Known as the "Gentleman of Baseball," Kaoru Betto was a collegiate star who didn't begin professional play until he was 28 years old. The bespectacled right handed slugger had a graceful spread legged stance reminiscent of Joe DiMaggio. In each of his first six professional seasons, first with the Tigers, and later with the Orions, he was selected to the league Best 9 team as an outfielder. Interestingly, in the U.S., Betto is best known for being pictured on a shirt worn by Jeff Bridges in the movie, The Big Lebowski. The shirt has reached cult status and replicas are still widely sold today.
Betto signed this photo in blue ballpoint pen. In the photo, he is wearing his fabulous looking Osaka Tigers team jacket which was worn by Tigers players during the 1948 and 1949 seasons. This is a vintage photo, with an autograph of the same era.
Size: 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
Condition: Photo--Vg. Signature--5 to 6 out of 10.