Another familiar face from the ’52 Topps set was Virgil Trucks, who was a month shy of 96 when he died in Alabama. He only won five games in 1952 while losing 19 for the last place Tigers.
But what a memorable year 1952 was for Trucks, who narrowly missed being the only pitcher in history to record three no-hitters in a single season.
In a game against the Senators, leadoff man Eddie Yost lined Trucks’s first pitch of the game for a single. Trucks then retired the next 27 batters in a row and had to settle for a one-hitter.
Trucks had many good seasons and retired in 1958 with 177 career wins. Both Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio said Trucks was the only pitcher they faced who could throw as hard as Bob Feller.
Brissie, Marerro, and Trucks couldn’t come close to equaling Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen’s accomplishments, but they left me with many happy memories.
