LUIS GONZALEZ #25 CHICAGO CUBS 1996 GAME BAT, SIGNED, Diamondbacks, Dodgers

Description

Natural Rawlings Model 256B. Condition as described elsewhere in this listing and shown in photo. Gonzalez' distinctive
asterisk
on knob denoting a favorite game bat.
A native of Tampa, Florida, Luis Emilio Gonzalez attended and played baseball for the University of South Alabama, and was selected in Round 4 of the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft by the Houston Astros, reaching the Major Leagues with that team in 1990. Traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 1995 season, he played for the Major League Cubs for two years. 1997 saw Gonzo back in Houston on a single year contract, then with the Detroit Tigers in 1998. He was traded (for Karim Garcia) to the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 1999 season,
Luis went on to quickly become the face of the franchise. He was selected to the National League All-Star team in 1999, leading the League with 206 hits and posting a .336 batting average for the season. In 2001, Gonzalez hit a record (shared with Mike Schmidt) nine home runs in his first ten games, and went on to hit a personal best 57 home runs during the regular season - the third highest single season total for a left-handed batter in National League history. Selected to his second All-Star team, he won the Home Run Derby. In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Gonzo hit a bloop single against Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 9th inning to clinch the World Championship.
Luis Gonzalez continued to play for the Diamondbacks through the 2006 season, then for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 and the Florida Marlins in 2008. Announcing his retirement as a player in August of 2009, Gonzo joined the front office of the Diamondbacks as a special assistant to the President. Gonzo's #20 was retired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010.
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