BILL "BILLY BUCKS" BUCKNER - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CO-SIGNED BY: KEITH "MEX" HERNANDEZ, CARLOS MAY, JOE "PEPI" PEPITONE, JIMMY PIERSALL, SANDY ALOMAR JR. - HFSID 291857

BILL BUCKNER, KEITH HERNANDEZ,  JIM PIERSALL, JOE PEPITONE, SANDY ALOMAR JR., CARLOS MAY and others
Signed baseball with encased in a cube with PSA/DNA sticker
Baseball signed: "Keith Hernandez" (sweet spot), "Sandy Alomar", "Bill Buckner", "Jim Piersall", "Carlos May", "Joe Pepitone" and 6 unidentified signatures. Rawlings Official Major League Baseball, Allan H. Selig, Commissioner. Sealed in a transparent, removable plastic cube with PSA/DNA authentication sticker (H48481).  It's a great injustice that BILL BUCKNER (b.1949) will always be remembered for his disastrous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, because Buckner was a fine fielder and an outstanding hitter during a solid Major League career. He hit .300 with Chicago (1977-1984), won the 1980 batting title and twice led the league in doubles (1981 and 1983). Playing on gimpy ankles, Buckner had outstanding seasons at Boston in 1985 and 1986. He tied a major league record by playing 162 games at first base in 1985 and broke the major league record he set in 1983 for assists at the position with 184. Entering the 1990 season, he led all active players with 2,707 career hits. The best fielding first baseman of his generation, KEITH HERNANDEZ (b. 1953) notched 11 consecutive Gold Glove awards. He was the National League's co-MVP (with Willie Stargell) in 1979. The 5-time All-Star divided his career between the St Louis Cardinals (1974-1983) and New York Mets (1983-1990), playing on a World Championship team in each city (1982, 1986). A selective hitter, Hernandez led the NL twice each in runs scored and times on base, and once each in On Base Percentage and walks. Outfielder JIMMY PIERSALL (1929-2017) played for the Boston Red Sox (1950, 1952-1958), Cleveland Indians (1959-1961), Washington Senators (1962-1963), New York Mets (1963), and Los Angeles/California Angels (1963-1967). Piersall's early career was interrupted by a nervous breakdown, recounted in Piersall's book, Fear Strikes Out, which was later made into a movie starring Tony Perkins. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental illness that was even less understood than it is today. Despite this personal battle, Piersall's fulltime comeback with Boston in 1953 was punctuated by his new philosophy for dealing with fans who taunted him about his well-publicized illness: "Give 'em their money's worth." From 1977 to 1983, Piersall was a broadcast announcer for the White Sox. Sometimes forgotten amidst the stunts was Piersall's talent as a ballplayer: he was a good hitter, an exceptional centerfielder, and a two-time All-Star and Gold Glover. He maintained a .332 career OBP, quite a feat for a guy who played for 17 seasons while battling bipolar disorder. Catcher SANDY ALOMAR, JR., born in Puerto Rico in 1966, was a major league baseball player from 1988 to 2006, including two seasons with the Padres under his father, former major leaguer Sandy, Sr. Sandy, Jr. played little for the San Diego Padres and then was traded to Cleveland, where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1990. A six-time All-Star and 1997 All-Star Most Valuable Player despite being plagued by injuries, he helped keep the Indians in playoff contention through the late 1990s, including two unsuccessful trips to the World Series (1995, 1997). He had a career batting average of .273 with 112 home runs, 588 RBIs and four seasons with over 100 hits. JOE PEPITONE (b. 1940) played in the majors from 1962 to 1973, mostly with the New York Yankees. An All Star (1963-1965) and Golden Glove winner (1965, 1966 and 1969) with good power, he had four seasons with 20 home runs or more (1963, 1964, 1969 and 1970) and one season with over 30 home runs (1966. Pepitone also liked the nightlife, leading to brushes with management and - occasionally - law enforcement. Left fielder CARLOS MAY (b. 1948) played 10 years in the Majors (1968-1977), mostly with the Chicago White Sox, followed by short stints with the Yankees and Angels and four years in Japan. He hit .308 in 1972, with 28 stolen bases, both career highs. The two-time All-Star is the younger brother of first baseman Lee May. A nice collection of popular baseball names. PSA/DNA seal has been broken. Fine condition.