This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/27/2012
The legendary baseball photographer Paul Thompson's credit stamp appears upon the back of this rare, circa early to mid 1910's, 8" x 10", Type I photo, along with a penciled identification of the subject that reads, "Walter Johnson who pitch for the Washington." Johnson was the premier power pitcher of his era, establishing several pitching records, some of which remain unbroken. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110, second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531. He once held the career record in strikeouts with 3,509 and was the only player in the 3,000 strikeout club for over 50 years until Bob Gibson recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1974. Johnson led the league in strikeouts a Major League record 12 times, including a record eight consecutive seasons. "The Big Train" is pictured here with a big grin on his face, and why not? At the time this photo was taken he was averaging more than 30 wins per season and giving up less than 2 runs per game. Overall EX-MT/NM condition, with a couple of faint lines across his chest, mentioned for complete accuracy, and not a distraction at all. A Type I - 1st generation image, it is accompanied by an LOA from PSA/DNA.