TED WILLIAMS FIRST GAME APRIL 20, 1939

Ted Williams, one of the greatest players in baseball history, makes his debut in 1939 with the Boston Red Sox. He would retire in 1960. He lost many hits, homers, and rbi's to military service.

TRIS SPEAKER'S FIRST GAME SEPTEMBER 14, 1907

Tristram E. Speaker was an American baseball player known as one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in history. Speaker was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during the second year of voting, 1937 and made his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1907.

Rube Marquard's First Game September 25, 1908 New York Giants

Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9, 1886 - June 1, 1980) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s. He achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants. He retired in 1925 with a record of 201-177 and a 3.08 ERA; his 1593 strikeouts, at the time, ranked 3rd in major league history among left-handers (behind Rube Waddell and Eddie Plank), and stood as the NL record for southpaws until his total was surpassed by Carl Hubbell in 1942. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. His selection has often been criticized by the sabermetrics community, since Marquard's career adjusted ERA+ was only slightly better than league average. Bill James described Marquard as "probably the worst starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame.

Home Run Baker's First Game September 21, 1908 Philadelphia Athletics

John Franklin "Home Run" Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in game two and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in game three. His home run crown would be the first of four consecutive seasons leading the American League in home runs. He hit 11 HR in 1911, 10 HR in 1912, 12 HR in 1913, and 9 HR in 1914. Two of those seasons, he also led the American League in runs batted in. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Catfish Hunter First Game May 13, 1965 KC Athletics

Catfish Hunter was a right-handed starting pitcher between 1965 and 1979. He is one of 17 players to pitch a perfect game. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was an 8 time All-Star Player and played on 5 world championship teams (3 with Oakland A's and 2 with the New York Yankees). He also won the Cy Young Award in 1974.

Jim Bottomley's First Game August 18, 1922 St. Louis Cardinals

Jim Bottomley is known mostly for driving 12 runs in one game in 1928. That year he was the National League MVP. Bottomley was noted for his upbeat demeanor and ability to drive in runs. He had over 100 RBIs in each season from 1924 to 1929.

Bottomley's best season came in 1928, when he hit .325 with 31 home runs and 136 RBIs. He also became the second Major League player in history to join the 20–20–20 club.

Dazzy Vance First Game April 16, 1915

Dazzy Vance was the NL MVP in 1924. He pitched 10 years for the Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers where he forged a Hall of Fame career. He led the NL in strikeouts from 1922-1928 and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1955. He ended with 197 wins which was remarkable because he only threw 33 innings in his twenties.

Charley Gehringer's First Game September 22, 1924 Detroit Tigers

Widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of all time, Gehringer was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949. During his career, Gehringer compiled a .320 batting average and had seven seasons with more than 200 hits -- a hit total never reached in a season by Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle and reached only once by Willie Mays. He was the American League batting champion in 1937 with a .371 average and was also named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He was among the Top 10 vote recipients in the Most Valuable Player voting for seven straight years from 1932-1938.

Gabby Hartnett's First Game April 12, 1922

Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was a National Major League Baseball catcher and manager who played nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He is widely considered to have been the greatest National League catcher in the first half of the 20th century. He debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 1922.

On October 1, 1932, Gabby was behind the plate during Babe Ruth's infamous Called Shot. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Burleigh Grimes' First Game September 10, 1916

Burleigh Grimes was the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. He debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates and then played most of his career with the Brooklyn Robins (who would become the Brooklyn Dodgers). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.

Bob Gibson's First Game April 15, 1959

Bob Gibson makes his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in a game in Los Angeles. Don Drysdale was the pitcher for the Dodgers who won the game, 5-0, with Don Demeter and Jim Baxes hitting home runs. Gibson would go on to be one of the most dominant pitchers of the 1960's and become one of baseball's best pitchers ever.