Hank was a third baseman in the Major Leagues for 13 seasons from 1939-55: he missed out on three years of his career due to his service in the military during World War II. He spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians but also briefly played for the Boston Braves, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles.
He was known mostly for his glove and was one of the premier fielding third baseman of his era. His .988 fielding percentage at the position in 1947 is still the Major League single season record. He also holds the record for most doubles in a doubleheader with the six he hit in a game in 1948.
After his playing career, he stayed involved with baseball as a minor league manager, college coach, and scout.
Hank's Orioles career lasted only 15 games after a mid-season trade from the Cleveland Indians at the tail-end of his career in 1955. The only card that shows Hank as an Oriole is his inclusion in the Orioles Crown set that was issued in four sets over the 1991 season, commemorating the last season of the O's playing at Memorial Stadium.
Hank passed away on August 9, 1991. Two days later, on August 11, the third Crown set was issued, which is the one that included Hank, so he obviously never signed a copy of this card.
Which means that my Indians signed card above is a permanent member of my collection. RIP Hank.
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3 comments:
You can't beat a signed '55 Bowman!
Hey Ryan!
Love your blog...
I got to know Hank Majeski through one of his nieces. A nice man who could talk baseball for hours. Thanks for bringing up a nice memory!
Zach- Good point, I always like having old cards like them in the collection!
Anonymous- Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed my post. I would like to hear some of the stories, possibly to add to this post, if you remember them.
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