Interesting Autograph "Stuff"
 

Common players who played a significant "uncommon" role in baseball history, What was it ?
Thought this might be an interesting starter

BERT COLE Pitching On July 15, 1921, he gave up Babe Ruth's 139 career home run, breaking the previous record of 138 set by Roger Connor. Ruth went on to hit 714 home runs.
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First Latin American ballplayer to win a MLB batting championship [he was Mexican]:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...a_%20Bobby.jpg

JimStinson
 

Nice !!!

Here is another ..
GINGER BEAUMONT As the Pirates' regular leadoff hitter, he was the first player ever to bat in a World Series game 1903
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jim@stinsonsports.com

Jim Bivin
 

JimStinson
 

In 1941 Joe DiMaggio set a major league record with a 56 game hitting streak on his way to winning the MVP award.
While Ted Williams became the last major leaguer to hit better than .400 in a season batting a robust .406.

Q: Who led the league in hits in 1941?
A: Not Joe, Not Ted (smile) it was CECIL TRAVIS who claimed that honor with 218
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jim@stinsonsports.com

The First Major Leaguer to hit 4 home runs in a game
 

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Robert "Bobby" Lowe - May 30, 1894

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Keeping with the home run theme . . .
 

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. . . On May 13, 1942, Jim Tobin became only the second major league pitcher to hit 3 home runs in a game, and was the only 20th century pitcher to do it

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How about Tony Cloninger as the only Pitcher in Major League history to hit 2 grandslams in one game.

Coaches Corner would certify that Ruth

Great thread Jim, here's one...

Got this back from Joe Sprinz a catcher who had a 21 game MLB career with the Indians but played several years with the SF Seals in the Pacific Coast League. He was nice enough to lay out his life/career and sign this one pager but he left out what might be the most significant event of his entire life, at least the one that he's remembered for.

As part of a publicity stunt for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the 100th "Anniversary" of baseball, and his 37th birthday, Sprinz, now a member of the Seals, agreed to attempt to catch a baseball dropped from a blimp from a height of 800 feet, to set a new world record.

The previous year Hank Helf and Johnny Pytlack of the Cleveland Indians caught balls dropped from the 708 foot Terminal Tower in Cleveland

Sprinz "caught" a ball on the fifth drop, but the force of the ball drove his glove into his face, breaking his jaw and basically making mincemeat of his face. He got knocked out cold, and reportedly dropped the ball, but for the sake of the world record, the Guinness folks ruled it a "catch".

It should be noted that this record has stood longer than Dimaggio's hitting streak.

SI Vault article on this short-lived fad

One more before work. This pretty much speaks for itself. Both pitchers worked the equivalent of nearly three complete games.

Oeschger was involved in a big trade in 1923 when he and Billy Southworth were traded from Boston to the Giants for Casey Stengel and Dave Bancroft.

JimStinson
 

JOE BLACK First African American pitcher to win a World Series game

Strapped for pitching, Dodgers manager Chuck Dressen brought rookie Joe Black out of the bullpen and started him 3 times in 7 days in the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees. He won the opener with a 6-hitter over Allie Reynolds, 4–2, then lost the 4th game, 2–0, and the 7th, 4–2.

Amazingly 12 years would pass before another African American pitcher would notch a World Series Victory.
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jim@stinsonsports.com