Nothing better on a lazy Sunday than a manager card. Fred Hutchinson was the much-loved skipper for the Redlegs from 1959-1964, leading them to the pennant in 1961. Previously he had managed the Tigers and Cardinals, and had played for the Tigers from 1939-1953. In 1952 and ‘53, he was a player/manager, a concept that seems very foreign today. Can you imagine Mike Scioscia suiting up in catcher’s gear for the Angels or Joe Girardi for the Yankees? As a player, he appeared in the World Series once, pitching in a loss to the Reds.
It was his managerial career for the Reds though that cemented his legend in the Queen City. He won 443 games with the Reds against 372 losses. Hutchinson passed in November of 1964 from lung cancer, having missed parts of the season for health reasons. Hutch’s uniform number 1 is retired by the Reds, and he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1965. The Hutch Award is annually “given to an active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win.” Five Reds have received the award since it was first given in 1965: Pete Rose, Bobby Tolan, Gary Nolan, Ron Oester, and Sean Casey.
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I’ve been meaning to tell you that these cards are turning out great!