NNO Chief Bender

Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (1884–1954), of Ojibwe descent and Carlisle Indian Industrial School training, was Connie Mack's go-to right-hander when an October game absolutely had to be won. He pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics during the franchise's first dynasty, winning five pennants and three World Series titles between 1905 and 1913, and was the man Mack famously sent to the mound for any game he simply had to have. This card is from the E101 Anonymous Set of 50, an early caramel-card release without manufacturer markings whose imagery was licensed across several confectioners during the 1909–1911 window. Bender appears in the set in his Athletics portrait. Across sixteen big-league seasons he posted a 212-127 record and a career ERA under 2.50, with a postseason workhorse reputation that included a no-hitter in 1910. He died May 22, 1954 in Philadelphia, the city of his playing prime. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 by the Veterans Committee.