Elect Sherm Lollar to Baseball Hall of Fame

 Elect Sherm Lollar to Baseball Hall of Fame

Been a White Sox fan since this 6 year old heard about their 14 game winning streak from May 15-30, 1951. This kicked off the Go-Go White Sox who went on to 17 straight first division finishes including the magical ’59 pennant winning team.

The 50’s teams were filled with exciting stars like Nellie Fox, Jungle Jim Rivera, Chico Carrasquel, Jim Busby, Luis Aparicio, Dick Donavon and Billy Pierce.

But the heart and soul of the 50’s Sox was catcher Sherm Lollar. Not flashy but rock solid handling pitchers and knocking lots of home runs in cavernous Comisky Park.

Lollar was among the best all time defensive catchers during his 18 seasons from 1946 to 1963. In 1,752 games he hit .262 with 155 dingers and 808 RBI. His .357 on base percentage topped that of Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. A seven time All Star, Lollar led AL catchers in fielding 4 times. In the full season of 1961, he made only 1 error. His .992 career catcher fielding percentage is best in MLB history. He throw out 46% of base stealers, ranking him fifth all time. Upon retirement in 1963 he ranked fifth in home runs by a catcher.

Never considered for the Hall during his early eligibility, Lollar is currently eligible to be identified as a Golden Era ballot candidate by the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Historical Overview Committee.

It took the Hall 51 years after he retired for the Hall to enshrine fabulous Go-Go White Sox Minnie Minoso into the Hall. Lollar, who died in 1977, retired 63 years ago.

Come on Major League Baseball. Punch Sherm Lollar’s ticket to the Hall of Fame.

Walt Zlotow Glen Ellyn