Glenn Burke Major League Debut April 9, 1976 SF Giants vs. Dodgers Ticket Stub HISTORIC

Glenn Burke (1952–1995) was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–78) and Oakland Athletics (1978–79), batting .237 with 35 stolen bases. A gifted athlete and vibrant clubhouse presence, he is widely credited with inventing the high five during the 1977 postseason.

For decades, conventional wisdom has traced the gesture’s origin to October 2, 1977, at Dodger Stadium, when Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run off J. R. Richard, making the Dodgers the first team with four players reaching 30 home runs in a season. As Baker rounded the bases, Burke greeted him with an upraised hand, and the iconic high five was born.

Burke later became the first MLB player to openly acknowledge his homosexuality, but the era’s culture forced him out of the game before his prime. The Dodgers reportedly offered incentives for him to conceal his identity. After baseball, he battled poverty, drug addiction, and AIDS-related illness, dying at 42. Today, Burke is remembered as both a cultural pioneer and a symbol of courage whose legacy extends far beyond the field.

Offered is a ticket stub from April 9, 1976 when the Dodgers lost to the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on opening day at Candlestick Park.  Don Sutton took the lost for L.A., while John Montefusco was credited with the win (Gary Lavelle got the save).

Besides this being the opening day for these two historic rivals during our country’s 200^th Anniversary, this was the Major League Debut of a young promising rookie named Glenn Burke.

Offered is an actual ticket stub from that game that derived from the collection of the original fan who attended that game. 

To date, PSA has only graded one ticket stub and no full tickets from this game.