1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #118 Vernon Gomez

Sunday, March 31, 2024

#118 Vernon Gomez - New York Yankees

Vernon Louis Gomez

New York Yankees

Pitcher

Bats: Left Throws: Left Height: 6'2" Weight: 173

Born: November 26, 1908, Rodeo, CA

Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1930-1942; Washington Senators 1943

World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1932, 1936-1939

Died: February 17, 1989, Greenbrae, CA (80)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1972

Lefty Gomez pitched for 14 seasons, appearing in 368 games, with all but his final game coming with the Yankees. Gomez was an ace for the Yankees dynasty that went to the World Series five times between 1932 and 1939, winning championship titles each time. Carrying over his regular season success to the World Series, Gomez was 6-0 with a 2.86 ERA in seven World Series starts. He was a 20-game winner in four different seasons, including his career year in 1934. That year he was 26-5 with a 2.33 ERA, with 25 complete games, six shutouts and 158 strikeouts in 281 2/3 innings pitched, leading the American League in all those categories. Gomez was a seven-time All-Star, and was the winning pitcher for the American League in the first ever All-Star Game in 1933. He had two seasons in which he won the pitching Triple Crown - most wins, lowest ERA, most strikeouts - 1934, as mentioned above, and 1937 when he was 21-11 with a 2.33 ERA and a career-high 194 strikeouts.

1934 Butterfinger Premiums (R310)

Gomez had a lifetime record of 189-102 with a 3.34 ERA and 1,468 strikeouts over 2,503 innings pitched. He threw 173 complete games and 28 shutouts. Known for his wit, Gomez became a sought after public speaker following his retirement. The Veterans Committee unanimously inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

Building the Set

December 11, 2020 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards)

On the night I impulsively decided to collect the original Diamond Stars set, and I subsequently purchased the Harvey Hendrick (#41) card from Kit Young Cards, I also added the complete, and first, extended set to my cart for the very reasonable price of $7.50. The 12 cards in this first extended set were originally issued in 1981.

In the early 1980s, a family member of a former National Chicle employee discovered an uncut sheet of 12 unused cards presumably meant as a 1937 continuation of the Diamond Stars set. As originally advertised, and as mentioned on the back of every card issued, the company had intended for the set to contain 240 subjects. They only produced 108 cards before production was halted, and the theory is this newly found sheet represented a "lost" continuation of the set. Fortunately, the images of the cards made their way into the collecting world and a 12-card "what if" set was created. (More on the uncut sheet can be found here from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee and from this Ryan Cracknell article for Beckett.)

The Beckett online database lists the set as "1981 Diamond Stars Continuation Den's" and the set's description notes "This set was created and produced by Denny Eckes. Hobbyist Mike Galella was involved in bringing this sheet to the the public. These cards were originally available from the producer for $3." The back of the cards have a 1981 copyright attributed to Den's Collectors Den, the company belonging to the aforementioned Eckes.

The 12 cards include more ambitious geometric designs than the original Diamond Stars cards, although the overall color template remains the same as their 1934 to 1936 counterparts.

Variations Available

1 - 1981 / blue back / 1936 statistics / 1981 copyright

The Card / Yankees Team Set

Gomez was known for his overpowering fastball, referred to as "hopping" on the back of this card. Given his success in 1933, it's surprising National Chicle didn't include him in its original checklist. The photo used for the card was first seen in the 1934 Butterfingers Premium set, shown above.

1937 Season

As mentioned above, this was Gomez's second Triple Crown season. He was the winning pitcher in the All-Star Game, pitching three shutout innings and allowing just one hit. Gomez was 2-0 in the World Series, both complete games, allowing three earned runs in 18 innings pitched, as the Yankees overtook the Giants in five games. He finished ninth in the MVP voting, with teammate Red Ruffing (#60) the only pitcher getting more votes than Gomez.