Pitchers throwing sidearm/underhanded
 

What are some of your favorite cards that show the pitcher throwing in a sidearm or underhand motion?

1983 Topps Dan Quisenberry is a classic.

Personal honorable mention for 1988 Procards Iowa Cubs Laddie Renfroe.

I guess to keep things vintage, there's a slew of Carl Mays cards with the same image like the E120 and E121 American Caramel.

The 83 Quisenberry was the first one that came to mind too. Classic picture

Quiz & Kent.https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Ba...25092RepFr.jpg

Who was the first ML pitcher throw sidearm?

(Not a trivia question on my part, have no idea.)

Hard to say, given that pitchers weren't allowed to throw full overhand until 1884.

Thanks - mainly interested in pre-war vintage cards with pitchers in this motion. (Quiz and the Royals were really something in '85 though.)

Spider Baum’s 1911 Obak has him in a sidearm pose

The Baum:

Another Obak...Jess Garrett was a pitcher for Portland in the PCL, but not sure if this 1910 card depicts his pitching motion or his pioneering cornhole delivery.

Brian

Walter Johnson's E120 American Caramel, V61 Neilson's Chocolates and this W573 strip card all share the same photo of his sidearm slinging style.

Brian

Growing up, I loved baseball, and because I wasn't very good at it, I did whatever I could to get on the field in Little League and Pony League, including some pitching. Not having much of a fastball to go with my dinky curve, in an effort to throw batters off stride, I frequently threw a submarine fastball and curve along with my regular three-quarter arm pitches. My influence for the submarine pitches was Ted Abernathy, who reached the majors with my beloved Washington Senators in 1955 and had a bit of success. I'm not aware that any of his baseball cards show him pitching in this manner, but it is mentioned on the back of his 1960 Topps card (not my card - the pic below is borrowed from the Internet).

My collection of cards of all the 1924 Senators players includes cards of Byron "By" Speece. In 1924, his only year with the Senators, Speece appeared in 21 games, pitched 54.1 innings and had a 2.65 ERA. In the 1924 WS, Speece appeared in 1 game, pitched 1 inning and gave up 1 earned run. Speece played professional ball until age 48, his last 3 years being with the Seattle Rainiers of the PCL. Below are his 1943 and 1944 Centennial Flour cards, which show and mention his submarine pitching style.

LOL Ted Abernathy's "Buggywhip" delivery is "mighty hard to hit" which explains his career ERA of 6.04. at that point (he did actually develop into a decent major leaguer though)

I'll open the pre-war door with Walter and then include a guy from my days as a Senators fan:

Dave Baldwin didn’t talk to the baseball or scream at the hitters. Offering no self-styled Mark Fidrych or Al Hrabosky theatrics on the mound, the relief pitcher was a quiet guy to the point of being shy, almost unnoticeable.

Yet in 176 games over six seasons with the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox, Baldwin fashioned a big-league career distinguishable for its unusual approach. As he informed a quizzical President Richard Nixon one night in the dugout, “I’m the pitcher who throws funny.”

Pushing off the rubber, the Arizona native resembled the USS Baldwin — he was a submarine pitcher. He delivered it side-arm, too. For certain, the right hander was someone who went against the conservative MLB grain of the 1960s and ‘70s, when the drop-down pitching style was ridiculed or roundly discouraged.

“I had managers tell me, ‘You throw like a girl,’ ” he said.

Baldwin would slowly swivel his body so that he faced left field in mid-windup, often aim the ball well behind a right-handed hitter’s back to the point it seemed unnatural, and, picking up momentum, he would dip into a crouch and snap off an assortment of sweeping and baffling pitches.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1706104583
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1706104587
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1706104590

This set is underrated, but so cool

From the N172 set. Keefe pitched only his last year at the now normal 60' 6."

When my son was in high school the rival school’s baseball team had a tall slender pitcher who threw side armed almost submarine style. He looked awkward. He reminded me of a large bird trying to take flight with a broken wing. If his fastball broke 75mph I’d be shocked. My son loved to face him. When he stepped in to face this pitcher he transformed. He was no longer the timid hitter that frustrated his coaches. He couldn’t wait to get in the box. He owned that pitcher and as he said, “I get fat off that guy”. I was impressed with the kids tenacity. Although he could throw harder with a more conventional approach he stuck to his quirky unorthodox style through high school. I lost track of him after graduation. Ten years later my father and I were at Spring Training watching the Mariners and Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex. In the sixth inning the regulars departed and a tall lanky pitcher with a quirky submarine delivery took the mound for the Padres. I looked at my dad and said he reminded me of kid my son, “Got fat off of”. We were both shocked when we looked at the scoreboard an d discovered it was that kid. We were both speechless and quite impressed. My kid is a lawyer now and Adam Cimber is still playing although at a slightly higher level than any of us thought possible.

Floyd Underwood was an underhand pitcher for the class "D" Lincoln Links in the early 30's His best year he was 14-5 and pitched one year in Omaha for the class "A" Western league team

Ewell 'The Whip" Blackwell.

Classic Walter Johnson ...

Eldo Auker's nickname was submarine. He has few cards picturing him throwing.

My Senators of that time had TWO submariner relievers, Abernathy and Dick Hyde, who led the league in E.R.A. one year.

Amazing card!

Not a card but I like the way this snapshot shows him mid-throw.
https://www.heavy45s.com/84270091_copy_768x1284.jpg

Not a pitcher or vintage, but one of the greatest images on a card, ever, imo.

How about Johnson's arm facing the side?

I'm in the process of rescanning all my m113 & m114 posters.

Wow, that's a beauty, Doug. Was it restored?

Nope, and neither was my other one, which has a different placement of the caption.

Hank, thanks for jogging my pathetic memory. Yes, I saw Dick Hyde pitch when I was growing up. I think his 1958 Topps card is his only card that shows him pitching. I no longer have this card to show, but there are several on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+hyde&_sacat=0

Great story Mike, thanks for sharing.