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Henry John Aguirre
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher
Born: January 31, 1931, Azusa, CA
Acquired: Sent from Duluth (Northern) to the Cleveland Indians in an unknown transaction before 1952 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1955-1957; Detroit Tigers 1958-1967; Los Angeles Dodgers 1968; Chicago Cubs 1969-1970
Died: September 5, 1994, Bloomfield Hills, MI (age 63)
Lefty pitcher Hank Aguirre appeared in 16 big league seasons, mostly with the Tigers, and he peaked in 1962 when he was named to both All-Star teams and won the American League ERA title with a 2.21 mark. Of Mexican descent, his last name was pronounced ah-GEAR-ee, and not as I had assumed, rhyming with Mark McGwire. As a rookie pitcher for the Indians, Aguirre struck out Ted Williams in a game against the Red Sox on July 15, 1956. Aguirre asked Williams to sign the ball following the game, with Williams reluctantly agreeing. Legend has it Williams homered off Aguirre a few weeks later and as he was circling the bases, the slugger yelled, "Get that ball, and I'll sign it too." However, and I hate to ruin a great story, checking the records Williams didn't homer off Aguirre until July 19, 1958.
Aguirre was dealt to the Tigers before the 1958 season, and he'd settle into their pitching rotation for the next decade. He was a 16-game winner in 1962, his finest season, and won 14 games each in 1963 and 1965. Aguirre would retire after two seasons with the Cubs in 1969 and 1970, but he'd join the Cubs' coaching staff in 1972, where he'd stay until 1974. He'd manage in the Athletics' organization in 1975 and 1976. Aguirre had a lifetime record of 75-72 in 447 games pitched, with a 3.25 ERA and 856 strikeouts over 1,375 1/3 innings. He'd go on to found and preside over Mexican Industries, Inc., an automobile parts supplier, creating hundreds of jobs in Michigan for Hispanic workers. In 1987 he was named "Businessman of the Year" by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #465
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Aguirre wore #37 with the Tigers between 1960 and 1967, with his uniform number prominently displayed on his right sleeve here. The cartoon on the back highlights the complete game, three-hitter he threw against the Indians on July 1, 1964. The notes on the back mention his down year in 1964 when he went 5-10 with a 3.79 ERA in 32 starts, along with his league-leading ERA in 1962.
1965 Season
Aguirre was in the Tigers' starting pitching rotation all season, along with Mickey Lolich (#335), Denny McLain (#236), Dave Wickersham (#375) and Joe Sparma (#587). Aguirre was 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts, pitching ten complete games, including two shutouts. Along with Lolich and McLain, he was one of three Tigers pitchers to cross the 200 innings pitched plateau.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #96
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16): 1957-1970, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #225
65 - Aguirre non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/3/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #465
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Aguirre card which was less than $4 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Aguirre wore #37 with the Tigers between 1960 and 1967, with his uniform number prominently displayed on his right sleeve here. The cartoon on the back highlights the complete game, three-hitter he threw against the Indians on July 1, 1964. The notes on the back mention his down year in 1964 when he went 5-10 with a 3.79 ERA in 32 starts, along with his league-leading ERA in 1962.
1965 Season
Aguirre was in the Tigers' starting pitching rotation all season, along with Mickey Lolich (#335), Denny McLain (#236), Dave Wickersham (#375) and Joe Sparma (#587). Aguirre was 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts, pitching ten complete games, including two shutouts. Along with Lolich and McLain, he was one of three Tigers pitchers to cross the 200 innings pitched plateau.
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First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #96
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16): 1957-1970, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #225
65 - Aguirre non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/3/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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