This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2014
After a solid pitching career with the Detroit Tigers, Fred Hutchinson managed in Detroit, St. Louis and Cincinnati, until his bout with cancer forced him to retire. Players and fans remember him best for the 1964 All-Star Game where he could only move with great effort arid pain, but was nevertheless determined to participate. When Hutchinson died at the age of 45, he was voted Most Courageous Athlete by the Baseball Writers Association. His inspirational career continues to be remembered through the annual selection of the Fred Hutchinson Award recipient—a ballplayer who is chosen on the basis of "Honor, Courage and Dedication."
Here offered is Hutch’s home jersey from his 1956 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. From 1922 until the present day, the embroidered, script-style "Cardinals" name has been prominently displayed just below the design element with the two Cardinals atop a baseball bat, with the only interruption in that plan being 1956. In a departure from the familiar style, the Cards wore jerseys like the offered shirt in 1956 only. This particular treasure, a cream-colored flannel jersey, features "Cardinals" angled across the chest in red-on-midnight navy felt, unaccompanied by the birds-and-bat logo. Hutchinson's No. 29 in red-on-midnight navy felt appears on the back. The intricate chenille embroidered Redbird with Bat mascot logo from the period appears in superb condition on the left sleeve. A "Rawlings Hall of Fame Flannel" manufacturer's label, adjacent size “46” label, and red chain stitched "Hutchinson - 56" appear on the left front tail. Inside that same tail is a laundering instructions tag accompanied by a flag tag denoting "SET 1 - 1956." The item exhibits evidence of moderate wear with one small team repair on the back of the right sleeve. A completely original and unaltered gem.