#102 Jim Davis - Chicago Cubs

James Bennett Davis
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  September 15, 1924, Red Bluff, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1954-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1957; New York Giants 1957
Died:  November 30, 1995, San Mateo, CA (age 71)

Used primarily as a reliever, Jim Davis appeared in 154 games in parts of four seasons with the Cubs, Cardinals and Giants.  Relying on his screwball and a knuckleball, he owned a lifetime record of 24-26 with a 4.01 ERA and 8 saves.  His first season was also his best as he went 11-7 with the Cubs in 1954 with a career low 3.52 ERA.  He finished in tenth place in the N.L. for appearances in 1954 and 1956, pitching in 46 games in both those seasons.

Davis pitched for 12 seasons in the minor leagues between 1946 and 1959, having a record of 102-73 and a 3.36 ERA over 361 games.

Building the Set
February 9, 2002 in Cooperstown, NY - Card #231
This is one of only four cards I purchased in 2002, which was one of the tougher years for me personally.  I made a solo unscheduled and unplanned trip to Cooperstown in early 2002 in an attempt to clear my mind one weekend.  It was an escape.  Thinking back on that time now 18 years later, I realize Cooperstown was a logical choice for me to make my escape as I could leave my present worries behind and live in the past for a few days.  I spent a lot of time walking around the Hall of Fame, taking my time and actually relaxing.

I didn't have a lot of money for this trip, but I visited Baseball Nostalgia that Saturday afternoon and purchased four cards for our 1956 Topps set, including this Davis card.  The other three cards purchased were Don Kaiser (#124), Joe Frazier (#141) and Tom Gorman (#246) and the four cards together cost me $18.50.  That's a fairly low price to pay for some much needed baseball card therapy.

I'm happy to see Baseball Nostalgia is still open, although as I'm writing this it's currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.  My wife and I have discussed taking a trip back to Cooperstown when everything gets back to normal as neither of our boys have ever visited before.  Whenever that trip happens, I'll be sure to pay a visit to Baseball Nostalgia.

The Card
Davis appeared on three Topps flagship cards, with his 1955 and 1956 cards using the same photo.  The cartoonist on the back did a wonderful job highlighting Davis' knuckle ball and his role as one of the Cubs' top relievers in 1955.

Cubs Team Set

1956 Season

Davis spent the entire season with the Cubs and along with Turk Lown was one of the team's most heavily relied upon relievers.  He appeared in 46 games, making 11 starts, and went 5-7 with a 3.66 ERA.  On May 27th against the Cardinals, Davis struck out four batters in the sixth inning, tying a long-time record and becoming the first pitcher to perform the feat in 40 years.  He struck out Hal Smith (#283), Jackie Brandt and Lindy McDaniel, but McDaniel reached first on an error by catcher Hobie Landrith (#314).  Davis struck out the next batter, Don Blasingame (#309), looking to end the inning.  According to the Baseball Almanac, Davis was the fourth National League pitcher and the sixth pitcher overall to tie this record.

On August 12th, again against the Cardinals in Chicago, Davis threw a complete game shutout in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie.  Herm Wehmeier (#78) was on the other end of the rare, dual complete game shutout for St. Louis.  I'm not exactly sure why the game didn't go into extra innings, but Baseball Reference indicates this was the second game of a double header and my assumption here is that Wrigley Field simply got too dark to continue play.

1955 Topps #68

1957 Topps #273

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #68
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1955-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #273

10 - Davis non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/15/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.