Charles Albert “Chief” Bender was one of the premier pitchers of the 1900’s for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics. Bender led the A’s to three World Series titles in his 12 seasons with Philadelphia’s Junior Circuit outfit. He was tops in the American League in W-L percentage three times, winning a total of 212 games in a 16-season career that included a year spent with the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League. Bender retired after coming out of retirement for one appearance with the Chicago White Sox in 1925. In 1953, Bender was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Offered here is a black and white page signed by Bender in the same year as his Hall of Fame induction. A picture of Bender is located on this album page, showing an older Chief dressed in an A’s home uniform. In his retirement, Bender served in numerous roles around baseball including as a minor league and collegiate manager, a scout, and pitching coach for the A’s. Bender passed away in 1954 at the age of 70.

Bender has signed this 10 x 7-inch page in black pen, inscribing “With Kindest Wishes to Ronnie West from Chief Bender” and “1953”. Written on the reverse side of this page is “For Ronnie West / 1601 Pine Bluff / Orlando, Fla.” Included in this lot is an envelope from the Philadelphia A’s addressed to Mr. West in Orlando. “Chief Bender” is handwritten below an “American Baseball Club of Philadelphia” stamp on the upper corner. This signed page comes with a JSA STICKER ONLY (Y03427).

Auction Notepad