#137 Waite Hoyt - Pittsburgh Pirates

Waite Charles Hoyt

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180

Born:  September 9, 1899, Brooklyn, NY

Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1918; Boston Red Sox 1919-1920; New York Yankees 1921-1930; Detroit Tigers 1930-1931; Philadelphia Athletics 1931; Brooklyn Dodgers 1932; New York Giants 1932; Pittsburgh Pirates 1933-1937; Brooklyn Dodgers 1937-1938

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1921-1923, 1926-1928; Philadelphia Athletics 1931

Died:  August 25, 1984, Cincinnati, OH (84)

Hall of Fame Induction:  1969

Reading Waite Hoyt's biography, I was struck by the Forrest Gump nature of his life before, during and after his time in baseball.  Pitching for 21 seasons with seven different franchises, Hoyt holds the distinction of playing with more Hall of Fame teammates than anyone else in major league history.  Receiving the nickname "Schoolboy" because he was signed by Giants' manager John McGraw when he was only 15, Hoyt held a day job as a funeral director and spent off nights performing in vaudeville.  He played semi-professional basketball in the offseason and was also an accomplished painter and writer.

On the mound, Hoyt was the most successful pitcher for the Yankees during the Murderer's Row dynasty spanning the 1920s.  Hoyt went to six World Series with the Yankees, winning rings in 1923, 1927 and 1928.  With the 1927 Yankees, arguably one of the best teams of all-time, Hoyt went 22-7 with a 2.63 ERA over 36 games pitched.  He bounced around a bit after being traded away by the Yankees in 1930, but he found a second home with the Pirates in 1933.  Hoyt retired during the 1938 season after being released by his hometown Dodgers.  For his career, he was 237-182 in 674 games pitched with 1,206 strikeouts.

In 1940, Hoyt began his second career as a long-time broadcaster.  After a short stint with the Dodgers, Hoyt assumed the role of the play-by-play voice for the Reds between 1942 and his retirement in 1964.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969 by the Veterans Committee.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company.  Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money.  Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price.  These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set.  What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Pirates Team Set

The back of Hoyt's card discusses his "Schoolboy" origins as well as his star seasons with the Yankees.  In the 1921 World Series, won by the Giants in eight games, both Hoyt and fellow Yankees pitcher Carl Mays threw three complete games.  Hoyt allowed only two unearned runs in his 27 innings, accounting for his 0.00 ERA and establishing his reputation as the Yankees' staff ace.  

1936 Season

As mentioned on the back of the card, Hoyt was converted to a relief pitcher during his time with the Pirates but he still occasionally made some starts for the team.  In 22 games, Hoyt went 7-5 with a 2.70 ERA over 116 2/3 innings pitched.

1921 American Caramel Series of 80 (E121)

1927 Playing Cards (W560)

1933 Goudey #60

1940 Play Ball #118

1960 Fleer Baseball Greats #69

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1921 American Caramel Series of 80 (E121)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Cooperstown Colgan's Chips

274 - Hoyt non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/31/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #136 Billy Herman - Chicago Cubs

Next Card: #138 Bob Johnson - Philadelphia Athletics

#21 Johnny Vergez - Philadelphia Phillies (Variation)

Jean Louis Vergez

Philadelphia Phillies

Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  165

Born:  July 9, 1906, Oakland, CA

Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1931-1934; Philadelphia Phillies 1935-1936; St. Louis Cardinals 1936

Died:  July 15, 1991, Davis, CA (85)

Johnny Vergez played in six big league seasons and was the regular third baseman for the Giants between 1931 and 1935.  His best season came in 1933 when he hit .271 with a career high 16 home runs to go along with 72 RBIs.  He had previously reached his career peak in both average (.278) and RBIs (81) in his rookie season of 1931.  A steady defender at third, Vergez lead all third baseman in fielding percentage in 1935 and finished in the top ten in the league in three other seasons.  In 672 major league games, Vergez batted .255 with 52 home runs and 292 RBIs.

Both before and after his big league career, Vergez starred in the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks (1929-1930, 1939-1943) and the Sacramento Solons (1936-1938).  He was the Oaks' player manager between 1939 and 1943, and while the record from his first two seasons at the helm are unavailable, over the final three seasons he guided the Oaks to three first place finishes and an overall record of 512-244.  After his PCL career, Vergez scouted for the Giants and was the head baseball coach at Saint Mary's College.

Building the Set

March 25, 2021 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #15

Most adults would celebrate a work promotion with a fancy dinner, or perhaps a quick vacation, or maybe by splurging on a special purchase that had been waiting for a special occasion.  When I recently received word of my own work promotion, I gave myself a $100 limit to go shopping on eBay for baseball cards to celebrate.  Having recently purchased several star cards for my growing 1965 Topps set, I decided to add a few more cards to this Diamond Stars set.  I landed in the store of BBC Emporium on eBay, and found three cards totaling $98 from the seller located in Longmont, Colorado.  This Vergez card was the most expensive card of the trio at $48.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright / team on back is the Giants

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright / team on back is the Phillies ✅

The Card / Phillies Team Set

This is one of the 10 variations I'm tracking down for my set, as this version notes on the back that Vergez was now playing for the Phillies.  The version of the Vergez card released in 1934 lists his team on the back as the Giants.  The first sentence on the back misspells Vergez's name before going into a lengthy "running the bases" tip.

1935 Season / Phillies Career

The Giants traded Vergez along with Pretzel Pezzullo, Blondy Ryan (#40), George Watkins and cash to the Phillies on November 1, 1934 for All-Star shortstop Dick Bartell (#101).  Vergez was the Phillies' opening day third baseman in 1935, and he'd go on to start 148 games at the position with Mickey Haslin receiving the other 8 starts.  Vergez had a solid year with his glove, but struggled somewhat at the plate.  He led all National League third baseman with putouts (188) and double plays turned (25), while leading the league in fielding percentage (.953) at the position.  At the plate, Vergez batted .249 with 9 home runs and 63 RBIs.  The 1935 Phillies, managed by Jimmie Wilson (#22), finished 7th in the National League with a 64-89 record.

Vergez broke camp with the Phillies in 1936 and again was the club's opening day third baseman.  But on April 30th, the Phillies re-acquired Pinky Whitney from the Boston Bees and Vergez's time with the team was essentially over.  After 15 games with the Phillies at the start of the season, Vergez was sold to the Cardinals on May 24th.

1933 Goudey #233

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #176

1993 Conlon Collection TSN #811

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #233

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #811

18 - Vergez non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/28/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #15 Dick Bartell - New York Giants (Variation)

Next Card: #30 "Heinie" Manush - Boston Red Sox (Variation)

#46 "Red" Lucas - Cincinnati Reds

Charles Fred Lucas

Cincinnati Reds

Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  170

Born:  April 28, 1902, Columbia, TN

Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1923; Boston Braves 1924; Cincinnati Reds 1926-1933; Pittsburgh Pirates 1934-1938

Died:  July 9, 1986, Nashville, TN (84)

A steady starting pitcher for parts of 15 big league seasons, as well as a consistently reliable pinch-hitter, Red Lucas led the league three times in complete games and won at least 10 games in nine different seasons.  Lucas was an early two-way player, able to successfully pitch and serving as a valuable bat off the bench for his teams.  On the mound, his best season came in 1929 when he went 19-12 with a 3.60 ERA while leading the league in complete games (28) and WHIP (1.204).  He finished sixth in the N.L. MVP voting that season.  Lucas pitched in 396 games over his career, going 157-135 with a 3.72 ERA and 602 strikeouts.

Along with those solid pitching numbers, Lucas was one of the best pinch-hitters of his era.  He possessed a lifetime .272 average as a pinch-hitter, going 116 for 426 overall in the role.  He fared even better at the plate when not pinch-hitting, having a lifetime average of .281 with 404 hits and 13 home runs.  To complete the trifecta of a complete ballplayer, Lucas was an above-average fielder as well, leading the league among all pitchers in four different seasons with a 1.000 fielding percentage.  After retiring as a player, Lucas served as a minor league coach and manager between 1939 and 1949.  He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1965.

Building the Set

March 25, 2021 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #14

Most adults would celebrate a work promotion with a fancy dinner, or perhaps a quick vacation, or maybe by splurging on a special purchase that had been waiting for a special occasion.  When I recently received word of my own work promotion, I gave myself a $100 limit to go shopping on eBay for baseball cards to celebrate.  Having recently purchased several star cards for my growing 1965 Topps set, I decided to add a few more cards to this Diamond Stars set.  I landed in the store of BBC Emporium on eBay, and found three cards totaling $98 from the seller located in Longmont, Colorado.  This Lucas card was $20.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Reds Team Set

It's odd the write-up on the back references Lucas as a Reds' pitcher, when he spent the entire 1934 season with the Pirates.  The Trading Card Database lists the outdated team designation as an uncorrected error.  After eight seasons with the Reds, he was dealt to the Pirates on November 17, 1933 with Wally Roettger for Adam Comorosky and Tony Piet (#72).  The tip on the back tells players how to pitch when runners are on base, including when there's a runner on third who attempts to steal home.

This exact card was reprinted and included in the third and final series, released in 1936 with blue ink on the back, and numbered as card #106.

1935 Season

In his second full season with the Pirates, Lucas appeared in 20 games and went 8-6 with a 3.44 ERA.  Lucas was the team's fifth starter with Cy Blanton (#57) the ace of the staff and winning 18 games.  On May 25th, Lucas was chased from his start early against the Braves following Babe Ruth's (#109) 712th career home run in the first inning.  Ruth homered three times against the Pirates that day, with his first off Lucas and then hitting two more off Pirates' reliever Guy Bush in the third and seventh innings.  Those were to be the last three home runs of Ruth's career, and Lucas called the final home run, #714, the longest homer he ever saw.

1933 Goudey #137

1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)

1935 Goudey 4-in-1 #36

1991 Conlon Collection TSN #190

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #137

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  XX

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Conlon Collection TSN #190

34 - Lucas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/28/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #45 "Jo Jo" White - Detroit Tigers

Next Card: #47 Cliff Bolton - Washington Senators

#40 "Blondy" Ryan - Philadelphia Phillies

John Collins Ryan

Philadelphia Phillies

Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  178

Born:  January 4, 1906, Lynn, MA

Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1930; New York Giants 1933-1934; Philadelphia Phillies 1935; New York Yankees 1935; New York Giants 1937-1938

World Series Appearances:  New York Giants, 1933, 1937

Died:  November 28, 1959, Swampscott, MA (53)

Known for his fielding more than his bat, Blondy Ryan was a middle infielder who played in parts of six big league seasons between 1930 and 1938.  His best season came in 1933 when he was the every day shortstop for the World Champion Giants, appearing in 146 games and batting .238 while leading all National League shortstops with 494 assists.  Ryan batted .278 in the 1933 World Series, with the Giants defeating the Senators in five games.  Back with the Giants in 1934, he lost playing time to Travis Jackson (#63) but still appeared in 110 games and batted .242.  After brief stints with the Phillies and Yankees, Ryan returned to the Giants for his final two seasons, appearing in the World Series again with the club in 1937.  For his career, Ryan played in 386 games, had a lifetime average of .239 and hit 8 home runs with 133 RBIs.  After retiring from baseball, Ryan joined the Navy and served in World War II.

Building the Set

March 25, 2021 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #13

Most adults would celebrate a work promotion with a fancy dinner, or perhaps a quick vacation, or maybe by splurging on a special purchase that had been waiting for a special occasion.  When I recently received word of my own work promotion, I gave myself a $100 limit to go shopping on eBay for baseball cards to celebrate.  Having recently purchased several star cards for my growing 1965 Topps set, I decided to add a few more cards to this Diamond Stars set.  I landed in the store of BBC Emporium on eBay, and found three cards totaling $98 from the seller located in Longmont, Colorado.  This Ryan card was $30, and I'll feature the other two cards that joined him in upcoming posts.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Phillies Team Set

The photo is the same used for Ryan's 1934 Butterfinger (R310) issuance, with a National Chicle artist swapping out his Giants jersey for a Phillies jersey.  The artist also took the liberty to add a center fielder running in behind Ryan.  The tip on the back of the card explains the need for middle infielders to stealthily coordinate as to who is covering second in case of an attempted steal.

This is actually the second version of this card in my collection, as I added a copy of the card 11 years ago for my Phillies collection.  I wrote about that card here, along with a look at the then recently released 2010 Topps National Chicle set.

1935 Season / Phillies Career

In what must have been a fairly major trade at the time, the Phillies dealt All-Star shortstop Dick Bartell (#15) to the Giants on November 1, 1934 for Ryan, Pretzel Pezzullo, Johnny Vergez (#21) and George Watkins.  Ryan was the Phillies' opening day shortstop in 1935, but he'd lose the job to Mickey Haslin by mid-May.  I'm assuming Ryan lost his playing time due to an injury, as he was batting .276 on May 18th, and wouldn't appear in a game again until June 2nd.  In 39 games with the Phillies, he hit .264 with a home run and 10 RBIs.  On August 6th, the Phillies sold Ryan to the Yankees and his short time in Philadelphia was over.

With the Yankees, Ryan took over as the semi-regular shortstop, sharing time with Red Rolfe (#29), Tony Lazzeri (#74) and later Nolen Richardson.  In 30 games with the Yankees, Ryan hit just .217 and he was sold to the Indians on December 18th.

1934 Goudey #32

1934 Butterfinger (R310) #54

1993 Conlon Collection TSN #694

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #32

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #694

18 - Ryan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/28/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #39 Carl Hubbell - New York Giants

Next Card: #41 Harvey Hendrick - Philadelphia Phillies

#134 "Gabby" Hartnett - Chicago Cubs

Charles Leo Hartnett

Chicago Cubs

Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  195

Born:  December 20, 1900, Woonsocket, RI

Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1922-1940; New York Giants 1941

World Series Appearances:  Chicago Cubs 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938

As a Manager:  Chicago Cubs 1938-1940

Died:  December 20, 1972, Park Ridge, IL (72)

Hall of Fame Induction:  1955

Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett was consistently great, catching with the Cubs for 19 seasons and appearing with the club in four different World Series.  Given the wonderful nickname "Old Tomato Face," Hartnett was solid behind the plate defensively and was also a threat with the bat.  Annually among the top of every defensive catching category, he led the league in runners caught stealing four times and in fielding percentage six times.  His caught stealing percentage of 56.1% is currently second all-time behind only Roy Campanella.  Hartnett was the fist catcher in major league history to hit at least 20 home runs in a season when he tallied 24 in 1925.  He was a six-time National League All-Star and the league's MVP in 1935.  His most remembered single game performance came on September 28, 1938 when his ninth inning, walk-off home run against the then first place Pirates catapulted the Cubs into first.  The home run came as darkness descended on Wrigley Field and Hartnett's blast became known as the Homer in the Gloamin'.

Hartnett's Homer in the Gloamin'

During his last three seasons with the Cubs, Hartnett served as a player/manager, guiding the team to a 203-176 record.  For his career, Hartnett appeared in 1,990 games while batting .297 with 236 home runs and 1,179 RBIs.  His marks for games played, home runs, RBIs, hits and doubles were tops among all catchers when he retired.  Hartnett managed in the minor leagues for a few seasons in the 1940s and occasionally served as a color commentator on nationally televised games in the 1950s and early 1960s.  He was a coach with the Kansas City Athletics in 1965.  Hartnett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955, and I was shocked to learn he didn't make it in until his 12th time on the ballot.  Given he finished third in the voting for catcher for MLB's All Century Team in 1999 (behind Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra) it seems to me he should have been inducted much earlier.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company.  Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money.  Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price.  These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set.  What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / no statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Cubs Team Set

The front of the card gives us a full view of Hartnett donning the tools of ignorance.  On the back, his defensive and offensive skills are highlighted and the narrative mentions his injury-shortened 1929 season.  His SABR biography attributes the injury to simply a case of "dead arm," and Hartnett recovered in 1930 after a full year of rest.  His omission from the original Diamond Stars set is a mystery to me, as he also didn't appear in the 1934 Goudey set and it would seem his status should have made him a natural inclusion for the set's checklist.

1936 Season

Hartnett enjoyed another All-Star season as the Cubs' regular catcher.  In 121 games, he batted .307 with 7 home runs and 64 RBIs.  Frank Demaree was the club's best hitter in 1936, winning the team's triple crown with a .350 average, 16 home runs and 96 RBIs.  The Cubs finished second in the National League, 5 games behind the pennant-winning Giants.

1922 American Caramel Series of 240 (E120)

1925 Exhibits (W461) #22

1933 Goudey #202

1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)

1960 Fleer Baseball Greats #29

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1922 American Caramel Series of 240 (E120)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Panini Diamond Kings #32

236 - Hartnett non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/25/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #133 "Bad News" Hale - Cleveland Indians

Next Card: #135 "Babe" Herman - Cincinnati Reds