An Amazin’ bid could land Mets fans a piece of the 57-year-old team’s history.
On Thursday morning, Sotheby’s will auction a Jay Hook-signed baseball from the Mets’ first ever victory: A 9-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field on April 23, 1962. The win ended a nine-game slump for the team.
Hook, who pitched the complete, five-hitter game, kept the ball following his victory. Five years later, Hook presented the ball to Joan Whitney Payson, the principal owner of the Mets. Payson’s grandchildren eventually donated the ball to the Rusty Staub Foundation — the charitable organization created by former Met Staub — so that the nonprofit could sell it for proceeds.
The ball, which Sotheby’s estimates is worth between $25,000 and $35,000, has an inscription written in blue ink that reads "Jay Hook | 1962 April 23 N.Y. Mets 9 Pittsburgh 1 | 1962 April 23 N.Y. Mets 1st Win | 5 Hits." The ball is mounted on a wooden base with a plaque that reads "The Baseball of the First Game Won by the New York Mets Presented to Mrs. Joan Payson by Jay Hook July 1, 1967," along with the game’s score.
The bidding for the ball and other items in Sotheby’s "Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana" auction will begin at 10 a.m. Fans can either bid in-person at the auction house’s New York location, 1334 York Ave., online on its website, or over the phone, according to a Sotheby’s spokeswoman.
