1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #40 "Blondy" Ryan

Sunday, May 9, 2021

#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.