The bat Kirk Gibson swung to homer off Dennis Eckersley in the World Series sold for over half a million dollars. The proceeds benefit Kirk’s charity.

So why was this bat so valuable? Bill Mazeroski’s home run was a much higher leverage home run in terms of the series, as the Pirates went from losing to winning a World Series. While a 1-0 lead in a seven game series is important, it by no means guarantees a win.

The bat is valuable due to a convergence of low probability events resulting in a home run. First, Gibson came to the play injured. He won the MVP in 1988, but did not start the game due to injury. Second, Eckersley allowed just five home runs that season and a slugging percentage of .270. He was extremely good against lefties with a .198/.229/.286 slash line. So an injured Gibson should be no match for Eck. Add to that the homer won the game, and he hit it for a team with a gigantic fan base. Finally, people just like Kirk Gibson. He always played the game full throttle, and the played it well. It was the perfect combination to make a piece of equipment worth more than it’s weight in gold.