A defensive liability for the New York Yankees for most of his career, Johnny Blanchard is probably best known for his play in the 1961 World Series. He hit 2 home runs in that series against the Cincinnati Reds and batted .400 for the entire series. In his career, Blanchard appeared in the World Series 5 times for the Yankees and holds the Major League record with ten World Series pinch-hit at-bats. Blanchard was the catcher who called the pitch that Bill Mazeroski hit for the first-ever series ending home run off Ralph Terry in the 1960 World Series in which the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the heavily favored Yankees. Johnny Blanchard has hand signed this Official American League Baseball. Certificate of Authenticity from Athlon Sports Collectibles. Johnny Blanchard died on March 25, 2009 at age 76. Glass display case is included.