Bobby Wallace

Roderick John "Bobby" Wallace (1873–1960) anchored shortstop for the St. Louis Browns long enough to see three decades of American League baseball pass through the position. Born November 4, 1873 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he debuted in 1894 and stretched his big-league playing career across twenty-five seasons through 1918, with three more years of pro ball through 1921. He later managed in the majors from 1911 to 1937, an arc that put him on a payroll for nearly half a century. A 5'8", 170-pound right-handed thrower and hitter, Wallace converted from pitcher to infielder early on and made the position pay — his glove and steady arm were considered well ahead of the dead-ball norm. He appears on the staple tobacco and caramel issues of the era: T206 White Border, T204 Ramly, E90-1 American Caramel, and E92 Nadja Caramels. He died November 3, 1960 in Torrance, California, one day shy of his eighty-seventh birthday, and is buried in the Evergreen Section, Lot 226, Grave A at Inglewood Park Cemetery. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953.