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Kemp made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 28, 2006, against the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. He got one hit in 4 at bats in his debut, and slugged his first Major League homer on June 1 in his second Dodger Stadium at-bat. He homered in three straight games from June 1-3 against the Phillies and homered twice on June 11 off the Colorado Rockies. He became the 1st Dodger and 5th major leaguer to hit four homers in his first 10 days with the team.
Kemp started the 2007 season on the major league roster but lost his place when he suffered an injury while running into the outfield fence at Dodger Stadium. Upon his return from the injury, he was optioned back to Las Vegas and did not return to the Dodgers until mid-June. Once Kemp was recalled, he showed why many consider him a star in the making. Kemp enjoyed an outstanding sophomore campaign. Kemp batted .342 hit 10 home runs, and drove in 42 runs. In 2008 he earned a full-time position, and showed a strong blend of power and speed as he hit .292 with 18 home runs and 35 stolen bases.
This is a Matt Kemp game-used professional model baseball bat manufactured by Old Hickory in 2007. Kemp's name appears on the barrel label of this bat in block letters – it has been worn due to the heavy amount of game use present on this bat. The Model Number Pro P100 is stamped into barrel of this bat). The bat has a natural finish, measures 34 inches in length and currently weighs approximately 32 ounces.
This bat shows a heavy amount of game use. Rack marks, hit marks and ball marks are evidenced over the entire barrel. The knob of this bat and the cupped barrel end both have Kemp's uniform number 27 written in black marker, The handle has been prepared with a tape application that extends approximately 3 inches from the knob, and a generous application of stick extending 19 inches into the barrel label. The bat has a moderate handle crack approximately 7 inches from the knob that extends 6 inches toward the barrel. The wood is only slightly displaced and does not affect the display quality of this bat to any significant degree. The bat was cracked by Matt Kemp in the 10th inning of a Dodger 6-5 victory over Arizona on 6/26/07. This bat has an outstanding amount of game use and presents an opportunity to obtain a great bat from the breakout season of a young player whose Dodger future looks very bright.
This bat is sourced from Dodgers-Steiner Collectibles (Letter of Authenticity included) and bears Steiner hologram # 32012 as well as MLB hologram # 454688BB.View Lot Detail page