"Lefty" O'Doul was both an extraordinary player as well as a wonderful baseball ambassador. Presented is an O'Doul single-signed baseball. Frank "Lefty" O'Doul is regarded by many as the best player (suspected steroid users excepted) not in the Hall of Fame. A native of San Francisco, O'Doul played for his hometown San Francisco Seals in the top-level Pacific Coast League. O'Doul broke into the Major Leagues with the New York Yankees in 1919, and he pitched for the Yankees again in '20 and '22, moving to the Boston Red Sox for '23. He pitched very little for the Yankees, all in relief, with a 0-0 combined record for three years. For the Red Sox in '23, O'Doul pitched nearly exclusively in relief while appearing in 23 games. O'Doul had a lifetime MLB pitching slate of 1-1 with a 4.87 ERA. He injured his arm in 1923, and he was unable to resume pitching at the Major League level, so he later returned to the minors with San Francisco, learning to become an outfielder. Remarkably, it worked. His conversion to a slugging outfielder was eye-opening as he reappeared in the Major Leagues in 1928 with the New York Giants. He had a monster season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1929 as he won a National League batting crown with a .398 average. That year, he also led the National League in OBP (.465), plate appearances (732), and hits (257) as he finished second in the NL MVP race. He won another NL batting championship in 1931 with Brooklyn, when he hit .368. O'Doul hit an amazing .349 for his Major League career, yet he only played six full seasons as an outfielder, as he saw limited action in 1936-37 with Brooklyn and the New York Giants, because he was aging. A native San Franciscan, O'Doul was a good friend of Joe DiMaggio, a native of nearby Martinez, and later a long-time resident of San Francisco.

O'Doul signed the sweet spot with a full name signature, writing his first and last name, plus his nickname, as Frank "Lefty" O'Doul, in blue ballpoint pen. His signature is neat, big, and bold. In black ink, on the top panel, written by an unknown hand, is "1954." The MacGregor ball is stamped "Ridgewood Sports Shop" and "R65." The ball shows some minor darkening and toning, but it is in overall excellent condition. Because of his early Major League seasons as a pitcher and the years it took to learn to become a high-caliber hitter while playing for San Francisco in the minors, O'Doul, popular with both players and fans, fell short of making the Baseball Hall of Fame. Outside of the San Francisco Giants' current home stadium, Oracle Park, and in McCovey Cove outside right field, is the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, named for a great hitter who "bridged" cultures as an unofficial goodwill ambassador to Japan, as a key organizer of exhibition tours of Major League stars both before and after World War II. O'Doul also gave lectures and instruction to Japanese players, and as a measure of Japan's gratitude, he was the first American to be inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. O'Doul's signature rates an 8/10. O'Doul passed away in San Franscisco in 1969, and the ball makes a fine remembrance of O'Doul, popular all over the baseball world, and especially so in San Francisco and Japan. Full LOA from PSA.