Wednesday, December 1, 2021

1986 Sportflics Decade Greats: Warren Spahn

 Another example of great vintage color photos getting the Sportflics treatment.

The player: One of the greatest pitchers of all time, Warren Spahn won 363 games, including 13 20-win seasons. The NL Cy Young winner in 1957, he was 4-3 with a 3.05 ERA in three World Series. Not the hardest thrower, Spahn used his intelligence and unusual delivery, with a very high leg kick, to fool batters.

The man: The start of Spahn's career was delayed to three years of service in World War II. Spahn, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, was a combat engineer, rebuilding bombed-out bridges while avoiding V-2 rockets. Spahn credited his military service for hastening his own maturity, translating into greater success on the ballfield. After his career he coached for a while in the US and Japan, and grew very rich due to successful real estate interests. Not known as a tolerant person, he railed against long-haired players and used anti-Semitic slurs on the ballfield.

My collection: I have one vintage card of Spahn, a 1948 Exhibits. His final Topps card was #205 in the 1965 set.


1 comment:

  1. It's amazing to think that he could, theoretically, have been the last pitcher to win 400 games.

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