1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #95 Luke Appling

Sunday, August 20, 2023

#95 Luke Appling - Chicago White Sox

Lucius Benjamin Appling

Chicago White Sox

Shortstop

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'10" Weight: 183

Born: April 2, 1907, High Point, NC

Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1930-1943, 1945-1950

As a Manager: Kansas City Athletics 1967

Died: January 3, 1991, Cumming, GA (83)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1964

Shortstop Luke Appling played for 20 seasons with the White Sox, with his career briefly interrupted by military service during World War II. A long-time star, Appling was a consistent hitter with the White Sox throughout the 1930s and 1940s, winning batting titles in 1936 and 1943 - statistically, his two best seasons. Appling batted .388 in 1936, making his first of seven All-Star teams and finishing as runner-up in the league's MVP voting behind Lou Gehrig (#130). In 1943, Appling batted .328 while also leading the league with a .419 on-base percentage. He'd miss most of the next two seasons while serving in the U.S. Army, and he'd make two more All-Star teams later in his career, in 1946 and 1947. Known for complaining about minor ailments, Appling was given the affectionate nickname of "Old Aches and Pains." He was also adept at fouling off pitches until he received a pitch to his liking.

Upon his retirement, Appling was baseball's all-time leader for games played (2,218) and double plays turned (1,424) by a shortstop. He was also the American League leader for all-time putouts (4,398) and assists (7,218) by a shortstop, with his marks later broken by Luis Aparicio. He batted .310 for his career, with 2,749 hits (currently 57th all-time), 1,319 runs scored and 1,116 RBIs. A long-time minor league manager, Appling was named Minor League Manager of the Year in 1952. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964, and the White Sox retired his #4 in 1975. Appling briefly managed the Athletics in 1967, taking over for the departed Alvin Dark, and compiled a 10-30 record in his brief tenure. He was on the major league coaching staffs of the Tigers (1960), Indians (1960-1961), Orioles (1963), Athletics (1964-1966), White Sox (1970-1971) and Braves (1981-1984). Appling worked as a batting instructor in the Braves' organization up until 1990.

Building the Set

July 24, 2023 from Tomball, TX (The Battersbox) - Card #85

It's been a minute since I added any new cards to my growing Diamond Stars set build. In fact, all set building has taken a back seat so far this spring/summer to the non-stop activities of our two teenage sons, who have kept us busy with baseball tournaments, tennis camps, trips to and from the gym, trips to and from the batting cages, piano lessons, outings with friends, trips to the beach and other time consuming but fun endeavors. In need of vintage baseball cards, I ordered this Appling card and the Wes Ferrell (#94) card from The Battesbox in late July. As further evidence of how busy we've been, again in a good way, the cards sat on my side project table for three weeks until I found some spare time on a late Friday afternoon in mid-August to appreciate them.

As of this writing, I'm 32 cards away from my version of a complete set, which includes 11 notable variations. I have a feeling the final cards needed will be a combination of the priciest cards in the set, Lefty Grove (#1), Mel Ott (#50) and Jimmie Foxx (#64) and the hard to find cards from the third series - basically the final six cards of the set.

Variations Available

1 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1936 copyright

The Card / White Sox Team Set

Appling has a few unknown White Sox teammates making cameo appearances in the background of this card, and those teammates aren't present in the source photo, shown above. The second sentence on the back needs a little explanation. Appling played for two years with the Oglethorpe College baseball team, 1929 and 1930, and was signed by the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern League following his collegiate 1930 season. He appeared in 104 games for the Crackers during the summer of 1930, batting .326, and the White Sox purchased his contract for $20,000 on August 19th. He'd make his debut with the White Sox on September 10th, appearing in six games. Appling wouldn't return to the minor leagues for over 20 years, and then as a manager following his retirement.

The last sentence mentions White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes (#42), who managed the team until 1946. In the 20 seasons spanning Appling's playing career, the closest the White Sox ever came to a pennant was in 1937 when they finished in third place, 16 games behind the division-winning Yankees.

1936 Season

As mentioned above, this was one of Appling's best seasons. In 138 games for the White Sox, he batted .388, beating Earl Averill (#100) for the batting title by 10 points. He also turned a career-best 119 double plays at shortstop to lead the league, with his infield partner for those double plays most often second baseman Jackie Hayes. Appling had a 27-game hitting streak at one point during the season, but unfortunately his career year didn't help the White Sox get closer to a pennant as his team finished in fourth place.