NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STARS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: WALKER "WALK" COOPER, MARTY "THE OCTOPUS" MARION, EWELL BLACKWELL, JOHNNY MIZE, ENOS SLAUGHTER, HARRY "THE HAT" WALKER, FRANKIE GUSTINE - HFSID 275227

NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STARS (1947)
This 14x11 photo captures seven of the year's best players
Photograph signed: "Harry Walker", "Walker Cooper", "Johnny Mize", "Enos Slaughter", "Frankie Gustine","Marty Marion" and "Ewell Blackwell". B/w, 14x11. Seven signatures in all. A menacing lineup is posed on the dugout steps. HARRY WALKER (1916-1999), who had driven in the winning run for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Seven of the 1946 World Series, was traded to the Phillies early in 1947. He responded by leading the league in hitting. In fact, he and his brother Dixie are the only siblings to have won Major League batting crowns. WALKER COOPER (1915-1991), the rugged Giants catcher, was having his best offensive year in 1947, hitting .305 while bashing 35 homers. Cooper's teammate JOHNNY MIZE (1913-1993), a future Hall of Famer,hit 51 home runs that same year, tying Ralph Kiner for the league's best. ENOS SLAUGHTER (1916-2002), another future Hall of Famer, had scored from first base on Walker's single to win the 1946 World Series for the Cardinals. FRANKIE GUSTINE (1920-1991), the Pirates' defensive whiz at 3B and 2B, was having his best offensive season in 1947, during which he knocked in 102 runs. The Cardinals' MARTY MARION (1917-2011), earned the nickname "the Octopus" as the NL's best defensive shortstop. A seven-time All-Star, he had been the league MVP in 1944. Hurler EWELL BLACKWELL (1922-1996), "the Whip", went 22-8 for the 5th place Cincinnati Reds in 1947, leading the league in complete games and strikeouts. Despite all this talent, the National League lost the game 2-1. The year 1947 was a historic year of change in Major League baseball; it was the year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Enos Slaughter had allegedly tried to organize a strike of Cardinal players in opposition to Robinson's presence. The first appearance of African-Americans in the All-Star lineups was in 1949. Slightly worn at three corners. Otherwise, fine condition.