JOHNNY PODRES - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CO-SIGNED BY: CLEM LABINE, ROGER CRAIG - HFSID 275316

JOHNNY PODRES, CO-SIGNED BY: CLEM LABINE, ROGER CRAIG
Baseball signed by Johnny Podres with the scores of his two 1955 World Series victories over the Yankees and "1955 World Champions Brooklyn Dodgers", co-signed by his 1955 teammates Roger Craig and Clem Labine with the dates of their own championship wins over the Yanks. All three pitched winning games when da Bums' won the World Series for the first time... and beat their crosstown rivals the Yankees to boot
Baseball signed "8-3 on 9/30 2-0 on 10/4/Johnny Podres/1955 World Champions/Brooklyn Dodgers" in the sweet-spot, "Clem Labine 10/1/55" above the sweet-spot and "Roy Craig 10-2-55" below the sweet-spot, all in blue ink. 2½-diameter.Jackie Robinson 50th Anniversary baseball with facsimile Jackie Robinson and National League president Leonard S. Coleman, Jr. signatures. This baseball is signed by the three winning pitchers from the first Dodgers team ever to win the World Series, beating their city rivals the Yankees in the process, in 1955. Podres beat the Yanks twice in the championship: 8-3 in Game 3 on Sept. 30 and a 2-0 shutout on Oct. 4 to win the series 4-3. Labine pitched an 8-5 win in Game 4 on Oct. 1, 1955, while Craig pitched a 9-6 win in Game 5 on Oct. 2, 1995. This team ended forever their fans' perennial mantra of "Wait 'till next year", with the Dodgers winning the pennant five times between 1941 and 1953 but falling to the hated Yankees each time in the championship. PODRES, born in John Joseph Podres in Witherbee, New York in 1932, became a Brooklyn legend in 1955 when, at 23 years, he pitched the Dodgers to their first-ever World Championship. After spending 1956 in the Navy, Podres was a consistent winner on strong Dodger staffs from 1957 to 1963. He used a good fastball, a curve and an outstanding changeup. In 1957 he led the NL in both ERA (2.66) and shutouts (6). In 1961 he won a career-high 18 games and led the NL in winning percentage (.783). CRAIG, born in 1930 in Durham, North Carolina, is a former Major League pitcher, coach and manager whom Sports Illustrated called "the acknowledged maestro of the split-fingered fastball" in 1986. In 1985, he taught the split-finger to the Astros' Mike Scott, who won the 1986 Cy Young award. Craig had previously managed the 1978-79 Padres and served as a scout and pitching coach, notably in Detroit, where he taught Jack Morris the split-finger. As a manager, Craig is noted for one-run tactics and for calling lots of pitchouts. He won the NL West title in 1987 and the NL pennant in 1989. During his earlier years, he pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers, LA Dodgers, NY Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. Free-spirited sinker-baller LABINE (1926-2007) was one of baseball's premier relievers in the 1950s. The durable Labine helped the Dodgers to four pennants in Brooklyn and another in Los Angeles. Labine was 13-5 in a NL-leading 60 appearances for the 1955 World Champions, and he led the league in saves the next two seasons. He also retired Dodger-killer Stan Musial 49 consecutive times. After leaving the Dodgers, Labine pitched for the Pirates in the 1960 World Series. Lightly toned. Signatures are smudged but legible. Otherwise in fine condition.