Andrew Pafko (February 25, 1921 – October 8, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs (1943–51), Brooklyn Dodgers (1951–52), and Milwaukee Braves (1953–59). He batted and threw right-handed and played center field.
Pafko was born in Boyceville, Wisconsin. In his 17-year MLB career, he was an All-Star for four seasons and was a .285 hitter with 213 home runs and 976 runs batted in (RBI) in 1,852 games. In 1999, he was named to the Chicago Cubs All-Century Team.
Early years
Pafko grew up in Boyceville, Wisconsin. The small village did not have a baseball team.
thumbnail|right|180px|A 1951 [[Bowman Gum trading card of Pafko.]]
Pafko was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in June 1951 during the middle of the season; he was the left fielder when Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard 'Round the World". He eventually settled in the Chicago area,
Pafko died at a nursing home in Stevensville, Michigan on October 8, 2013. He was 92.
Legacy
- Pafko is known for being card #1 in the 1952 Topps baseball card set. This card in near mint or better condition is often worth tens of thousands of dollars or more because most collectors back in 1952 simply put the cards in numerical order and rubber banded the stack. This causes the top card (Pafko) to receive the most wear and tear and thus top grade copies are very rare and valuable. One of Pafko's 1952 cards sold for $84,000 in 1998.