Greenberg was more than a power hitter. He had 200 or more hits in three seasons. He hit 40 or more doubles five times; hitting as many as 63(!!) in the 1934 season. When he ended his career with 331 home runs, he had hit 30 or more in 6 of the 9 full seasons he played. he led the league in homers 4 times, the same amount of times he led the league in RBIs. he batted higher than .300 in 7 of his 9 full seasons. Of course, he also won the AL MVP award twice, winning in 1935 and 1940.
Greenberg was a part of four Detroit World Series teams, winning in 1935 and 1945. In 23 World Series games, Greenberg had 27 hits, 5 home runs and a .318 batting average. Greenberg was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956 (his 9th time on the ballot) with 85.0% of the vote.
The 1961 Golden Press set consists of 33 cards that originally came in a booklet. They were perforated to easy removal. I looked closely at my card and, yes, you can see where it had been attached to its respective booklet. At 33 cards, this might be another easy vintage set to put together. I might have to make a note of it and see what I can do. I got this card off of COMC the Sunday after Thanksgiving and paid $2.13 to a BV of $5.00. Not too bad. The card has a little creasing on the front and some scuffing on the back. I like it though, it definitely makes a nice addition to my fledgling Greenberg PC.
Greenberg of course holds a special place in the hearts of those of us who are celebrating Channukah.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point! Happy Channukah!
ReplyDeleteHe 'lost' essentially four seasons out of the prime of his career while serving in WWII. He volunteered, was rejected for flat feet, supposedly bribed the draft board to reconsider him and he was accepted. He was discharged a bit before Pearl Harbor which prompted him to re-enlist.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time I had a chance to buy a Greenberg Exhibit card at a card shop that was closing down. I regret that I didn't pull the trigger on that deal.