Presented is a single-signed baseball by Hall of Fame first baseman Hank Greenberg. Born as Henry Benjamin Greenberg, Hank was the first Jewish American superstar in team sports. He was born in New York City in 19--, and attended James Monroe High School in the Bronx. The New York Yankees scouted Greenberg and wanted to sign him, but Hank refused, figuring that he'd be blocked from stardom because the Yankees already had Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig at first base. Greenberg attended New York University for a year and then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Hank played briefly for Detroit in 1930 and then was back with the Tigers for 1933-41 & 1945-46. In 1934, in the midst of a pennant race, Greenberg decided to sit out Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and instead he went to his synagogue, where he received a standing ovation. When Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax sat out Yom Kippur because it fell on Game 1 of the 1965 World Series, Koufax deflected praise from his action by saying, "Hank Greenberg did it first."

Greenberg was the first Major Leaguer to register for the peacetime draft, and he was in the U.S. Army from 1940-41. He was honorably discharged from the army two days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He later re-enlisted in the military, this time in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He served overseas as a sergeant and later as an officer in the China-Burma-Indian Theater. All-in-all he served 47 months in uniform, more than any other Major Leaguer during the World War II era. Baseball pundits estimate that although he did hit 331 home runs, that if not for his military service, that he would have approached 500 home runs. Greenberg had a lifetime Major League batting average of .313, with 1,276 RBIs. In 1938, he made a great run at Babe Ruth's single-season home run record of 60, with Greenberg finishing a 58 round-trippers that season, tying him with Jimmie Foxx then for second place behind Ruth for the most homers in a season. Greenberg played all but his final season with Detroit, and he finished his playing career with his final season as a Pittsburgh Pirate. The left field fence was shortened for him and young slugger Ralph Kiner, and the area just over the left field wall became known as "Greenberg Gardens". Hank hit 2_ home runs in '47, and he was a mentor to Kiner, who blasted ___ four-baggers. IN that '47 season, Greenberg and Brooklyn's Jackie Robinson accidentally collided at first base on a ball Robinson was trying to beat out. Greenberg told Robinson, taking loads of abuse in his rookie season, "Stick in there. You're doing fine." Robinson later said of Greenberg's encouragement, "Class tell. It stick's out all ov er Mr. Greenberg." After his playing days, Greenberg became a noted baseball executive with the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. 

The Greenberg signed baseball is an Official American League Ball (Brown). Using blue fountain ink, Greenberg penned a neat signature on the sweet spot. The ball is in overall nice condition, with a few small stains. The signed baseball comes with a PSA Grade of __ for the signature.