THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CO-SIGNED BY: MAURY WILLS, CARL ERSKINE, GEORGE "SHOTGUN" SHUBA, REGGIE SMITH, BURT "HAPPY" HOOTON, JERRY "ROLLS" REUSS, JOE PIGNATANO, RALPH "HAWK" BRANCA, JEFF TORBORG, STEVE YEAGER, DUKE SNIDER - HFSID 327163

THE BROOKLYN/LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Signed Official Rawlings baseball featuring Dodgers greats Ralph Branca, Carl Erksine and Duke Snider. 12 signatures total.
Baseball signed: "Ralph Branca", "Carl Erksine", "Burt Hooton", "Joe Pignatano", "Jerrie Reuss", "George Shotgun Shuba", "Reggie Smith", "Duke Snider", "Jeff Torborg", "Maury Wills", "Steve Yeagar", "Don Miller", in black ink. Rawlings Official Ball, National League, Allen H. Selig as Commissioner.  1 unidentified signature. 12 signatures total.  RALPH BRANCA pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1944-1953, 1956), Detroit Tigers (1953-1954) and New York Yankees (1954). An All-Star in 1947, 1948 and 1949, he was 21-12 in 1947 with a 2.67 ERA. In the 1947 World Series, he won Game Six, saved by Al Gionfriddo's famous catch of DiMaggio's drive. On October 3, 1951, Branca threw the pitch that the New York Giants' Bobby Thomson hit for a three-run home run to give the Giants' the National League pennant.  CARL ERKSINE pitched his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 25, 1948, and pitched for the Dodgers until he retired after the 1959 season as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Erskine, who teamed with Don Newcombe to anchor the pitching staff for the powerful post-WWII Brooklyn teams, won 61% of his decisions in 12 years with the Dodgers. The 5'10" right-hander injured his shoulder during his rookie season and pitched with pain most of his career. Because he couldn't throw a lot between starts, he never developed any specialty pitches. He remained a fastball/curveball/changeup pitcher who was able to change speeds on the curve. "Oisk" went 20-6 in 1953 to lead NL pitchers in winning percentage (.769). His 14 strikeouts as the winner of Game Three of the '53 WS set a Series record that stood for 14 years. He had two no-hitters: on June 19, 1952 against the Cubs, and on May 12, 1956 against the Giants. Edwin Donald DUKE SNIDER (1926-2011), played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1947-1962, had a career batting average of .295 and hit 407 career homers and 1,333 RBIs. "The Silver Fox" - also called "the Duke of Flatbush" - led the league with 136 RBIs in 1955, and he hit four home runs in the 1952 and 1955 World Series games. In the glory years of New York baseball, Dodger fans argued passionately that their Duke was the equal of the cross-town rival center fielders, Mickey Mantle of the Yankees and Willie Mays of the Giants. Snider was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. Fine condition.