#202 Jim Hearn - New York Giants

James Tolbert Hearn
New York Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  205
Born:  April 11, 1921, Atlanta, GA
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1942 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1947-1950; New York Giants 1950-1956; Philadelphia Phillies 1957-1959
Died:  June 10, 1998, Boca Grande, FL (age 77)

Jim Hearn's big league pitching career was delayed by three years as he was serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.  After a mediocre start to his career with the Cardinals, he was selected off waivers by the Giants in July 1950 and he'd enjoy his greatest success in the New York starting pitching rotation for six and a half seasons.  Hearn would win the National League ERA title in 1950 with a 2.49 mark and he also led the league with five shutouts.  He won a career-high 17 games in 1951 as the Giants edged the Dodgers to advance to the World Series.  Hearn started and won Game 3 against Vic Raschi, and he pitched a scoreless inning of relief in Game 6, but the Yankees would prevail.  An All-Star in 1952, Hearn didn't appear in the five-inning, rain-shortened game.  Hearn went 8-8 with a 4.14 ERA for the eventual World Champion Giants in 1954, but did not appear in that World Series.

He finished his career with three seasons in Philadelphia, pitching mainly out of the bullpen and he retired following his release from the Phillies in May 1959.  In 396 games, including 229 starts, Hearn was 109-89 with a 3.81 ERA and 669 strikeouts over 1,703 2/3 innings pitched.

December 25, 2006

Building the Set
December 25, 2006 from Mays Landing, NJ - Card #282
I was officially given this card on Christmas Day in 2006, but my Dad had purchased it several weeks (months?) earlier at a baseball card show held at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, New Jersey.

This was one of nine cards I received that Christmas from my Dad, and he spent a total of $210 on all nine cards with the Hank Aaron (#31) card being the big ticket item at $150.  Like all his purchases, he was extremely proud of this card's condition and I'm sure there was a negotiation story that went along with the acquisition.

Our first son Doug was born a few weeks before Christmas that year and we brought him home just in time for the big day.  He obviously doesn't remember much from his first Christmas, but he spent the holidays being held and loved by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  The picture shown here is from Christmas Day 2006, shortly after I had added those nine cards to our (and one day Doug's) 1956 Topps set.  One of the great joys of my life was seeing how proud my Dad was to have a grandson.

The Card / Giants Team Set
This is Hearn's return to Topps sets after a two-year absence.  The high leg kick of his pitching motion must have been a favorite go-to pose for him, as he has several baseball cards in which he's in a similar pose.  The cartoon panels on the back of the card celebrate his status as the Giants' top righty pitcher in 1955, his ERA title in 1950 and his postseason heroics in 1951.  Along with his World Series win mentioned above, Hearn was the starting and winning pitcher in Game 1 of a three-game playoff series at the end of the regular season between the Giants and Dodgers to decide the National League pennant winner.  He out-dueled Ralph Branca in that game, pitching a complete game.  The Giants would win dramatically in the third game on Bobby Thomson's (#257) walk-off three-run home run off Branca.

1956 Season

In his last season with the Giants, Hearn pitched in 30 games, making 19 starts, and was 5-11 with a 3.97 ERA.  After finishing in sixth place in the National League with only 67 wins, the Giants entered a rebuilding phase, going with a youth movement, and Hearn was one of the team's veterans traded away following the season.

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Hearn on October 11, 1956 for pitcher Stu Miller (#293), and the club immediately converted him to a full-time reliever.  The oldest pitcher on their staff, Hearn appeared in 36 games, largely setting up closer Turk Farrell.  He was 5-1 with a 3.65 that first season and was back with the club full-time in 1958.  The Phillies were dismal in 1958, finishing in eighth place and Hearn appeared in 39 games.  Again by far the most veteran pitcher on the staff, he pitched 73 1/3 innings and was one of four frequently used relievers along with Farrell, Seth Morehead and Jack Meyer (#269).  Hearn returned in 1959, but appeared in only six games before being released on May 22nd.  Back on May 10th, Hearn had pitched 1 1/3 innings in a game suspended by rain against the Pirates.  The game resumed and was completed on July 21th, with the Pirates hanging on to win, and with Hearn as the pitcher of record.  Retired and home for two months, Hearn still managed to be the losing pitcher in a ballgame.

For his Phillies career, Hearn appeared in 81 games and was 10-6 with a 4.04 ERA.  He appeared with the Phillies in the 1957, 1958 and 1959 Topps sets.

1949 Bowman #190

1951 Bowman #61

1953 Topps #38

1957 Topps #348

1959 Topps #63

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #190
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1952-1953, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #38

35 - Hearn non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/6/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia