It would not be stretching a point to say that this beautiful game program cover—one of the dozens designed for the Cubs by the great Otis Shepard between the ’40s and the early ’70s—was one of the best things the 1953 Cubs had going for them. Phil Cavarretta’s club finished seventh in the eight-team National League with a 65-89 record, 40 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the other best things about the ‘53 club was a 22-year-old rookie shortstop, who made his Major League debut on September 17th of that year and played in the Cubs’ final 10 games. Though he hit a more than respectable .314 in his brief audition for the big club, that accomplishment would eventually pale in comparison to what Ernie Banks would achieve in the rest of his Cub career: 11 All-Star appearances, 512 home runs, and election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It would not be stretching a point to say that this beautiful game program cover—one of the dozens designed for the Cubs by the great Otis Shepard between the ’40s and the early ’70s—was one of the best things the 1953 Cubs had going for them. Phil Cavarretta’s club finished seventh in the eight-team National League with a 65-89 record, 40 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers.

One of the other best things about the ‘53 club was a 22-year-old rookie shortstop, who made his Major League debut on September 17th of that year and played in the Cubs’ final 10 games. Though he hit a more than respectable .314 in his brief audition for the big club, that accomplishment would eventually pale in comparison to what Ernie Banks would achieve in the rest of his Cub career: 11 All-Star appearances, 512 home runs, and election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.