Baseball Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Larry Doby and Willie Stargell are the latest legends of the diamond to be immortalized on postal stamps.
The U.S. Postal Service has been honoring baseball greats since 1939. Since then, 50 stamps honoring the game of baseball have been issued.
The Baseball Hall of Fame continued its tradition with the postal service during Induction Weekend when the four postage stamps honoring the hall of fame members were unveiled to the public.
The “Forever” stamps will also be commemorated in the cities where each of the athletes played: Williams in Boston, Doby in Cleveland, Stargell in Pittsburgh and DiMaggio in New York.
Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn was at the event that honored his fellow members.
“It is only appropriate that these are forever stamps, as these legends will forever be Hall of Fame talent, and Hall of Fame contributors to our game, and culture,” said the eight-time National League batting champ with the Padres.
The recognition was not just about what the ballplayers achieved on the baseball field. “We are recognizing four members of the hall of fame who have earned these postage stamps because of the impact they have had not only on our game but on our society,” said Jane Forbes-Clark, Chairwoman of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The honored athletes had family members at the event since none of them are alive today.
The forever stamps were available as soon as the unveiling ended.
Each player brought something different to the table: Doby was the first African-American player in the American League, joining the Indians just after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Dodgers in 1947. Williams was the last player to hit .400, batting .406 in 1941, the same year DiMaggio set the record by hitting safely in 56 consecutive games. “Pops” Stargell helped the “We Are Family” Pirates win the World Series in 1971 and 1979.
Patrick Donahoe, the postmaster general, dedicated the stamps in the Grandstand Theater at the Hall of Fame.
“Baseball has a powerful grip on the heartstrings of America,” Donahoe told the crowd. “The sport reflects so much of our unique American culture.”
In 2000, the U.S. Postal Service, in partnership with Major League Baseball, issued the Legends of Baseball Stamps to honor a mix of stars. Each of the 20 stamps featured a Hall of Fame player who was also nominated for the MLB All-Century Team. Illustrator Joseph Saffold worked from historic baseball photographs to create the stamp art with Prismacolor pencils and airbrushed acrylic and oil paints. The projects art director was Phil Jordan. Players honored included: Jackie Robinson Eddie Collins, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Cochrane, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Roberto Clemente, Lefty Grove, Tris Speaker, Cy Young, Jimmie Foxx, Pie Traynor, Satchel Paige, Honus Wagner, Josh Gibson, Dizzy Dean and Lou Gehrig.
In 2001, in association with Major League Baseball, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Baseball’s Legendary Playing Field stamps. These stamps featured vintage color postcards depicting 10 Major League Baseball parks and a header image of Sportsman’s park in St. Louis. Phil Jordan was the project’s designer and art director.
The fields honored include:
Wrigley Field: the home of the Chicago Cubs: This ballpark opened in 1914 and did not host a night game until 1988. Today the ballpark can be recognized by its ivy-covered outfield walls and hand-operated scoreboard.
Fenway Park: the home of the Red Sox: The ballpark celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and retains many of its signature features such as the 37-foot high Green Monster wall in left field.
Comiskey Park in Chicago: The White Sox played at this South Side institution, which featured arched windows, through the 1990 season. The symmetrical ballpark’s dimensions made it a pitcher’s delight. In 1933, the ballpark hosted the first Major League All-Star Game. The team did not move far when the park closed. The Sox moved next door to the new Comiskley Park, which has been renamed U.S. Cellular Field.
Crosley Field, Cincinnati: This ballpark hosted the first night game in Major League Baseball history on May 24, 1935. Its capacity was less than 30,000 and was known for a notorious 4-foot inclined in left field. The Reds moved out of Crosley Filed in 1970. It was replaced by Riverfront Stadium and eventually renamed Cinergy Field. IN 2003, The team moved to Great American Ball Park.
Ebbets Field, Brooklyn: This ballpark was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers through the 1957 season. It had quirky features such as an angled right field wall. History was made at Ebbets Fiels on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson took the field as the first black player in Major League Baseball history. Before the 1958 season, the Dodgers moved west to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was not long before they began playing at Dodger Stadium, which the club still calls home.
Polo Grounds, New York City: The former home of the New York Giants was horsewhoe-shaped. The ballpark was the setting for several momentous baseball occasions, including Bobby Thomason’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World” home run in 1951 and Willie May’s spectacular catch in the 1954 World Series. Polo Grounds also, at one time, served as a home for the Yankees and Mets, The Giants moved to San Francisco before the 1958 season and currently play at AT&T Park.
Shibe Park, Philadelphia: This ballpark is the former home of both the Athletics and the Phillies. It was the first concrete-and-steel Major League Baseball stadium. The ballpark featured a 34-foot-high right field wall, a façade with stately columns and a French Renaissance cupola. The A’s left for Kansas City before the 1955 season and moved to their current location in Oakland after the 1967 season. The Phillies stayed in Philadelphia and moved to Veterans Stadium in 1971. The team currently play at Citizen Bank Park.
Tiger Stadium, Detroit: In 1912, this ballpark opened as Navin Field. Tiger Stadium was home to the Tigers for 88 seasons. It featured an upper deck that jutted out 10 feet further than the lower deck, putting fans practically on top of the right field. The Tigers moved to downtown Comerica Park for the 2000 season.
Yankee Stadium, New York City: Home to the game’s most decorated franchise until 2008, the original Yankee Stadium was a massive, majestic place. “The House That Ruth Built” hosted more World Series games than any other ballpark and was the stage for many historic moments. Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in the World Series on Oct. 8, 1956. In Game Six of the 1977 World Series, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs to lead the Yankees to victory. Babe Ruth, for whom Yankee Stadium was nicknamed, was honored along with other Yankees greats in Monument Park, which was located beyond the left-center field fence. The current Yankee Stadium, right across the road, opened in 2009.
Forbes Field, Pittsburgh: Expansive foul territory and deep outfield dimensions made this ballpark a pitcher’s dream. However, no hurler ever threw a no-hitter there. Forbes Field was the site of one of the most exciting home runs in baseball history. ON Oct. 13, 1960, the Pirates took on the Yankees in Game Seven of the World Series. The score was tied, 9-9, in the bottom of the ninth inning. Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski stepped to the plate. He took Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry’s first pitch, but took a mighty swing at the next. He hit the ball over the left field wall. The homer clinched th3e World Series title for Pittsburgh. The Pirates moved into Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, and then into their current home, PNC Park, in 2001.
In 2006, Mickey Mantle, Roy Campanella, Mel Ott and Hank Greenberg were honored with the Baseball Sluggers stamps. Combined, the quartet hit more than 1,600 career home runs. Artist Lonnie Busch based his design for the stamps on historic photographs, then simplified the portraits to resemble old-fashioned baseball cards. The project’s art director was Phil Jordan.
In 2008 the U.S. Postal Service issued the “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” stamp to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the song. The stamp art was based on the circa-1880 tobacco advertisement from the personal collection of art director Richard Sheaff.
In 1920, Andrew “Rube” Foster established the Negro National League. It was the first successful league of African-American teams. In 2010, stamps were made to pay tribute to the era. The stamps featured a scene painted by artist Kadir Nelson. The art director was Howard E. Paine.
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Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, left, stands with is Louis J. Giuliano, member of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors during the unveiling of the Major League Baseball All-Star Stamps that were dedicated Friday, July 19 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The first-day-of-issue event of the Forever Stamps featuring Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Larry Doby, Willie Stargell and Joe DiMaggio was the first of five ceremonies — the others will take place in the cities where the players built their careers. Also pictured, to the right, are postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, Hall of Fame Chairwoman Jane Forbes Clark and Brian Kenny of the Major League Baseball Network. The U.S. Postal Service has been honoring baseball greats since 1939. More than 50 stamps honoring the game of baseball have been issued.
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