1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #23 Bill Hallahan

Sunday, December 17, 2023

#23 Bill Hallahan - St. Louis Cardinals

William Anthony Hallahan

St. Louis Cardinals

Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Left Height: 5'10" Weight: 170

Born: August 4, 1902, Binghamton, NY

Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1925-1926, 1929-1936; Cincinnati Reds 1936-1937; Philadelphia Phillies 1938

World Series Appearances: St. Louis Cardinals 1926, 1930-1931, 1934

Died: July 8, 1981, Binghamton, NY (78)

Given the nickname "Wild Bill" due to his penchant for walks, Bill Hallahan pitched for 10 seasons with the Cardinals, helping his club to four World Series appearances and three World Championships. Hallahan had a few brief stints with the Cardinals in 1925 and 1926, before coming up for good in 1929 and becoming one of the workhorses of the Gashouse Gang's pitching staff. He led the league in both strikeouts and walks in 1930 and 1931, and was a 19-game winner in 1931 with a 3.29 ERA. Hallahan was stellar in most of his World Series appearances, going 3-1 with a 1.36 ERA in seven games, five starts and 39 2/3 innings pitched. He was the winning pitcher in Games 2 and 5 of the 1931 World Series, and recorded the final out in Game 7 to earn the save. Hallahan pitched in at least 162 innings for seven straight seasons between 1930 and 1936.

Hallahan was the National League's starting pitcher in the first ever All-Star Game in 1933, held in Chicago's Comiskey Park. He'd win another World Series title in 1934, and won 15 games in 1935, his fourth and final season claiming as many wins. His Cardinals' career came to an end on May 31, 1936, when he was sold to the Reds. After 2 1/2 seasons of mediocre pitching performances, Hallahan retired, seeing his last action with the Phillies in 1938. He was 102-94 lifetime, with a 4.03 ERA in 324 games pitched. Hallahan had 856 strikeouts to 779 walks in 1,740 1/3 career innings pitched.

Building the Set

December 3, 2023 from Oaks, PA (The Philly Show - Clean Sweep Auctions) - Card #95

This was the only Diamond Stars card I thought I'd add from the recent Philly Show, but I'd end up adding two more. Hallahan has eluded me over the nearly three years I've collected this set, which is odd given he's a non-Hall of Famer, non-high number and non-Yankees player. Most of the cards featuring players similar to Hallahan have been available in multiple eBay auctions or at The Philly Show over the past three years, with Hallahan and the card for Max Bishop (#6) being somewhat difficult to track down. As of this writing, I need 26 more cards with Bishop and a variation of the Dixie Walker card (#12) being the only two non-Hall of Famer, non-high number cards remaining.

I found this Hallahan card in a stack of "commons" at the Clean Sweep Auction table, and given I had rarely seen a copy of this card available for sale, I gladly paid the $30 being asked for it. I wrote a full report of the December Philly Show over at The Phillies Room.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright ✅

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright

The Card / Cardinals Team Set

The tip on the back of the card concerns how to stand on the mound without embarrassing yourself. And I learned something here too. The tip advises young pitchers to "read the thirteen ways that a balk can be made and school yourself to avoid them." To this day, nearly 100 years later, there are 13 different ways a pitcher might commit a balk. I honestly had no idea there were that many, and lists are readily available online.

1934 Season

Hallahan was the veteran on the Cardinals' pitching staff, and he struggled following his successful 1933 campaign. The typical rotation for the eventual World Champions consisted of Dizzy Dean (#124), Paul Dean (#125), Tex Carleton, Bill Walker and Hallahan. Hallahan was 8-12 with a 4.26 ERA, throwing 10 complete games and a pair of shutouts. He started Game 4 of the World Series, facing off against the Tigers' Schoolboy Rowe (#33). Hallahan departed the game with one out in the ninth, with the score tied 2-2. Walker would lose the game in the 12th on an RBI single by Goose Goslin (#112) to score Charlie Gehringer (#77). Rowe pitched a complete game, lasting all 12 innings.

Phillies Career

The Phillies were terrible in the 1930s, and Hallahan's former teammate Jimmie Wilson (#22) was their player-manager. Wilson brought Hallahan on board, signing the pitcher on February 7, 1938, and giving him a front row seat to the Phillies' 105-loss season. His last great pitching performance came on August 25th against the Pirates, when he threw an 11-inning complete game victory, and gave up only a run on five hits. Hallahan was 1-8 with a 5.46 ERA in 21 games, including 10 starts. He pitched 89 innings in his final big league season, striking out 22 and walking 45.

He was released on December 19, 1938, and he'd attempt a comeback in 1939 with the minor league Minneapolis Millers before retiring from baseball. There's one Hallahan Phillies baseball card available, from the 1974 TCMA Nicknames set, and I've added that card to my want list.