Home Run Baker
 

I got a cool 10-card W551 strip last night in the REA Auction, with 8 HOF’ers, including Ruth, Cobb, Johnson, Home Run Baker, and others. I didn’t know much about Baker, so I checked him out on Wikipedia. In addition to hitting home runs, he apparently intervened to prevent a lynching in Easton, MD, in 1924, which dwarfs his many accomplishments on the ball field. Wanted to make sure Net54 knew about it.

Anyone have a source for this?

Wikipedia links to a New Yorker article that is an opinion piece about contemporary politics. It states "In 1924, another would-be lynch mob was thwarted only when a local baseball hero, John Franklin (Home Run) Baker, prevented its members from lynching a Black man accused of assaulting Baker’s sister-in-law." No source is provided by the New Yorker for any claims to fact in this article, including this one.

Sounds like an interesting story I've never heard before. A couple preliminary searches turn up this new thread, the New Yorker article, and nothing else. Anyone seen any reasonable evidence or the full story?

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23172965/posted/

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Nicely done.
And a Pinkerton card series, most times I have seen described as a postcard series, however I don't think that is the case. This card was only used as one. Of the ten cards or so I have seen from this series, if I remember correctly, this is the only one used as a postcard. Baker had an interesting story.

Thanks for the post and thanks for the link to the news story. I found it interesting the team helped Frank Baker in the search. The 1924 Easton Farmers of the Class D Eastern Shore League had a 17 year old rookie by the name of Jimmie Foxx that year. Frank Baker sold Jimmie Foxx to Connie Mack and the Philadelphia A's before the end of the 1924 season so it would take a little research to see if Jimmie Foxx was still with team during the Aug. 27th search.
I mentioned this in the past, In 1956 and 1957 Home Run Baker rode in our Little League opening day parade and stay for two games and talk with the kids. We didn't realize at the time how important that memory would become.

Foxx was with Easton until the end of the season, so he was there for that game mentioned in the article. He played for a different team after the season ended, then eventually joined Philadelphia in later September, but didn't debut until 1925

Here is the same pose of Baker as a T5.

PX7 Domino Disc

Won this photo of Stuffy McGinniss and HR Baker from Heritage many moons ago. Liked the unusual off-field view and the clarity is as if it were shot yesterday. Don't have a date at my fingertips.

I like to tell folks that I saw Home Run Baker play when they rag me about being an old geezer. It's a fact. Saw him man third base for a minute at an old-timers game at Yankee Stadium in 1959. Wally Pipp was in the line-up too.

Such a rare shot David, almost looks like a movie still. Outstanding photo.

Frank’s great-grandson, Chris, posts a lot of Frank’s stuff on the Keyman Collictibles FB group. Go check it out if you haven’t.

I always smile when I see the Turkey Red Baker when it is actually his teammate Jack Barry.

Very cool. I hadn't heard that story before. I might have to get me a Home Run Baker card next now.

Can't let a Home Run Baker thread go by without posting this.