From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andrew (Andy) Pafko (born February 25, 1921 in Boyceville, Wisconsin) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1943 through 1959, Pafko played for the Chicago Cubs (1943-51), Brooklyn Dodgers (1951-52) and Milwaukee Braves (1953-59). He batted and threw right-handed.

In a 17-season career, Pafko was a .285 hitter with 213 home runs and 976 RBI in 1852 games.

Nicknamed "Handy Andy", Pafko was a popular player well known for good hitting and fielding, and contributed to championship-caliber teams in three different cities. A five-time All-Star, he played with the Chicago Cubs during their most recent World Series appearance, in 1945. After legendary Cubs' third baseman Stan Hack retired the following year, Pafko replaced him on the hot corner long enough to be named an All-Star there, making him one of the few people to achieve All-Star status in both infield and outfield. He was traded to Brooklyn in the middle of the '51 season and, as the Dodgers' left fielder, had the best view of Bobby Thompson's famous home run later that year. Pafko returned home when he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves before the start of the 1953 season, becoming the only Wisconsin native on the Braves roster when they arrived in Milwaukee and participating in their strong contending teams there, including the 1957 World Series champions. A devout Slovak Lutheran, he was an instant favorite with Milwaukee's large Eastern European community. In his final season, one of Pafko's duties was to help break in a rookie outfielder named Henry Aaron.

After his playing days, Pafko settled in the Chicago area, and always provided good copy for the press, especially when the subject of the Cubs would come up. When they won their division in 1984, Pafko mused, "I never dreamed it would take them 39 years to win again. I thought they would have won by accident before then!" Pafko was named to the Cubs All-Century team at the turn of the century.

The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Pafko is prominent in many of these stories. He is also the title character in Pafko at the Wall and The Perfect Pafko.

• Pafko is perhaps best known for being card #1 in the legendary 1952 Topps baseball card set. This card in near mint or better condition is often worth thousands of dollars because most collectors back in 1952 simply put the cards in numerical order and rubber banded the stack. This causes the top card (Pafko) to receive the most wear and tear and thus top grade copies are very rare and valuable.

• Pafko is also remembered for a 1949 incident in which (according to him) he caught a blooper to the outfield that was strewn with paper cups, and umpire Al Barlick called St. Louis Cardinals hitter Rocky Nelson safe on a supposedly "trapped" catch. Pafko started arguing with Barlick, and forgot to call time. Nelson circled the bases, for perhaps the only "inside the glove" home run in baseball history.

• Baseball Reference - Career statistics and analysis