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Before, during, and after Tommy Henrich’s career with the Yankees, the team was a force to be reckoned with. With a storied history and deep pockets, New York gave players plenty of incentive to sign.

Armed with resources other teams didn’t possess, New York Hall of Fame General managers Ed Barrow then George Weiss kept the rosters stocked with talent. From 1920-1961 the Yankees won 20 championships.

The letter shown here speaks to their forward thinking and successful signings. GM Weiss writes to super scout Joe Devine. Weiss is prophetic concerning Lou Gehrig and the Iron Horse’s eventual replacement Babe Dahlgren.

Weiss writes that Yankee skipper Joe McCarthy, “…states that he wants to be protected to bring back Dahlgren if anything happens to Gehrig…”

At the time the letter was written Gehrig was 1,812 games into his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Two years later Gehrig’s streak ended when Dahlgren took the Iron Horse’s spot at first base.

Later GM Weiss alludes to future AL MVP, pitcher Spud Chandler. The hurler had yet to play a big league contest.

“Our real need is AA performers as McCarthy figures to on keeping Chandler…and disposing of a couple of old fellows if possible.”

Chandler made his debut 15 days after the the letter was written. In 11 seasons with the Yankees, he went 109-43. His .717 winning percentage remains the highest in baseball history among pitchers with at least 100 wins.

Talent always flowed through New York.

In the second page of this letter Weiss mentions the Yankees unlikely acquisition of Tommy Henrich. See the description for the full story.

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Tommy Henrich was an up-and-comer in the Cleveland Indians minor league system, destined for big league stardom. He spent 1936 with the New Orleans Pelicans and hit .346 with 100 RBI and 117 runs scored.

The 23-year old Henrich believed he earned a shot with the big club. Instead the Indians told him to report to the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, a club with no Major League affiliation.

Unsure who owned his contract, Henrich wrote to Commissioner Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Henrich maintained that the Indians were treating him unfairly. Landis agreed and declared him a free agent.

The Giants offered Henrich $15,000. A lifelong Yankee fan, Henrich received an offer of at least $5,000 more from the defending World Series champions. Henrich became a Yankee.

This correspondence between Yankee VP George Weiss and his scout Joe Devine is dated April 21, 1937. Fifteen days later, Henrich made his big league debut playing beside Joe DiMaggio in the New York outfield.

In the second page of his letter, Weiss writes about the Yankees acquisition of Henrich.

“Henrich was rated very highly, and I think we made a good move signing him; particularly as the Giants wanted him. (Yankee manager Joe) McCarthy is going to have a good look at him before deciding whether to send him out.”

With the mention of Lou Gehrig and his replacement Babe Dahlgren in the first page, and the reference to the Henrich signing on the second, this letter holds special significance in Yankee history.

 

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Tommy Henrich debuted as a 24-year old outfielder with the New York Yankees in 1937. His first game with the the defending World Series champs came on May 11 when he went 1-for-4 against Chicago’s Monty Stratton in the White Sox 7-2 win.

In 67 games Henrich hit .320 with a .419 on-base percentage. He was in the lineup for good. The Yankees won five pennants and four World Series titles in the first six years of Henrich’s career.

From his debut in ’37 until 1942, Henrich accumulated 20.0 WAR and was on the verge of stardom. Then World War II intervened. Eight weeks after getting a double in the All Star Game, Henrich joined the US Coast Guard.

He spent the war years in Michigan before completing his hitch on September 29, 1945. By that time Henrich missed four full years of baseball.

Henrich returned to the Yankees with a bang in 1946. He finished the year among the top ten in the AL in walks, runs, homers, and runs batted in.

It was Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen who gave Henrich the moniker, “Old Reliable”. He was so named for his ability to get a hit at just the right time.

From ’47-’50 Henrich put up All Star seasons in each of his final four big league years. In three of those years he received votes in MVP balloting.

In postseason play Henrich played in four World Series, winning them all. He had 22 hits, eight for extra bases including four home runs.

Injuries took their toll and Henrich retired at the end of 1950. He finished his 11-year big league with a .282 average, a .382 on-base percentage and a 132 OPS+.

After his playing days Henrich coached for the Yankees, New York Giants, and Tigers.

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Shown here is the other side of the postcard. Notice the New York postmark of June 5, 1948.

The Yankees squared off against the Browns that afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Henrich went 1-for-3 with two walks, a triple, and two runs batted in as New York beat St. Louis 7-1.

The three-base hit was the 50th of his career. Two weeks later he recorded the 1,000th hit of his career.

One must imagine that Henrich dropped the postcard in the mail on his way to “The House that Ruth Built”.