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 –Ā Humboldt, KS
Died: December 10, 1946 –Ā Washington, D.C.
Batted: RH
Threw: RH
Position: P
MLB Pitching Record: 417ā279
ERA: 2.17
Managerial Record: 529ā432
Teams:
Washington Senators AL (1907ā1927; manager: 1929ā1932)
Cleveland Indians AL (manager: 1933ā1935)
When the topic of the greatest pitcher of all time comes up, Walter Johnson, āThe Big Train,ā 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 Kās 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 529ā432 record. Truly a special player, āThe Big Trainā was elected to the Hallās inaugural class in 1936. Walter Johnson died of a brain tumor in 1946.
An excerpt from the hit book āThe T206 Collection ā The Players & Their Storiesā by Tom & Ellen Zappala. Click HERE to order the SECOND EDITION.
āOn 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 CantillonĀ of the NatsĀ 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 TigersĀ imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: āGet the pitchfork ready, Joeāyour hayseedās on his way back to the barn.ā ⦠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 couldnāt touch him. ⦠every one of us knew weād met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.ā
– Ty Cobb, on his first encounter with Walter Johnson