1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #39 Carl Hubbell

Sunday, December 24, 2023

#39 Carl Hubbell - New York Giants

Carl Owen Hubbell

New York Giants

Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Left Height: 6'0" Weight: 170

Born: June 22, 1903, Carthage, MO

Major League Teams: New York Giants 1928-1943

World Series Appearances: New York Giants 1933, 1936-1937

Died: November 21, 1988, Scottsdale, AZ (85)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1947

Carl Hubbell's fantastic 16-year career as a pitcher for the Giants is occasionally overshadowed by what he accomplished over the first two innings in the 1934 All-Star Game. Hubbell struck out five future Hall of Famers in a row - Babe Ruth (#109), Lou Gehrig (#130), Jimmie Foxx (#64), Al Simmons (#2) and Joe Cronin (#123) - relying on his nearly unhittable screwball to accomplish the impressive feat. Hubbell first gained national prominence in 1933, going 23-12 with a league-leading 1.66 ERA and 10 shutouts on his way to National League MVP honors. He won two games in that year's World Series, as the Giants defeated the Nationals in five games. Hubbell won a career-best 26 games in 1936 while leading the league for the third time with a 2.31 ERA and winning his second league MVP. He was the league's first unanimous pick for MVP honors that season. Hubbell would accomplish his fifth and final 20-win season in 1937.

Hubbell retired following the 1943 season with a lifetime record of 253-154, a 2.98 ERA and 1,677 strikeouts in 3,590 1/3 innings pitched. He threw 260 complete games, including 36 shutouts. Hubbell continued to work with the Giants' organization as the club's farm system director and later as a scout until his death in 1988. The Giants retired Hubbell's #11 in 1944, the first number retired by the team, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.

Building the Set

December 3, 2023 from Oaks, PA (The Philly Show - Bagger's Auctions) - Card #96

I wrote a full write-up of The Philly Show from December over at The Phillies Room. Having added another 145 commons to our 1969 Topps set build, and then securing autographs from Tom Herr and Bobby Wine, Doug and I were ready to call it a day.

On our way out, I stopped at a table near the exit when I noticed a display with baseball cards from the 1930s, including a few Diamond Stars cards. I've been watching this Hubbell card for a while on a few eBay auctions, and given the reasonable price tag on this card for $110, I started a short negotiation with the dealer. He pointed out there were some other Diamond Stars cards in a bargain bin next to the case, and I was pleasantly surprised to find an extremely reasonably priced Ducky Medwick (#66) card to pair with the Hubbell purchase. Both cards joined my Diamond Stars set build and we quickly exited the show soon afterwards, given my now completely empty wallet.

Variations Available

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

The Card / Giants Team Set

I'd consider this an iconic Diamond Stars card, and I've been seeing this card at baseball card shows and in baseball card publications for over four decades. I'm excited to finally have a version of the card in our collection. The write-up on the back discusses the advantages left-handed pitchers (or portsiders) have over their right-handed counterparts.

1935 Season

Hubbell dominated the league's batters for a third season in a row, going 23-12 with a 3.27 ERA in 42 games. His 302 2/3 innings pitched were second in the league behind Dizzy Dean (#124), who threw 325 1/3 innings. Hubbell's 24 complete games were also second in the league, again behind Dean who had 29. The Giants were the frontrunners in the league until late August, when the Cubs and their 21-game winning streak overtook them, eventually winning the pennant.