Origins of the Bullpen Car

The D-Backs brought back the Bullpen Car in 2018 after it had disappeared from the big leagues back in 1995. Since then, the Tigers and Nationals have joined the club.

This resurgence got me thinking about the history of the Bullpen Car. It dates back to Cleveland in 1950, but the 1951 Chicago White Sox were the first team to transport a pitcher all the way from the bullpen to the mound via a Bullpen Car. Who made that first trip? Marv Rotblatt. 

I love this kind of baseball trivia, so I had to see what cardboard there was of Marv. Although he debuted in 1948 for the White Sox and spent time in Chicago in 1950 and 1951, his rookie card is found in 1951 Bowman, which is perfect since that is the same year that he made history with his ride from bullpen to mound against the Yankees. The car was a black hearse courtesy of a nearby funeral home. This all happening before being sent down to the minors in July of 1951 and then being drafted into the Army in August 1951 and never making it back to the majors.

I added his the card to my Most Wanted list and after coming up empty searching through a few stacks of 1951 Bowman at a local card shop, I took to eBay to find the card. The cheapest raw copy was $8.50 and it was pretty rough, so I made an offer on a PSA 5 copy and ended up with it for $10 shipped.