Description
PLAYER: Walter Johnson (HOF, RC)
VARIATION: Portrait
TEAM: Washington Senators
LEAGUE: American
BACK: Piedmont 150 (35/39)
GRADE: SGC 1.5 F (816) 3789-018
SOLD
THE CARD
A strong example of Hall of Fame Legend Walter Johnson. The card features the Piedmont 150 advertising reverse (ranked 35/39 in terms of scarcity according to T206 Resource). Despite the fact the card has damage to the back reminiscent of removal from a scrap book, the front of the card is very strong, with lovely color and registration.
The “BIG TRAIN”
Walter Perry Johnson
Born: November 6, 1887 – Humboldt, KS
Died: December 10, 1946 – Washington, D.C.
Batted: RH
Threw: RH
Position: P
MLB Pitching Record: 417–279
ERA: 2.17
Managerial Record: 529–432
Teams:
Washington Senators AL (1907–1927; manager: 1929–1932)
Cleveland Indians AL (manager: 1933–1935)
When the topic of the greatest pitcher of all time comes up, Walter Johnson, “The Big Train,” is usually at the forefront of the discussion. With an amazing 417 wins, he won 30 or more games twice and had twelve 20-win seasons. His record of 3,509 K’s stood for more than a half century. In 1913 Johnson had an incredible 1.14 ERA. His gentle demeanor was legendary, and he was one of the most well respected and loved players ever to step onto a field. He was the American League MVP twice (1913, 1924) and in 1924 he pitched the Senators to the World Series championship. He managed for 7 years after his playing days, posting a 529–432 record. Truly a special player, “The Big Train” was elected to the Hall’s inaugural class in 1936. Walter Johnson died of a brain tumor in 1946.
An excerpt from the hit book “The T206 Collection – The Players & Their Stories” by Tom & Ellen Zappala. Click HERE to order the SECOND EDITION.
“On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington. Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us. … He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance. … One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: ‘Get the pitchfork ready, Joe—your hayseed’s on his way back to the barn.’ … The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn’t touch him. … every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.”
– Ty Cobb, on his first encounter with Walter Johnson
