Major League Baseball fans will have a chance to celebrate their favorite players as a group or individually. Due to the overwhelming response after the recent announcement to recognize Joe DiMaggio, Larry Doby, Willie Stargell and Ted Williams collectively on a single sheet of 20 Forever stamps, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it will issue sheets of 20 stamps honoring each player individually. The events will be held in Cooperstown and the cities where each one played.

“We’ve heard from Indians, Pirates, Red Sox and Yankee fans and we’re stepping up to the plate to immortalize their revered players individually,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney in a statement. “We have a limited quantity of individual player stamp sheets ready to fill all preorders now for shipment on July 21 — with these orders getting top priority,” he added. “It will be interesting to learn which of the four players sells the most individual sheets. Orders received for individual player stamp sheets will be accepted and honored through August 31, 2012, even if it requires additional printing.”

Kearney noted that the individual player stamp sheets will be sold only in limited quantities beginning July 21 at select post offices in Boston, Cleveland, Cooperstown, New York and Pittsburgh. Customers can order them between now and August 31.

DiMaggio (1914–1999) was known as the “Yankee Clipper.” He was also known for his amazing 56-game hitting streak in 1941 — the season of “the Streak.” DiMaggio led the New York Yankees to 10 pennants and nine World Series titles.

Doby (1923–2003) was the first African American to play in the American League, joining the Cleveland Indians shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League. The seven-time all-star was a great hitter and centerfielder. He set an American League outfielder record for 164 consecutive errorless games.

Stargell (1940–2001) led the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship. The seven-time all-star hit 475 career home runs.

Williams (1918–2002) of the Boston Red Sox served in the military during World War II and the Korean War. The last major league player to hit over .400 for a single season, in 1941, Williams won six American League batting championships and four home run titles. Despite the breaks in his career, Williams hit .344 over 19 years, including 521 home runs.

Fans can pre-order the stamps now by going to www.usps.com/play-ball.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

It’s always nice to honor the true legends of the game. That’s exactly what the United States Postal Service will do this summer when they issue a postage stamp for Larry Doby, a trailblazer and a terrific baseball player. Doby will receive a postage stamp along with three other baseball greats Willie Stargell, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams as a part of the Major League Baseball All-Stars stamps on July 20 at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Each of these Hall of Famers were outstanding major league players. They all made huge contributions. Doby was the first African American to play on an American League baseball team, joining the Cleveland Indians on July 5, 1947. He integrated the league just 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson broke the color line in the National League. In fact, this year is the 65^th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

“This is quite an honor for him to be recognized by the United States Postal Service along with three other good guys Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Willie Stargell,” said his son, Larry Doby, Jr. “It’s a great honor. I’m very proud of it. I’m looking forward to it. “

Doby helped to pave the way for other Blacks to play baseball. He helped to lay the foundation for racial progress in the game of baseball, which is known as America’s pastime.

Doby was born in Camden, South Carolina and raised mostly by his maternal grandmother while his mother made a living as a domestic worker in Paterson, N.J. He eventually joined his mother in Paterson and attended Eastside High School, where he picked up 11 varsity letters from playing different sports.

Prior to graduating from high school, Doby started his baseball career with the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League. After spending time in the U.S. Navy as a physical training instructor during World War II, Doby came back to the Eagles in 1946. That season he helped the Eagles defeat Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro World Series championship. Doby and Paige were great stars from the Negro Leagues. The Negro Leagues featured players such as Josh Gibson, James “Cool Papa” Bell, Judy Johnson and Oscar Charleston. The following year Doby hit over .400 at midseason when Bill Veeck of the Cleveland Indians purchased his contract and brought him to the majors.

Doby’s white teammates gave him a chilly reception and he spent his first season on the bench. He batted .301 for the season and helped Cleveland win the pennant. During the fourth game of the World Series against the Boston Braves, he became the first Black player to hit a home run in a Major League Baseball World Series, which Cleveland won.

The following season Doby was chosen to the American League all-star team, which he made for each of the next six years. In 1950, Sporting News named him the best centerfielder in baseball, ahead of DiMaggio. He led the league in home runs and runs scored in 1952. Two years later, he again led the league in home runs, helping the Indians reach the World Series. In 1955, Doby set an American League record for an outfielder with 164 straight errorless games.

When his career was over, he coached for the Montreal Expos, the Cleveland Indians, and the Chicago White Sox. In 1978, Doby was hired as manager of the White Sox, making him the second African American to manage a major league team.

Doby was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. He died on June 18, 2003 in Montclair, N.J. With the U.S. Postal Service issuing stamps of Doby, DiMaggio, Stargell and Williams, young people can learn about their legacy and others can reflect on their magnificent baseball careers.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series a month ago, and although the team has something special to cheer about, so do the fans of Willie Stargell. They stepped up to the plate in the Stamps Batted In (SBI) pennant race to position the Pittsburgh Pirate icon as the Most Popular Player (MPP) among four icons immortalized on the Major League Baseball All-Stars Forever stamps last summer.

Before the stamps issuance on July 20, the postal service started a friendly pre-order stamp competition in late May among fans of Stargell and other players commemorated on the stamps — Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees, Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians and Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Williams took the lead at the beginning with DiMaggio nudging ahead a week prior to the first day of the issuance ceremony only to have Williams take it back.

“Fan support of their favorite players was so strong that we decided to continue this friendly competition through the end of the World Series,” said Stephen Kearney, stamp services manager, referring to the 2.29 million stamps pre-ordered. “I encourage fans to continue supporting their favorite player while the stamps are still available.”

More than 32 million stamps have been sold. Three million stamps on sheets of 20 were printed for each individual player in addition to the 80 million stamps on sheets of 20 honoring all four players.

The Major League Baseball All-Star Forever stamp collectables can be purchased by calling 800-STAMP24 or by visiting select post offices.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .