1934-1936 Diamond Stars: July 2024

Sunday, July 28, 2024

#131 "Bump" Hadley - New York Yankees

Irving Darius Hadley

New York Yankees

Second Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 190

Born: July 5, 1904, Lynn, MA

Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1926-31; Chicago White Sox 1932; St. Louis Browns 1932-34; Washington Senators 1935; New York Yankees 1936-40; New York Giants 1941; Philadelphia Athletics 1941

World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1936-38, 1939

Died: February 15, 1963, Lynn, MA (58)

"Bump" Hadley excelled in several sports during his schooling in New England that included time at Brown University. He'd join the Senators' organization in 1926 and he'd win at least 10 games in eight of his next nine seasons with the Senators and Browns. Perhaps his best season in the majors came in 1933 with the Browns when Hadley was 15-20 with a 3.92 ERA in a league-leading 316 2/3 innings pitched. Frequently wild, he led the league in walks twice and was typically near the top of the rankings in hit batters. In January 1936, Hadley departed the second division and became a household name in New York when the Yankees acquired him and Roy Johnson from the Senators for Jimmie DeShong and Jesse Hill.

Hadley displayed flashed of brilliance with the Yankees during his five seasons in the Bronx, going 14-4 in his first season with the team in 1936 and leading the league with a .778 winning percentage. Hadley won a pair of games in the World Series for the Yankees, and won four rings overall with the team in the late 1930s. He threw eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the 1936 World Series against the Giants, and was again the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the 1939 World Series against the Reds. He notoriously threw the pitch in 1937 that fractured catcher Mickey Cochrane's (#9) skull, ending the future Hall of Famer's playing career. For his career, Hadley was 161-165 with a 4.24 ERA in 528 games pitched, striking out 1,318 and walking 1,442 in 2,945 2/3 innings.

Header cards included with the complete set
Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price. These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #121, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Yankees Team Set

I believe that's future Hall Famer and Yankees' catcher Bill Dickey (#11) making a cameo behind Hadley on the front of the card. The write-up on the back explains how Hadley first earned a spot start following an illness to Lefty Gomez (#118). This would have been on May 16, 1936, when Hadley pitched a complete game victory over the White Sox to improve to 2-1. His record stood at 11-1 following another complete game win over the Senators on August 12th.

1936 Season

In his first season with the Yankees, Hadley pitched in 31 games, making 17 starts and throwing 173 2/3 innings. He was the fifth starter on the pennant-winning team, with Red Ruffing (#60), Monte Pearson, Johnny Broaca and Gomez all ahead of him in games started. Hadley's first Yankee roommate was rookie prospect Joe DiMaggio (#126). Not only was Hadley an asset on the mound, his sign-stealing skills came in handy throughout the season as well.