Carlton Fisk’s 1975 World Series Home Run Ball Heads to Auction

For the first time in almost 15 years, the ball hit by Carlton Fisk to win what some consider the most exciting and dramatic post-season game in Major League Baseball history, is back on the auction block.

Robert Edward Auctions will offer the ball this spring after it was consigned from the original buyer.

Fisk’s homer off Pat Darcy in the 12^th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series gave the Red Sox a victory over the Cincinnati Reds and sent the series to a seventh game, which was won by the Reds.  The blast became part of baseball lore after an NBC camera man accidentally captured an isolation shot of Fisk waving his arms over his head, willing the ball to stay fair.  It bounced off the left field foul pole, giving Boston a 7-6 win in a four-hour marathon that included a game-tying homer by Bernie Carbo, a brilliant catch by Dwight Evans and a go-ahead homer earlier in the evening by Reds’ left fielder George Foster.

The Fisk ball bounced high off the foul pole and dropped down to Foster who headed dejectedly for the clubhouse and packed it away until 1999 when he sold it at auction via Lelands for $113,273.  Foster provided a signed letter of verification that the Lee McPhail American League baseball was the same one that Fisk belted over his head to win the game.  Balls created with a World Series logo weren’t used until  1978.

Rick Elfman, a Red Sox fan, was a high school student at the time and actually attended the game.  He bought the ball at the auction and eventually moved to the Midwest where he’s had it on display.

The letter and a photo from Fisk inscribed “Rick, There it goes into your living room, Carlton Fisk” are included with the ball in the auction lot.

Bidding will start at $100,000.

REA’s Spring 2014 auction will open April 7 at RobertEdwardAuctions.com and is scheduled to close April 26.

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].