Joe Tinker Bat On

Joe Tinker (1880–1948) held down shortstop on the Chicago Cubs teams that ran the National League at the close of the dead-ball era. A right-handed hitter and thrower, he was the front end of Franklin P. Adams' famous "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double-play verse, and the back end of more than a few quietly turned 6-4-3 grounders that decided pennants. Tinker helped the Cubs to four flags between 1906 and 1910 and to World Series titles in 1907 and 1908. The "Bat On" variation is one of his T206 White Border poses — the foundational tobacco issue of 1909–1911 and the set in which any pre-war Cubs run begins. Tinker died July 27, 1948 in Orlando, Florida. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946, voted in by the Old Timers Committee on the same ballot as his double-play partners.