Mickey Vernon
| Birthdate | 4/22/1918 |
| Death Date | 9/24/2008 |
| Debut Year | 1939 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Braves, Indians, Pirates, Red Sox, Senators |
| Positions | First Base, Manager |
Two-time batting champ Mickey Vernon was a 7-time All Star who held many fielding records more than a half-century after he retired.
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Mickey Vernon spent 16 of 18 years playing in the American League then managed in the AL for three more
Mickey Vernon spent 16 of 18 years playing in the American League then managed in the AL for three more
A forgotten star, Mickey Vernon was outstanding at bat and in the field. Twice a batting champion, and seven times an All Star, Vernon played in four different decades starting in the 1930s.
By the time he retired, Vernon had 2,495 hits and held the Major League record for career double plays by a first basemen. He also held the American League marks for career games, putouts, assists, and total chances at his position.
One of the most liked and respected men of his era, Vernon also missed his age-26 and age-27 seasons due to his service in World War II.
In the collection is this handwritten letter penned and signed by Vernon. Dated October 26, 1992 just two days after the Blue Jays beat the Braves in the Fall Classic, the letter refers to Vernon’s allegiance to the AL.
Vernon writes, “Well, the American League won another World Series and I was glad because I get tired of the Phila. talk show hosts refer to the Amer League as a Mickey Mouse league. They are always saying that the Nat is a better league and I don’t buy it.”
Vernon spent 18 of his 20 years playing in the AL before becoming the first manager in the history of the expansion Washington Senators.
Mickey Vernon gave manager Ossie Bluege this written vote of confidence in 1947 then backed it up on the field
Mickey Vernon gave manager Ossie Bluege this written vote of confidence in 1947 then backed it up on the field
After winning the batting title in 1946, Mickey Vernon experienced difficulty in ’47. So did his club. On May 1st he was hitting .275, 75 points lower than his .353 the year before.
The Senators didn’t fare well either. Two games below .500 at the start of May, Washington faded as the season wore on.
By the end of July the Senators were 20.5 games out of first place. It got worse.
Starting on August 7th Washington lost 14 out of 15. On August 20th, the team hit rock bottom. After dropping the first two games in Cleveland, the Senators had a chance to even the series in a Sunday double header.
Instead, Washington lost both contests in walk-off fashion. Now 20 games below the break-even mark, Washington slipped 27 1/2 games behind the first place Yankees.
After the twin bill disaster an article appeared in the Washington Evening Star ripping the Senators and attributing their poor play to manager Ossie Bluege. The players and coaches came together and gave Bluege a much-needed vote of confidence.
Shown above is an affidavit signed by Mickey Vernon with his legal first name of James. The notarized document is dated August 20, 1947, the day of the Senators 11th straight loss. In it Vernon denounces the “derogatory and malicious statements written about our manager…”.
The rest of the month Vernon went .328 with 6 multi-hit games, four home runs, and 12 RBI. Mickey backed his skipper with words and actions.
Though Vernon’s signature is by no means rare, vintage examples from the 1940s such as this remain difficult to come by.
Two-time batting champion Mickey Vernon is the last Senator to wear the crown
Two-time batting champion Mickey Vernon is the last Senator to wear the crown
The Washington Senators were a charter member of the American League in 1901. Their stay in DC lasted through the 1961 season before the became the Minnesota Twins.
In the 60-year history, the team boasted four batting champions. Ed Delahanty became the first when he hit .376 in 1902. The Washington faithful waited more than a quarter century for their next champ.
Leon “Goose” Goslin is the second Senators batting leader. In 1928 he set the Washington record with a .379 clip.
Seven years later second baseman Buddy Myer joined the pair by reigning supreme with a .349 average. The next two Senators crowns were worn by Mickey Vernon who topped all Juinor Circuit batters by hitting .353 in 1946 and a .337 in 1953.
Goslin’s flowing signature is on display in the autographed picture above.
Wildly popular as a member of the original Senators, Mickey Vernon served as the expansion Senators first manager
Wildly popular as a member of the original Senators, Mickey Vernon served as the expansion Senators first manager
Mickey Vernon played 14 of his 20 years with the Washington Senators. Six of his seven All Star campaigns came in DC as did both of his batting crowns.
After his final season as a player in 1960, the Senators relocated and became the Minnesota Twins. They were replaced in the nation’s capital by the expansion club that bore the name the fans were familiar with – the Washington Senators.
Fresh on the fans’ mind and finished as a player, Vernon as offered the manager’s job. He took it. Predictably, the expansion team did not fare well. In his first two seasons, Vernon guided the club to 100-loss campaigns. In his third season the Senators won just 14 of their first 40 games. Vernon was mercifully fired.
He never managed again.
In the collection are four Mickey Vernon autographed Topps cards, including his first as a manager.
The card on the top right is from 1957, his final year with the Boston Red Sox. That season also snapped a streak of four straight All Star appearances.
The next card features the two-time batting champ with the Indians in the final of his seven All Star seasons.
On the bottom left is the 1959 edition, Vernon’s final Topps card as a player while the bottom right is from the 1961 set, his first card as a manager.
Vernon has neatly signed each of the four cards.
