Andy Pafko Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Andy Pafko
This article was written by Dale Voiss and is presented in part, courtesy of the Society for American Baseball Research

He is a permanent part of baseball lore. He played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series, their last appearance in the Fall Classic. He stood with his back against the left-field wall as Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ’round the world” flew over his head and out of the Polo Grounds to give the Giants a victory over his Dodgers and clinch the 1951 National League pennant. He was the starting rightfielder for his home-state Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and 1954. He lost his starting job in 1955 to a young outfielder, Hank Aaron. He played in four World Series for three different teams in his 17-year career. His name was Andy Pafko.

He was born Andrew Pafko on February 25, 1921, in Boyceville, a rural community in northwest Wisconsin between Eau Claire and Minneapolis.  His parents were both born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, as were the two oldest children. After the end of World War I they moved to the United States and settled in Boyceville. Andy, the third-oldest child and first born in America, was raised on a 200-acre dairy farm. The Pafkos later added three sons to the fold, bringing the total to six children.

As a major-league rookie he recalled the days spent milking the 16 cows on the farm. He remembered himself and his brothers trying to find an excuse to go to the pasture and play baseball. Often they would not finish their chores until after dark and wouldn’t get to play at all. But he credited milking cows with helping him develop the strong grip which made him a major league hitter.