This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/11/2014
Alexander didn't look like a pitcher, as did his older contemporaries Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. All three were in the six-foot-one range, but whereas Alexander was a wiry 185 pounds, Mathewson and Johnson were a hard, chiseled 195 to 200 pounds. Matty and Walter had a majestic, almost regal way about them while "Alex" always had an unhurried shuffle, a uniform that never seemed to fit just right, and a cap that looked a size too small and stood on his head at a precarious tilt. All that changed when he pitched. He was the picture of grace and efficiency, often completing games in ninety minutes, with a smooth, usually sidearm delivery, possessing excellent control of a sneaky fastball and a devastating curve. In 1915 he won 31 games (12 shutouts and a record 4 one-hitters) and outdid himself a year later by winning 33 games, 16 of them shutouts. In 1917 he won 30, two of them complete games in a Labor Day doubleheader against the Dodgers. If there were a "Triple Crown" for pitchers, as many have suggested, Alexander would have won it twice, leading the league in most wins, strikeouts, and lowest ERA for 1916 and 1920. The offered collectible is outpaced by a mere two copies on the PSA "Population Report" and is often considered one of the more difficult Hall Of Fame subjects in the 1915 Cracker Jack set to find in a NM/MT 8 grade. The offered card presents at the upper end of the opined grade and is highlighted by four strong upper end corners as well as an over the top dose of bright red color. The centering shows an ever so slight bias for the left edge while the reverse is pleasingly well-printed with a deep black inked bio set fourth with no interruptions.