THE NEW YORK GIANTS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: WILLARD MARSHALL, HARRY "HARRY THE HORSE" DANNING, SPIDER (JOHN) JORGENSEN, CLINT "HONDO HURRICANE" HARTUNG, DON "MANDRAKE" MUELLER, GEORGE SPENCER, AL CORWIN, SAL (SALVADOR ANTHONY) YVARS, JOE MOORE, WES WESTRUM, ALVIN "AL" DARK, HERMAN FRANKS, LARRY JANSEN, BOBBY THOMSON, MONTE IRVIN, DUSTY (JAMES) RHODES - HFSID 291203

NEW YORK GIANTS
20x16 image of the Giants playing in the field at the Polo Grounds, signed by 16 team members, active from the 1930s through the 1950s.
Photograph signed: "Harry Danning", "Larry Jansen", "Dusty Rhodes", "Al Corwin", "Al Dark", "Joe Moore", "Bobby Thomson", "Sal Yvars", "Spider Jorgensen", "'Wes' Westrum", "Don Mueller", "Herman Franks", "George Spencer", "Clint Hartung", "Willard Marshall" and "Monte Irvin". B/w, 20x16. In all 16 signers. HARRY DANNING (1911-2004) caught for the Giants from 1933 to 1942, until called to military service. A 4-time All-Star, Danning led NL catchers in throwing out base runners in 1939 and 1940. He played in the 1936 and 1937 World Series, both lost to the cross town rival Yankees. LARRY JANSEN (1920-2009) pitched for the New York Giants (1947-54) and Cincinnati Reds (1956). A two-time All Star (1950 and 1951), Jansen led the National League in shutouts in 1950 and in wins in 1951. He won 20 games twice, and struck out over 100 five times. Jansen also pitched the 1951 pennant tiebreaker between the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. His career record was 122-89, an ERA of 3.58, 842 Ks and 17 shutouts. He was pitching coach for the Giants (1961-1971) and Cubs (1971-1973). Outfielder and star pinch hitter DUSTY RHODES (1927-2009)played for the New York (1952-1957) and San Francisco (1959) Giants. In the 1954 World Series, he almost single-handedly led the Giants' sweep of the Cleveland Indians. His pinch homer off Bob Lemon with two on in the tenth inning won Game. In Game Two, Rhodes tied the game with a pinch single off Early Wynn in the fifth and then homered off Wynn in the seventh for the final run in a 3-1 win. His pinch single in the third inning of Game Three drove in two runs. In the four game sweep, Dusty Rhodes was 4-for-6 with two homers and seven RBI. Rhodes was the last player to bat for the Giants in the Polo Grounds. AL CORWIN (1926-2003) came up from the minors to bolster the Giants' pitching staff during their comeback run to the NL pennant in 1951 (going 5-1), and stayed with the Giants as a reliever and spot starter through 1955. His career mark was 18-10, with an ERA of 3.98. AL DARK (1922-2014), the 1948 Major League Rookie of the Year, spent seven of his 14-year career playing shortstop for the New York Giants, the rest split among the Braves, Cards, Cubs and Phillies. He managed the 1962 Giants to the National League pennant and the 1974 A's to the World Championship. A 3-time All-Star, Dark played in the 1951 and 1954 World Series for the Giants, and - as a late season call-up - played for the Boston Braves in the 1948 WS. Joseph JO-JO MOORE, Sr. (1908-2001) was an outfielder for the New York Giants from 1930-1941. A 6-time All-Star, Moore played in three World Series with the Giants (1933, 1936, 1937). A leadoff hitter, Moore had such a reputation as a first ball hitter that some opposing managers would fine pitchers who threw him a strike on the first pitch. He batted .331 in 1934, and .391 in the 1937 World Series. BOBBY THOMSON (1923-2010) hit what is perhaps the most famous home run in baseball history. His dramatic "shot heard 'round the world" on October 3, 1951, a three-run, ninth-inning homer off Brooklyn pitcher Ralph Branca, capped the Giants' historic comeback to win the NL pennant. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, the Staten Island Scot hit 24 or more homers six times in his seven full seasons with the Giants. Thomson had a comeback season for the Cubs in 1958, with 21 homers and 82 RBIs. SAL YVARS (1924-2008, pronounced E-vars) was a backup catcher for the Giants from 1947 to 1953, playing 68 more games with the Cardinals through 1954. He hit .317 in great 1951 season, and appeared in that World Series. John "SPIDER" JORGENSEN (1919-2003) spent five seasons in the National League with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-1950) and New York Giants (1950-1951). He was the Dodgers' regular third baseman in his rookie season, and Jorgensen appeared on his way to a fine career, but an arm injury in the off-season relegated him to a backup role. WES WESTRUM (1922-2002) caught for the New York Giants for his entire Major League playing career (1947-1957), later managing the New York Mets (1965-1967) and the Giants, now in San Francisco (1974-1975). In his first year as the Giants' everyday catcher, Westrum logged a then-record .999 fielding average and league-leading totals in assists and double plays. He was an All-Star in 1952 and 1953. DON MUELLER (b. 1927) played right field for the Giants from 1948 through 1957, finishing his career with the White Sox in 1958-1959. A free swinging contact hitter who rarely walked or struck out, he led the NL in hits in the World Championship 1954 season. HERMAN FRANKS (1914-2009) played with 4 National League teams (1939-1941, 1947-1949), playing his only game with the Giants - his last one - in 1949 (and going 2 for 3). Franks is better known as a manager of the San Francisco Giants (1965-1968) and Chicago Cubs (1977-1979). As a New York Giants third base coach (1949-1955), he stole Dodger signs in the 1951 playoff game climaxed by Bobby Thomson's home run. GEORGE SPENCER (b. 1926) was quarterback for Ohio State (1946) before joining the New York Giants bullpen (1950-1955). He had his best season in 1951, recording key saves and wins and whipping the rival Dodgers in a surprise start. CLINT HARTUNG (1922-2010), "the Hondo Hurricane," pitched for the Giants from 1947 to 1950, adding 46 games in the outfield and one at first base. Baseball statistical guru Bill James created the Clint Hartung Award, giving it (retroactively) to the most disappointing, overhyped player of each baseball decade. Hartung himself won the award for the 1940s, and his name has become synonymous with hot prospects who don't live up to expectations. This is unfair, however. Hartung had a .500 winning percentage as a Giants pitcher (29-29). He was on third base as a pinch runner when Bobby Thomson hit his pennant-winning 1951 homer. WILLARD MARSHALL (1921-2000) was a Giants outfielder in 1942, and again in 1946-1949, after returning from World War II. He played 6 more seasons with the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. A 3-time All-Star while with the Giants, Marshall had his best season at the plate in 1947, hitting .291 with 36 homers and 107 RBI's. MONTE IRVIN (1919-2016) was one of the first black players signed by the Giants. He was a 5-time Negro League All-Star and MVP of the Mexican League. Irvin led the National League in RBIs in 1951 and starred in the World Series that year, hitting .458 and stealing home. The co-author of several baseball books, Irvin was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame by the Negro League Committee in 1973. Fine condition.