1981 marked Pete Rose’s 19th big league season and his third in Philadelphia. At age 40, baseball’s Hit King was still incredibly productive at the plate, batting .325 with an NL-leading 140 hits during that strike-shortened campaign. The Phillies won the National League East division but were unable to repeat as World Series champs after getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Expos. This offered Rose gamer hails from the last time he batted .300 in a season and his second-to-last All-Star campaign.

The Mizuno pro-model ‘R3631’ bat exhibits excellent use with a handle crack. There are plenty of ball contact marks and stitch impressions visible on the left barrel. Cleat marks appear on the back and right barrel. Black bat rack streaks run along the upper handle and center brand. The finish on the barrel has been custom sanded, a common characteristic among Rose gamers from that era as noted in the PSA/DNA letter. This sanding has faded the “Pete Rose R3630” barrel stamp, which induced its restoration by being traced over (perhaps by Pete himself). The length of the bat (“33-1/2”) is stamped into the knob. Pete has signed the back barrel, “To Tony, Best Wishes To a Great Guy, Pete Rose,” in blue pen. Bat expert John Taube of PSA/DNA has given the bat a GU 8.5 grade. The autograph comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA.