This autograph was obtained from a dealer at the Moeller High School Baseball card show in November of 2009. An excellent card show with many dealers of vintage cards and memorabilia, you can visit their website at Cincycardshows.com. As of September 14, 2010, I have accumulated 510 different signatures in my collection. Check out some of the other cards in my previous blog entries. Mr. Bauer passed away in February of 2007 at the age of 84 to lung cancer. Unfortunately this card will not have Mr. McNally's signature due to his death in December, 2002.
Hank Bauer played 14 seasons of Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics. His career started in 1948 with the Yankees and he played there for 12 seasons. During his playing career with the Yankees, he was a member of 7 World Series Championship teams, including 5 straight from 1949 to 1953. If you want to read an excellent book about the 1949 season, pick up David Halberstam's "Summer of '49." It chronicles the season and pennant race between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and gives an excellent insight to the players, including Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Hank Bauer. Bauer shares a record in World Series play of the longest hitting streak of 17 games with current Yankee great Derek Jeter. At the end of the 1959 season, Hank Bauer was traded to the Kansas City Athletics for slugger Roger Maris, who went on to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record in 1961. Hank playing career ended in 1961 as he was the player/manager during the 1961 season until July when he became just the manager. During his 14 seasons, Hank Bauer accumulated the following statistics, career .277 batting average, 164 home runs and 703 runs batted in.
As a manager, Hank led the Kansas City Athletics for 2 seasons (1961 and 1962), Baltimore Orioles for 5 seasons (1964 to 1968) and the Oakland Athletics in 1969. Hank Bauer was the skipper of the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 when he led them to the World Series title beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in 4 straight games. His career managerial record includes 594 wins versus 544 losses.
Before his baseball career began, Hank Bauer proudly served his country during World War II with the Marine Corps from 1942 to 1945. He enlisted one month after Pearl Harbor and fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal, Battle of Guam and Battle of Okinawa. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts during his service. During the Battle of Okinawa, Hank Bauer led a commanded a platoon of 64 men with only 6 surviving the Battle. Thank you Mr. Bauer for your service to our country and we all owe you for our freedoms we enjoy today.
To learn more about Hank Bauer, read his biography at wikipedia.org.
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