1909-11 T206 'Dummy' Taylor Sweet Caporal 350/30 PSA 1.5 Early MLB Deaf Pitcher

Description: T206 card of Luther 'Dummy' Taylor of the Buffalo Bisons of the Eastern League (later became the International League). Dated to a 1910 manufacture, as it has the Sweet Caporal 350 reverse. Taylor does not have a card in the 1909 150 Series. PSA has certified this card as FAIR 1.5. Here's a brief bio on the player, because I think it's deserved. You may not care but I love the history behind the cards. Luther 'Dummy' Taylor was not only a great pitcher and a role model for deaf kids (and adults) across the country along with 'Dummy' Hoy, who was Taylor's hero - the two faced each other late in Hoy's career - he was one of baseball's great comedians. When Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem was slow about calling a game due to darkness, Taylor produced a lantern from the dugout and waved it around until Klem wised up. In another game, when the umpire wouldn't stop a game due to rain, he walked out to the 3rd base coaches' box wearing rubber boots. He insisted on being a part of the team and not off by himself, and would go to vaudeville shows with teammates. He demanded to be let in on the jokes, and as a result, his teammates learned sign language. NY Giants Manager John McGraw was fully onboard. Taylor is credited with promoting the use of sign language in the US, and it was said that when he played in MLB, he was the highest-paid deaf person in the country. The aforementioned Klem is given credit as the umpire who introduced hand signals into the game, but there is no doubt to me that he was influenced by Taylor. Some researchers credit Dummy Hoy, who I am sure had some influence on Taylor, but Hoy retired two years before Klem began umpiring. The ASL signs for 'free' and 'out' are very similar to the baseball signs for 'safe' and 'out'. Taylor won the National League pennant with the Giants in 1904 but didn't get a chance at the World Series because the two leagues couldn't agree on meeting, after the very first Series in 1903. He won the pennant again in 1905, and the Series. He didn't pitch in the Series, only because his scheduled start was rained out and Christy Mathewson got the next game (and 3 wins in the Series). The Giants dominated those years behind the pitching of Taylor and HOFers Mathewson and Iron Joe McGinnity. They didn't win the pennant in 1906, but Taylor had another excellent year as well as the lowest ERA of the three. He pitched for the Giants from 1900 to 1908. Pictured on his T206 cards with the Eastern League's Buffalo Bisons, he pitched there from 1909 until 1911, and played professionally until age 40 in 1915. He didn't get his start in the majors until age 25 but in spite of that, put up decent numbers with a record of 116 -106 with 160 complete games (in 237 starts) and a very respectable ERA of 2.75. He later coached at the school for the deaf he attended, and when he died in 1958 at 83, he was the last surviving member of the 1905 Championship team. Tracked and insured shipping is $6.90, which includes the USPS holiday surcharge.

Price: 99.99 USD

Location: Rochester, New York

End Time: 2024-11-25T19:44:32.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.9 USD