Question about the baseballs used in the 77 World Series?
 

Hope someone can help. I know in 1977 Rawlings started to make the baseballs for MLB. So it is very unlikely that a spalding made ball was used in the World Series. Know a guy who has a ball he swears he caught in game 6 of the 1977 World Series. Has vintage faded writing on it saying how Yankees Beat Dodgers 1977 World Series 4 games to 2 and date on sweet spot NY Yankees October 1977, but it is a spalding ball. He said it was a foul ball, I kinda believe his story, really no reason to lie as he not selling it, just sitting on his shelf. I'm thinking it maybe was a batting practice foul ball? Any thoughts? Thanks.

Adding to the unlikelihood is that 1976 is the last year that ANY major league balls were manufactured under the Spalding imprint. Official balls for both the American League and National League were manufactured with Rawlings stamping beginning in 1977.

So while I don't know the specific answer to your question of were the Rawlings 1977 World Series commemorative balls what was actually used in World Series game play, even if they were not, it seems unlikely that a Spalding ball that had been laying around for a year would have been used in a game. If anything, as you say, batting practice seems more likely.

Sorry I don't have a specific answer, but just thought I would throw that additional info in there.

1977 was the first year that Rawlings manufactured major league baseballs for both leagues but the first World Series with it's own commemorative ball was 1978 with a ball stamped with "75th World Series" on the bottom panel.

They apparently used regular National and American League baseballs in the 1977 World Series with the home team supplying the baseballs used in each game. Maybe the Yankees still had a few Spalding balls left over from 1976? In any case, a ball from game 6 at Yankee Stadium should be a American League Lee MacPhail ball. If your friend's ball is a National League Charles Feeney ball then the story has less of a leg to stand on.

A couple of years ago, a ball was auctioned off as one of Reggie Jackson's three home runs in game 6 of the '77 Series. It was a Rawlings American League ball. http://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-co....s#74547454501

What puzzles me about the Jackson ball is there seems to be 3 dots under the Rawlings label which most collectors would date to 1978. As you can see from the 1977 ball below, it has two dots. Ball collectors generally believe the dots was Rawlings method of dating baseballs, adding a dot each year until they reached 5 dots, then a new cycle would begin with a single dot again. Maybe they used balls manufactured for 1978 in the 1977 Series? Don't know.

Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it. It is a regular American League Lee MacPhail baseball, just manufactured by Spalding. I am really thinking he probably caught it in BP, and after 37 years remembers it as a foul ball.