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1910 Nap Lajoie Original Photograph by Doc Rollins - from Christie's Baseball Magazine Archive (PSA Type I)
Napoleon "Larry" Lajoie was a Hall of Fame second baseman, and a rival over many seasons with Ty Cobb for the American League batting title. Lajoie won five American League batting crowns and still holds the highest single season batting average in America League history, .426 in 1901. Presented is a 1910 Lajoie Type I original photograph by Doc Rollins from Christie's Baseball Magazine Archive. Lajoie was in the Major Leagues from 1896 though 1916. He played for the Philadelpha Phillies, the Philadelphia Athletics (twice) and the Cleveland franchise. When Lajoie went to Cleveland, the American League club was known as the Broncos. Because of Lajoie's popularity as a player, and for a time the team's player-manager, the team became known as the Napoleons (Naps for short). After Lajoie left Cleveland, the team was known as the Indians until 2021 when the club was renamed the Guardians. The 1910 date of the photo is significant as that is the year of the hotly contested American League "Chalmers Race" for the AL Batting Title. That season, the Chalmers Auto Company, a direct forerunner of Chrysler, offered a Chalmers 30 Roadster to the American League Batting Champion. Going into the the season's final day, both Cleveland's Lajoie and the Detroit Tigers' Cobb had double-headers. Cobb, leading the batting race at .383 to .376, decided to sit out his team's doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox in order to protect his lead. Lajoie played both games of his double-header against the St. Louis Browns and went 8-for-8, including five straight bunt singles towards third base with the Browns third baseman, Red Comden, playing so deep he was almost in left field. It was widely thought that the Browns wanted the popular Lajoie to win the batting title rather than the unpopular Cobb take the crown. Lajoie edged out Cobb, yet some record books credited Cobb with the title. Chalmers awarded cars to both players. Most sources today credit Lajoie with the 1910 title. The approximately 7x9.5" photo has been encapsulated and graded PSA AUTHENTIC. Written on the back of the photo in pencil, by an unknown hand, is: "Lajoie 1910/"Doc" Rollins/Cleveland 'News' Staff Photographer." The photo shows a grid that is noticeable on close inspection, and the grid, including handwritten numbers also visible on the photo, was intended to be used to accurately crop the image. The photo shows some minor paper loss in a number of spots, especially along the edges, with the edges exhibiting somewhat irregular lines where the photo was cut. The Type I photo is a fine memento of Nap Lajoie and the most controversial batting race in Major League history.
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