Dazzy Vance
| Birthdate | 3/4/1891 |
| Death Date | 2/16/1961 |
| Debut Year | 1915 |
| Year of Induction | 1955 |
| Teams | Cardinals, Dodgers, Pirates, Yankees |
| Position | Pitcher |
Dazzy Vance made his Major League debut in 1915 but was not in the big leagues to stay until 1922 when he was 31 years of age.
Leave a commentIn the collection:
Dazzy Vance spent most of is first ten years in pro baseball in the minors
Dazzy Vance spent most of is first ten years in pro baseball in the minors
Dazzy Vance took a long and winding road to the big leagues. He started in pro ball in 1912 at age 21 in the Class-D Nebraska State League. Vance reached affiliated ball when the Pirates purchased his contract in 1915.
He made his big league debut with Pittsburgh on April 15 that year then was sold to the Yankees later that month.
From then until the end of the 1921 season, Vance pitched ten games for New York but spent most of his time in the minors. During that time he won 117 minor league games.
Vance’s fortunes changed when he was purchased by Brooklyn before the 1922 season. The right-hander found immediate success, winning 18 games and leading the NL in strikeouts in his first full season in the majors.
The 6’2″ 200-pound right-hander established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game. Vance led the NL in strikeouts in each of his first seven seasons with Brooklyn.
Shown here is a file copy letter to American League president Ban Johnson dated August 6, 1915, seven years before Vance won his first Major League game.
Yanks co-owner TL Huston writes to Johnson informing him that New York purchased Vance’s contract from the Minor League team in St. Joseph, Missouri. Vance’s MLB debut came four months earlier for the Pirates.
The Pirates and Yankees had Vance in their organizations before he found stardom
The Pirates and Yankees had Vance in their organizations before he found stardom
A Brooklyn cap adorns Dazzy Vance’s plaque in Cooperstown. Two other organizations let the Hall of Fame hurler slip through their fingers. Both the Pirates and the Yankees paid for Vance’s services before he found stardom.
From 1921 through Vance’s final season in Brooklyn in 1932, the Pirates finished 2nd or 3rd six times. It’s easy to imagine more World Series titles in Pittsburgh had the team kept Vance. The franchise has yet to see a hurler with a Pittsburgh cap on his plaque.
The Yankees were dominant during Vance’s career, winning six pennants and four World Series. Their staff included Cooperstown hurlers Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Red Ruffing, and Lefty Gomez while Vance was active. It’s scary to think about those teams with another Hall of Fame pitcher.
Instead, Vance spent his best years in Brooklyn.
Shown here is Hall of Fame executive Ban Johnson‘s reply to the previous letter. It’s dated August 9, 1915, nineteen days before Vance made his Yankee debut. Johnson has signed the letter at the bottom.
Vance went 0-3 with a 4.45 ERA with the Yankees before finding stardom in Brooklyn
Vance went 0-3 with a 4.45 ERA with the Yankees before finding stardom in Brooklyn
Before Dazzy Vance found fame with Brooklyn he was a fringe prospect with the Yankees. The Hall of Fame hurler appeared in 10 games with New York, going 0-3 with a 4.45 earned run average.
His last two appearances for the Yanks came in 1918. On February 20, 1919 the Yankees transferred his contract to Double-A Sacramento.
In the collection is the document that made that transfer official. The signatures of Vance and Hall of Fame Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert are on it. Autographs from this early in Vance’s career are rarely seen.
Vance didn't reach the big leagues to stay until 1922 with Brooklyn
Vance didn't reach the big leagues to stay until 1922 with Brooklyn
From 1912-1921, Dazzy Vance pitched in just 11 big league ball games. He toiled in the bushes, winning 117 minor league games.
Once he got his chance in Brooklyn in 1922, Vance found his way. The league-leader in strikeouts in each of his first 7 seasons, Vance averaged 19 wins per season from 1922-1928.
Shown here is the other side of the document in the previous image. The top portion of the scan shows the signature of Vance and that of fellow farmhand William Piercy.
Both men were pitchers. Piercy appeared in 116 big league games. His career record stands at 27-43 with a 4.26 ERA.
Vance finished his career with 197 wins in the majors and 117 in the minors.
Vance found immediate stardom after he landed in Brooklyn
Vance found immediate stardom after he landed in Brooklyn
Dazzy Vance wasn’t in the big leagues to stay until after his 30th birthday. He quickly made up for lost time.
An 18-game winner in each of his first two seasons with Brooklyn, Vance had his finest season in year three. That 1924 campaign saw him earn pitching’s Triple Crown – he led the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Vance was named the National League MVP for his efforts.
The following season he again eclipsed the 20-win plateau. In his 11 seasons with Brooklyn, Vance won 187 games. He led the league 7 times in strikeouts, three times in ERA, and four times in shutouts.
Al Lopez caught Vance in 1928 and from 1930-32. Though best known for his work as a Hall of Fame manager, Lopez caught 1,950 games.
During Lopez’ first big league season in 1928, Vance led the senior circuit with 200 strikeouts and a 2.09 ERA. He won 22 games, the last of his 20-win seasons.
In the collection is this handwritten letter from Lopez regarding the Hall of Fame pitcher.
Lopez writes, “Dear Ken, Dazzy Vance was one of the greatest. Sincerely, Al Lopez.”
Handwritten letters involving two members of the Hall of Fame are highly desired.
Vance earned the Triple Crown and MVP in 1924
Vance earned the Triple Crown and MVP in 1924
Dazzy Vance’s career year came in 1924 when he led the majors in wins (28), ERA (2.16), and strikeouts (262). The Triple Crown season saw career bests in each of those categories as well as complete games (30), innings (308 1/3), and WAR (10.3). His efforts earned Vance the Most Valuable Player Award.
That same season Hall of Fame hurler Walter Johnson earned the American League Triple Crown. The Big Train posted 23 wins, a 2.72 ERA and 158 strikeouts en route to his second MVP nod.
Only three times in baseball history have both leagues seen a pitching Triple Crown winner in the same season. Christy Mathewson and Rube Waddell did it first in 1905. In 1918 it was Hippo Vaughn of the Cubs and Johnson of the Senators.
Shown here is a handwritten letter penned and signed by Walter Johnson himself. Dated 1935, the letter thanks National League President Ford Frick for Johnson’s lifetime pass to all big league games.
1932 was the last of Vance's twelve seasons with Brooklyn
1932 was the last of Vance's twelve seasons with Brooklyn
During Dazzy Vance’s dozen seasons with Brooklyn, he averaged 17 wins per year. His final season with the club came in 1932. The strikeout artist won 12 games for the third place club, his final year with a double-digit victory total.
In the collection is a 3×5 index card with a small photo of Dazzy Vance attached. Vance has penned, “Dazzy Vance Brooklyn Dodgers May 12 -’32” in green ink.
In fact, the day after he signed the index card he was the winning pitcher of a complete-game 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Vance broke Nap Rucker's Dodger franchise mark for strikeouts and held it from 1928-1965
Vance broke Nap Rucker's Dodger franchise mark for strikeouts and held it from 1928-1965
Dazzy Vance led the NL in strikeouts each season from 1922-1928. That seven-year stretched helped establish him as the Dodger franchise leader for career strikeouts.
The man whose record he vanquished is Brooklyn southpaw Nap Rucker. A lifetime Dodger from 1907-1916, Rucker played for teams that regularly finished in the second division.
Despite his sparkling 2.42 ERA – second in Brooklyn history – and his heavy strikeout numbers, Rucker’s win/loss record comes in at a break-even 134-134. During his ten-year career Rucker amassed 47.6 WAR at a clip of 5.3 per 162 games played.
Rucker just might be the greatest .500 pitcher in the game’s history.
In the collection is this government postcard signed by the Brooklyn legend.
After breaking Rucker's strikeout record Vance held the mark for the remainder of his life
After breaking Rucker's strikeout record Vance held the mark for the remainder of his life
Dazzy Vance became the Dodger franchise leader in strikeouts on June 13th, 1928. That day he fanned 10 Chicago Cubs to pass Nap Rucker on the all-time Brooklyn list.
Vance kept pitching and extended the mark by 700 strikeouts to 1,918. The record was Dazzy’s for the rest of his life.
After Vance passed on February 16, 1961 Dodger southpaw Sandy Koufax climbed toward the Dodger strikeout record. On July 24, 1965 The Left Arm of God passed Vance and made the record his own.
Three years later Don Drysdale surpassed Koufax.
Shown here is a 9×11 sheet commemorating the 1965 World Champion Dodgers. It is autographed by each Vance’s immediate successors as the Dodger franchise strikeout leader, Koufax and Drysdale..
Big D was passed by Don Sutton in 1979. Clayton Kershaw took the mark from Sutton in 2022 and currently holds the top spot.
Right-hander Vance remained in the major leagues until age 44 in 1935
Right-hander Vance remained in the major leagues until age 44 in 1935
After 26 professional seasons Dazzy Vance retired in 1935 at age 44. Three-wins shy of 200 big league victories, he left the game with 330 wins in pro ball – 133 in the minors.
Though Dazzy Vance pitched in the big leagues until he was 44, he left the game with no other job skills and little hope of earning income. Vance turned to the familiar and went to work playing with the House of David baseball team, a bearded bunch of folks who traveled town to town to play exhibitions.
In this letter, dated 1986, former commissioner Happy Chandler thanks Peter Ueberroff for helping former player Paul Derringer. The cause of helping the, “major league players of yesterday” as Chandler put it, was near and dear to his heart.
Chandler recalls with a sense of sadness that Vance and fellow pitching great Grover Cleveland Alexander fell on hard times in retirement.
“After their brilliant careers they were playing one night stands with the House of David Baseball Team. I thought that this was a tragedy, and made up my mind that if I ever had an opportunity, I would undertake to get a pension fund for the Major League players…”
