This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2001.
No one played more like a champ on the 1969 Amazin' Mets than Ron "Rocky Swoboda," normally a career .240 hitter and shaky outfielder who during that season was a terror. Swoboda, who beat Steve Carlton in a September game with a pair of 2-run home runs on a night when Carlton fanned 19 Mets, knocked in half of his 52 RBIs that year in the last five weeks when the Mets charged to the NL flag. In the World Series against the mighty Baltimore Orioles, no play was bigger than Swoboda's diving, tumbling 9th inning catch of a Brooks Robinson liner that saved the Series-clinching Game five triumph. Swoboda wore this home Mets jersey during the three series games at Shea Stadium, and most likely when he made "The Catch", lending this piece of flannel a near mythical quality. Swoboda canonized the jersey by signing his name in blue marker on the right front along with "My 1969 Mets World Series jersey." The signature rates a near 10. On the right sleeve is the "Mets Skyline" patch, which for the WS replaced the MLB 100th anniversary worn on the sleeve during the season and switched to the right sleeve thereafter. In the neck is a white felt patch with "44 69 4" in blue chain stitch, for the size, year and player number. On the left tail is the "Spalding" label and size "44" and below is the wash tag with "Set 1 1969." Across the front is the name "Mets" in script style letters. The player number "4" is on the left breast and the back. All numbers and letters are blue felt on orange tackle twill. The jersey shows good game-use with stitch repair on the front and with the exception of the reversed patches on the sleeves, appears to have no alterations of any kind.