1956 New York Giants Team Signed (24) Baseball. Mays, Durocher, Wilhelm
Official National League (Warren Giles) baseball signed in ink by 24 members of the 1956 New York Giants. Signatures include: Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Leo Durocher and Hoyt Wilhelm. Other notable signatures include Dusty Rhodes, Don Liddle, Ed Bressoud and Al Worthington. While the ball appears to be signed by primarily the 1956 team, Pete Burnside (1955 and 1957 NY Giants) and Leo Durocher (1955 final season with Giants) were with the team the prior year.An extremely bright example with only minimal fading to the signature, ball unusually bright and clean. Includes a Letter of Authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services and housed in an acrylic display cube.
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Willie Mays' Major League Baseball career started in the Negro Leagues with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos and the Birmingham Black Barons before joining the New York Giants at centerfield in 1951, and becoming the NL Rookie of the Year. After serving in the military for most of the 1952-1953 seasons, Mays made a triumphant return to baseball to lead the league with a .345 batting average and winning the National League MVP and the World Series in 1954.
Nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid", Mays was one of greatest all around players baseball has ever seen. He finished his career batting over .300 (.303 lifetime), 12 Gold Glove Awards, winning his second NL MVP award in 1965, fifth all-time in career home runs (660), lead the league 4 times in both home runs and stolen bases, and one of only three players to record over 3000 career hits and 500 home runs.
Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
