1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #67 Marvin Owen

Sunday, November 27, 2022

#67 Marvin Owen - Detroit Tigers

Marvin James Owen

Detroit Tigers

Third Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'1" Weight: 175

Born: March 22, 1906, Agnew, CA

Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1931, 1933-1937; Chicago White Sox 1938-1939; Boston Red Sox 1940

World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1934-1935

Died: June 22, 1991, Mountain View, CA (85)

Marv Owen spent nine seasons in the majors, helping the Tigers reach the World Series in 1934 and 1935. Originally called up to the Tigers in 1931, he spent all of 1932 in the International League batting a combined .317 and winning league MVP honors. He'd return as a regular with the Tigers in 1933 and was the third baseman in one of the strongest infields of the era, along with Hank Greenberg (#54) at first base, Charlie Gehringer (#77) at second base and Billy Rogell (#76) at shortstop. Owen batted a career-best .317 in 1934 with 98 RBIs, with his Tigers team falling to the Cardinals in the seven game World Series. During the final game of that series, Owen and Cardinals' slugger Ducky Medwick (#66) were involved in a fight that led to Medwick having to leave the game when Tigers fans wouldn't stop throwing debris his way as he stood in left field.

In 1935, Owen and the Tigers returned to the World Series, this time defeating the Cubs in six games. The following season, Owen's last great year, he batted .295 with 105 RBIs. Dealt to the White Sox following the 1937 season, he'd play in parts of three more seasons before retiring as a player. Owen then began a decade-long career as a minor league manager between 1944 and 1954. He'd also serve as a scout for the Tigers until the 1970s. In 1,011 games, Owen batted .275 with 1,040 hits, 167 doubles and 499 RBIs.

Building the Set

November 18, 2022 from Newtown, NJ - Card #67

In a case of pure coincidence, the 67th card added to my Diamond Stars set is card #67 in the set. This was a somewhat surprising addition, as I didn't expect to be the high bidder on this particular eBay auction. Seller bcards79 from Newton, New Jersey listed a few Diamond Stars cards for sale, including this Owen card, and I set a relatively low opening bid and ultimately won the card for only $18.50. Of the 67 cards added so far, this is the fourth least expensive added to date.

Variations Available

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

The Card / Tigers Team Set

I'm going to imagine those are Owen's legendary Tigers infield teammates behind him on this card. I've heard third base often referred to as the hot corner, but never as the "red light" spot as noted on the back of the card. Owen was a steady defender at third, leading the league in putouts twice (1934 and 1936) and finishing in the top four for assists in four different seasons.

1935 Season

Owen started 131 of the Tigers' 152 games at third base, batting .263 with a pair of home runs and 72 RBIs. He slumped in the World Series, batting just 1 for 20 (.050), but he filled in admirably at first base over the final four games of the series when Greenberg went down with an injury.