1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #134 "Gabby" Hartnett

Sunday, May 2, 2021

#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.