Inaugural Auction

Perhaps the most controversial ending in sports at the time is now simply called the "Pine Tar Game". A July 24th 1983 match up between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees produced one of the most memorable tirades in sports history. In the top of the 9th in a 4-3 game George Brett stroked a 2 out 2 run home run over the fence off Yankee close Goose Gossage giving the Kansas City Royals the 5-4 lead. Following the Home Run Yankee manager Billy Martin approached the Home Plate umpire asking them to measure the amount of pine tar that Brett had applied to his bat to insure it did not measure above the 18 inches allowed by rules. After the bat was found to exceed the legal limit Brett was called out and then chaos ensued!!!! Brett stormed the field like a mad man and had to be restrained by coaches and players while teammate Gaylord Perry who fittingly always saw the rules of baseball as a minor inconvenience attempted to hide the bat from game officials by enlisting the help of a bat boy. The Royals protested the game and A.L. president Lee MacPhail sided with the Kansas City franchise and ordered the game to be resumed at the point following Brett's homerun. The Yankees resisted the resumption of the game but finally after 2 lawsuits and various stall techniques the game was set to resume play on August 18th 1983. However the Yankees Manager Billy martin was not going to be put to bed so easily and on the day of the resumed game Martin had pitcher George Frazier throw to each base insisting that Brett and Washington did not touch every bag. After the players were still ruled safe Martin took to the field to protest where he was met with a signed affidavit from the games !st Umpire crew attesting to the fact that both players touched every base. After this Martin announced that the Yankees were continuing the game under protest and retreated to the players locker room to watch television. To enforce the fact that the Yankees were playing under protest Martin inserted the left handed Don Mattingly to play second base and Pitcher Ron Guidry to play centerfield. To this day Mattingly remains the last lefthanded player to play second base in a Major League game. This is the official scorecard from the resumed game of play and has been signed by 32 of the participating players in both games!!! Considering that Brett's bat rest in the Hall Of Fame this line-up card is one of the last Pine Tar related relics available to the public!!! Notable signatures include Brett, Howser, Quisenberry, Berra, and Gossage. PSA letter for both autographs as well as line-up card accompany this lot.