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Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory traces history of most iconic bats in MLB history
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Even before entering the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, everyone grabs their phone—or a camera, if anyone still uses those—and shoots photos of the World’s Largest Baseball Bat that welcomes all to this baseball shrine.
Standing at an angle, an amazing 120-foot tall and weighing 68,000 pounds, is the world’s biggest replica baseball bat, so says Guinness World Records. Made by bat manufacturer Hillerich & Bradsby, it is an R43 style bat, the model made by the manufacturer for Babe Ruth and, in 1927, Ruth hit his then-record 60 home runs.
The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is in the city’s Museum Row downtown and, fittingly, an easy walk from another must-visit museum for sports fans: the Muhammad Ali Center, a six-story, non-profit museum and cultural center opened in late 2005 and dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali, who was born in Louisville.
The museum showcases the rich history of Louisville Slugger and is now in the fourth location where bats have been made since 1884. On Nov. 15, Louisville Slugger will honor Baseball Hall of Famer and Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg as the 2024 winner of its Living Legend Award.
The current museum opened in July 1996 with a Who’s Who of Hall of Famers attending, including Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew and Pee Wee Reese, among others.
My first stop inside the museum, as it often is for others, is an interactive display area where visitors can hold game-used bats, including a Babe Ruth bat that is 91 years old.
Visitors are told not to swing or let the bat touch the ground in the “Hold A Piece Of History” area. Employees wear gloves to protect the prized collectibles and the bats have covering over the area where they are held so no one touches the actual bat.
After Ruth, I had to check out the bats of Orlando Cepeda, Joey Votto, Todd Helton, Alan Trammell, Derek Jeter, Alex Gordon, and Eloy Jimenez. (Hey, I’m a diehard Chicago White Sox fan, so I had to see what Jimenez swings.)
In addition to the bats, there are plaques that detail each bat. Ken Griffey Jr., for instance, used a Model C271 that was 34 inches and weighed 30.5 ounces.
The plaques next to the bats of Willie Mays and Cepeda have a black tribute ribbon, honoring their recent deaths.
As my journey continued, I next spotted game-used bats of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle from the famed 1961 home run season. Mantle swung a 35-inch, 32-ounce bat. Maris went with a 35-33.
Next up, the bat that Hank Aaron used to smack his 700th career home run on July 23, 1973.
The museum also features life-size replicas of many stars, such as Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Ted Williams, Derek Jeter and Jackie Robinson, among others.
The museum spotlights bats from many eras, specifically in “The Brilliance of Bats” display, which includes wood used by Frank “Lefty” O’Doul and Kirby Puckett, among others.
A display honoring players who also served in the military features game-used bats of Williams, Larry Doby, Stan Musial, Hank Greenberg, and Hank Gowdy.
There also is an autographed baseball on display of Al Bumbry who, two months after signing a contract with Louisville Slugger, headed off to serve in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star.
The museum also displays a pink game-used and autographed Griffey bat, and it’s noted, more than $2 million has been raised for breast cancer research through the pink bats.
The Women Play Ball section features replica uniforms from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), an autograph baseball from past players, and more.
Clemente is spotlighted at the museum, including a game-used bat from 1969 or 1970. The knob on a Clemente bat is very distinctive.
Also featured:
• The Big Red Machine, with bats of Joe Morgan, George Foster, Johnny Bench, and others.
• Bats of early sluggers such as Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.
• The Living Legend Award Winners, such as, Jim Thome (2022), Mike Schmidt (2019), Frank Robinson (2008), and Dave Winfield (2016), among others.
• Ozzie Smith game-used helmet.
• Joe DiMaggio’s 56-Game Hit Streak.
• Stadium replicas made of Legos. Such as, Great American Ballpark, made by Jason Burik in 2015 with 5,000 LEGO bricks. It took two months to complete.
No visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory isn’t complete without a visit to the factory. The tour of the factory consists of five stops showing how bats are made. The tours last about 40 minutes and are very informative.
In 2015, the museum was named one of the most beautiful factories in the world.
Before leaving, visitors must check out:
• Signature Wall, a large wooden wall in the foyer, displaying the signatures of every Louisville Slugger contract player.
• Bat Vault, where all Louisville Slugger bat models are kept; visitors are allowed to hold select replica models.
• Batting cages, obviously.
• Museum store: bring your credit card as they offer shirts, hats, bats, balls, magnets, and memorabilia. Such as: a Mookie Betts single-signed baseball ($525); George H.W. Bush signed 1992 All-Star Game ball ($850); Muhammad Ali-signed ball ($1,400); Sandy Koufax-signed ball ($1,450); and a Bryce Harper-signed ball ($595).
There were more memorabilia for sale in the store, including a Michael Jordan model bat from 1994 ($29,000); Jackie Robinson-signed, hand-written note ($3,650); and autographed cards aplenty.
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