottom right corner of front wrapper, small closed tear to left edge of rear wrapper, lightly toned pages, and a small open tear to top edge of p. 7. Overall, an attractive copy. From Lefty Gomez' personal library. This 1941 baseball rules pamphlet is annotated with notes "compiled by Mr. Foster exclusively for Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide because of the occasional technical phraseology of the rules, which is puzzling to some of the younger years and others who have not had a boyhood schooling in the national game." Except for a single game in 1943 with the Washington Senators, Vernon "Lefty" Gomez (1908-1989) spent his entire professional career with the New York 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 #LGJBF001
