Move over Shoeless Joe, we’ve got someone else playing sans chaussures. Jackson played his famous shoeless game in grass-stained socks while “Stu” Stuart pitched a complete game totally barefoot in 1940 for the Class D Mayfield Browns. He did it well, striking out 11 and holding the opposition to just a pair of runs.
Stuart showed some promise in the minors, eventually throwing a perfect game for the AAA Toledo Mud Hens. The Tigers experimented with their 30 year-old rookie, placing him first in the bullpen and then trying him in a few dozen starts through the 1952 season. It didn’t matter what he did on the mound or when he walked out to it as Detroit was absolutely terrible during this period. Stuart was traded to the Browns at the 1952 trade deadline as part of a deal to acquire 20-game winner Ned Garver and to undo a massive trade undertaken by the Tigers front office just two months earlier.
Stuart didn’t fare much better in St. Louis, though he did better than his remaining teammates. Used almost entirely as a reliever, he led the club in wins in 1953 despite starting only 2 games.
Turning to the Marlin Stuart card inhabiting my 1952 Topps set building project, I find myself thrown by a few optical illusions. At first glance the word “Detroit” across the front of his jersey almost looks like it says “Dentist.” The backdrop looks more like a snow-capped mountain range rather than light filtering through the trees behind an outfield wall. He is portrayed as having just thrown a pitch, but is looking off to the left, implying crazy movement on his imaginary breaking ball. I don’t know if he is even wearing shoes.
