This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/25/2015.
The 1976 Reds had a starting lineup called the "Great Eight" that may have been the best of all time, when offense, defense, baserunning and intangibles are considered: Johnny Bench was simply the greatest catcher of all time; Tony Pérez was one of the best RBI men in the history of baseball, averaging nearly 100 RBI per year for a decade; Joe Morgan was one of the greatest second baseman of all time, the ‘76 NL MVP hit .320/.444/.576 with 27 homers, 111 RBI, 113 runs, and 62 stolen bases; Dave Concepción was the most complete shortstop of his era, with speed, power, a great glove, an outstanding arm, and a potent bat to boot; Pete Rose remains the all-time hits leader, he had yet another banner year in ‘76, batting .323 with 215 hits and 130 runs , Ken Griffey Sr. was a .336 hitter with speed (34 stolen bases) and power (.851 OPS); Cesar Gerónimo was a great defensive player with a cannon-like arm and outstanding speed, he hit .307 with plenty of pop; George Foster became the most feared slugger of his era—in 1976 he was just warming up with a .306 batting average, 29 homers and 121 RBI. Rookie pitcher Santa Alcala (11-4) contributed to “The Big Red Machine” with 11 of the team’s league-best 102 wins that season, including a shutout performance on May 15. The Reds went a perfect 7-0 in the postseason, sweeping the Phillies in three games and the Yankees in four to bring home the franchise’s fourth World Series title. This size 11, 10k gold players ring weighs 30 grams and was presented to Santo Alcala after he and his Reds teammates won the 1976 World Series. The top panel reads “CINCINNATI REDS ‘76 WORLD CHAMPIONS” surrounding a casted image of the Commissioner's Trophy and a .50-carat round-cut diamond. The right panel features a banner with the player name “ALCALA” in relief above “BIG RED MACHINE” and the player number “42”. The left panel reads “REDS 4 YANKS 0” in relief above the casted image of the Cincinnati skyline, the facade of Riverfront Stadium and the National League Bicentennial Logo. The inside of the ring is stamped “BALFOUR 10K”. The ring is in NM condition with light wear and is accompanied by a vintage Balfour ring box as well as an additional LOA.