Pee Wee Wanninger
| Birthdate | 12/12/1902 |
| Death Date | 03/07/1981 |
| Debut Year | 1925 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Red Sox, Reds, Yankees |
| Position | Shortstop |
1925: Pee Wee played shortstop, ending Everett Scott’s 1,307 consecutive games; Gehrig pinch hit for Pee Wee, starting a 2,130 game streak.
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In the collection:
In 1925, Wanninger ended one streak and started another - here's his Yankee contract from that year
In 1925, Wanninger ended one streak and started another - here's his Yankee contract from that year
Cal Ripken holds the all-time record for consecutive games played with 2,632. Second on the list is Lou Gehrig with 2,130; third is Everett Scott with 1,307. Pee Wee Wanninger is tied to both men directly behind Ripken.
In the 1925 season a 32-year old Scott was slipping at shortstop and at the plate. When Yankee manager Miller Huggins saw fit to bench Scott and end the streak, he turned to the rookie Wanninger. On May 5th, 1925 Wanninger started in place of Scott to end what is still the third longest run in MLB history.
Four weeks later Huggins called on 22-year old Lou Gehrig to pinch hit for Wanninger. That June 1 pinch hitting appearance started Gehrig’s streak.
In the collection is Wanninger’s player’s contract for the 1925 season in which he helped stop and start two of baseball’s most prolific consecutive games streaks. The front page is also signed by Hall of Fame executive Ban Johnson.
Signature page of Wanninger's contract
Signature page of Wanninger's contract
Hall of Fame Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert has signed the contract as club president, while the player has signed “PL Wanninger”. The contract is signed on February 2/3, 1925. The front of the contract is also signed by American League President and Hall of Famer Ban Johnson.
This piece represents a historic link to two of the longest consecutive games streaks in the history of the game.
Autographed photo of Gehrig
Autographed photo of Gehrig
Why not add in a Lou Gehrig autograph to the page of a man who was intimately involved in starting the streak? The image shows a trio of Hall of Famers. Gehrig joins forces with catcher Bill Dickey to argue a call with Cal Hubbard, the only man inducted into both the baseball and football Halls of Fame.
Document assigning Wanninger to the minor leagues for 1924
Document assigning Wanninger to the minor leagues for 1924
Before Wanninger played a role in the consecutive games streak of Everett Scott and Lou Gehrig he was a minor leaguer playing for Augusta Tygers. The team was named after Ty Cobb, who began his professional career in Augusta in 1904. In the collection is the agreement assigning Wanninger to August the season before Gehrig pinch hit for him to start the streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
Reverse of the document sending Wanninger to the minor leagues
Reverse of the document sending Wanninger to the minor leagues
A tri-folding document, it’s composition can be seen here. The top portion of the image served as the front of the document when it was folded into thirds. Though he had a remarkable start to his big league career, Wanninger played in a total of 163 big league games from 1925 through 1927.
Pee Wee Wanninger handwritten letter from 1976
Pee Wee Wanninger handwritten letter from 1976
Pee Wee Wanninger was 73 years old when he penned this letter to an autograph collector on 7/27/1976. Wanninger thanks the collector and writes about his current life before closing the letter, “I suppose my greatest thrill was playing with the Yankees and with Ruth and Gehrig – both great men as well as the best in the game.”
The three-year MLB veteran then closes with his signature, “Paul ‘Pee Wee’ Wanninger”.
