Four players who starred for the Lions for many seasons signed this Commissioner’s Office Approved official baseball. Actual official game balls from this era are rarely seen, let alone balls that are autographed. Kazuhisa "Iron Arm" Inao (d. 2007) (upper left signature) was the
greatest pitcher in the history of the Lions franchise. He won 276 games in only 14 seasons with a .668 winning percentage and a dazzling 1.98 lifetime ERA! Futoshi Nakanishi (upper right signature) spent 18 seasons with the Lions (1952-69). Unfortunately, due to a wrist injury
sustained in 1959, he was unable to play in more than 100 games in any succeeding season. However, his first eight pre-injury seasons were phenomenal. He won the Pacific League home run title five times in six years, while leading in RBIs three times and batting average twice.
Hiromi Wada (d. 2009) (lower left signature), a catcher, spent 18 seasons with the Lions, while Masaaki Ikenaga (lower right signature), a pitcher, was the 1965 Pacific League Rookie of the Year, and subsequently won 19, 22 and 21 games in consecutive seasons before arm trouble derailed his career.
Based on the four players who signed and the style of baseball, we know that this lot dates from 1965 to 1969.
Size: Regular baseball size
Condition: The ball is Ex/Mt due to yellowing. The autographs grade 8 to 9 of 10.