Elect Sherm Lollar to baseball Hall of Fame

I’ve 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 ‘50s 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 ‘50s Sox was catcher Sherm Lollar. Not flashy but rock solid handling pitchers and knocking lots of home runs in cavernous Comiskey 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 four times. In the full season of 1961, he made only one error. His .992 career catcher fielding percentage is best in MLB history. He threw 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