- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
John Franklin Baker (1886-1963) was released by his minor league mgr who declared he “could not hit.” Connie Mack needed a 3rd baseman and gave Baker a try at the end of the 1908 season. Baker played 13 years exclusively at 3rd. He wielded his 52-oz bat like no other in the dead ball era.
- Led the AL in HRs 4 straight years for the Athletics
- Helped Connie Mack’s team to 3 Series victories, closed his career with Babe Ruth’s Yankees
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1955
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Frank Baker
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AL)
- League: American League
John Joseph Barry (1887-1961) was part of Connie Mack’s “$100,000” infield, with Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Collins and Home Run Baker, winning 4 pennants and 3 Series from 1910-14. Barry won even greater fame after retiring from MLB. He coached Holy Cross for 40 years, earning one of the highest winning % in collegiate history (.806).
- Helped the Red Sox win the ’15 & ‘16 Series, then managed the club in 1917
- Led Holy Cross to the 1952 College World Series title
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Jack Barry
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Charles Albert Bender (1884-1954) won 212 games en route to a Hall of Fame career. He began life amid the abject poverty of a Minnesota reservation, was mentored by Pop Warner at the Carlisle Indian School and hit the majors with a bang for the Athletics in 1903. “Albert” as Connie Mack called him, beat future Hall members Cy Young and Clark Griffith compiling 17 wins in his rookie season. He led the league 3x in win percentage but was at his best under pressure. In 5 World Series, Bender won 6 games with a 2.44 ERA and completed 9 of his 10 starts.
- Connie Mack said that of all his players he would most trust Bender to win in the clutch
- Admired for his brilliance, Ty Cobb dubbed him the most intelligent pitcher he ever faced
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1953
Auction History
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Chief Bender
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Superbas
- League: National League
William Aloysius Bergen (1878-1943) spent 11 years in the majors carving out a special spot in the record books: worst hitter of all time. No one with more than 2500 ABs ever went lower than Bergen’s .170 lifetime average. And it wasn’t even close. Pitcher Pud Galvin is next at 201.
- Bergen’s two career HRs were inside-the-park
- Until Mark Lemke in 1997, no one surpassed Bergen’s record of not being hit-by-pitch in 3228 ABs
- Bergen played 11 years because he was one of the game’s best defensive catchers
Auction History
Cartophilia
T201 Mecca Canvas: Bill Bergen
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: New York
- Team: Highlanders
- League: American League
Walter Allen Blair (1883-1948) was a back-up catcher for the NY Highlanders from 1907-1911. After a two year absence from MLB, Blair finished his career with the Federal League’s Buffalo Blues. Those two years with the “outlaw” Federal League were his most productive offensively and he even served as manager for a doubleheader.
- Left MLB for the college ranks, coaching Pitt and Bucknell
- Inducted into the Bucknell Hall of Fame in 1987
Auction History
Cartophilia
T201 Mecca Canvas: Walter Blair
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Cardinals
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Roger Bresnahan (1879-1944) played every position but came into his own as a lead-off-hitting catcher and battery mate to Christy Mathewson for John McGraw’s Giants. Innovation took guts in a rowdy era and he had the fortitude to introduce shin guards, batting helmets and padded masks over the protests of other clubs and the pelting of irate fans (who didn’t have to catch Mathewson.)
- Batted .350 in 1903, trailing only Honus Wagner’s .355 and Fred Clarke’s .351
- Elected to Hall of Fame the year after his death: 1945
Auction History
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Roger Bresnahan
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Chicago
- Team: Cubs
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown (1876-1948) gained the Hall of Fame on the strength of a wicked curve, enhanced by childhood accidents that cost him parts of two fingers on his “twirling” hand. He won 20+ for the Cubs six times from 1904-12 with two world championships.
- Career record of 239-130 and the 3rd best ERA of all time: 2.06
- Had legendary duels with Giants’ Christy Mathewson, and went 13-11 against him
- His 2.06 ERA is best ever by a pitcher with more than 200 wins
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1949
Auction History
Cartophilia
T201 Mecca Canvas: Mordecai Brown
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Detroit
- Team: Tigers
- League: American League
Owen Joseph Bush (1887-1972) played in the Deadball Era instead of the Moneyball Era, hence he isn’t held in the esteem his record would enjoy today. The diminutive SS wrote the book on small ball, a keen eye enabling him to lead the league in walks five times. He hit .250 but was so adept at getting on base he was at or near the top in runs scored. Legends grow around the sluggers who drive in the runs, but Donie was out there for Cobb, Crawford and Heilmann to pick up. Equally proficient at short, Bush had a lifetime .937 fielding % and still owns the record for 425 putouts in 1914. In addition, his speed produced over 400 stolen bases.
- “Donie” was a misprint for his real nickname, Ownie, but it stuck
- Clark Griffith recognized managerial talent and hired Bush for the ’23 season. Bush then had the “thrill” of taking the Pirates to the ’27 Series against the Yankee bombers and being swept
- Bush continued in baseball, compiling a 65-year career and was beloved in his home Indianapolis
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Cartophilia
T201 Mecca Canvas: John McLean
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