Showing posts with label 1972. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1972. Show all posts

Friday, September 6, 2024

#307 Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants


James Hoyt Wilhelm
New York Giants
Pitcher


Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  July 26, 1922, Huntersville, NC
Acquired:  Purchased by the Boston Braves from Mooresville (North Carolina State), October 28, 1947
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1952-56; St. Louis Cardinals 1957; Cleveland Indians 1957-58; Baltimore Orioles 1958-62; Chicago White Sox 1963-68; California Angels 1969; Atlanta Braves 1969-70; Chicago Cubs 1970; Atlanta Braves 1971; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971-72
Hall of Fame Induction:  1985
Died:  August 23, 2002, Sarasota, FL (age 80)

Hoyt Wilhelm served during World War II, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge, before making his big league debut with the Giants in 1952 at the age of 29.  On the strength of his resiliency and his knuckle ball, he went on to have a Hall of Fame career over the next 21 seasons, pitching until he was nearly 50 years old.  His sole postseason action came in 1954 when his Giants swept the Indians in four games in the World Series.  Wilhelm was an eight-time All-Star and his league's ERA leader in 1952 with the Giants and in 1959 with the Orioles.  He threw a no-hitter with the Orioles in 1958 and 1959 was perhaps his best season as he appeared in 32 games and went 15-11 with a 2.19 ERA and a career-high 139 strikeouts.  He appeared with nine different teams, spending the most time with the White Sox.  Between 1963 and 1968 with the White Sox, Wilhelm went 41-33 with a 1.92 ERA and 99 saves.  He was the oldest player in the majors between 1966 and his retirement in 1972.

Wilhelm holds the major league record for wins in relief (124) and he was also the first pitcher in major league history to reach the 200 save plateau and to appear in 1,000 games.  For his career, Wilhelm was 143-122 in 1,070 games pitched (currently 6th all-time) with 228 saves (43rd) and 1,610 strikeouts.  Upon his retirement, he had the lowest career ERA (2.52) of any pitcher since 1927 (Walter Johnson) to have pitched in at least 2,000 innings.  He briefly managed in the minor leagues following his retirement, and then was a minor league pitching coach with the Yankees for 22 years.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2002.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #41
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walker Cooper (#273) post in January.  Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three.   This is the seventh of ten cards to come from the final series four.  Wilhelm is one of eight Hall of Famers (or future Hall of Famers) from that Original 44 haul, along with Ed Mathews (#107), Yogi Berra (#110), Willie Mays (#130), Red Schoendienst (#165), Early Wynn (#187), Larry Doby (#250) and Bob Lemon (#255).

The Card / Giants Team Set
Wilhelm appeared exclusively in the 1955 Bowman set, and this card marks his return to Topps after that one-year absence.  The cartoons on the back focus on his knuckle ball, his workhorse reputation and his successful rookie campaign in 1952.

1956 Season
Wilhelm relieved in 64 games for the Giants in 1956, which was the second most appearances in the league behind Roy Face (#13), who made 68 appearances.  Wilhelm was 4-9 with a 3.83 ERA and eight saves in 89 1/3 innings pitched.

1952 Topps #392
1954 Topps #36
1959 Topps #349
1968 Topps #350
1972 Topps #777

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #392
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1952-54, 1956-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2023 Topps Archives 1969 Topps Team History Baseball Post Card Box Topper #H69-CHW

509 - Wilhelm non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/6/24.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, December 24, 2021

#181 Billy Martin - New York Yankees


Alfred Manuel Martin
New York Yankees
Second Base-Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  May 16, 1928, Berkeley, CA
Acquired:  Traded by Oakland (PCL) with Jackie Jensen to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later and cash, October 13, 1949
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1950-1953, 1955-1957; Kansas City Athletics 1957; Detroit Tigers 1958; Cleveland Indians 1959; Cincinnati Reds 1960; Milwaukee Braves 1961; Minnesota Twins 1961
As a Manager:  Minnesota Twins 1969; Detroit Tigers 1971-1973; Texas Rangers 1973-1975; New York Yankees 1975-1978, 1979; Oakland Athletics 1980-1982; New York Yankees 1983, 1985, 1988
Died:  December 25, 1989, Johnson City, NY (age 61)

As a player, Billy Martin was the Yankees' every day second baseman in 1952, 1953 and 1956, providing steady defense with double play partners Phil Rizzuto (#113) or Gil McDougald (#225).  Martin's best offensive seasons came in the early 1950s, as he batted a career-high .267 in 1952 and hit career highs with his power numbers in 1953 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs.  He was named to his only All-Star team in 1956 and departed the Bronx (for the first of many times) in mid-1957 having won World Series rings with the Yankees in 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1956.  For the rest of his playing days, Martin never stayed with one club for more than a full season, making stops with six different clubs.  He retired having played in 1,021 career games and batting .257 with 877 hits.

1983 Donruss #575
As a manager, Martin developed a reputation for his ability to turn around bad teams as well as his legendary temper.  First hired to manage the Twins in 1969, Martin led Minnesota to a division title but was fired following the season.  After stints with the Tigers and Rangers, he was first hired to manage his former team, the Yankees, in mid-1975.  Martin guided New York to three consecutive pennants between 1976 and 1978, including a World Series title in 1977.  He departed as the Yankees manager for the first time in July 1978 after highly publicized battles with the team's star outfielder, Reggie Jackson, and the team's owner, George Steinbrenner.  Martin and Steinbrenner would continue the pattern of reconciliation and self-destruction throughout the late 1980s, with Martin managing the Yankees in five different stints.  His lifetime managerial record was 1,253-1,013, including 48 career ejections. 

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #19
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post.  This Martin card would have definitely been one of the names I recognized when going through the Original 44, given his notoriety at the time and his inclusion in Topps and Donruss sets of the day on manager cards.  Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this is the first of 16 from series three.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
Martin was omitted from the 1955 Bowman and Topps sets, given his year away in the military.  It looks as if the runner has been forced out in the action photo.  The cartoon panels on the back feature his military discharge in 1955 and his .500 batting average in the 1953 World Series when he collected 12 hits.

1956 Season
Martin missed all of the 1954 season and most of the 1955 season while serving in the military.  He was the Yankees' opening day second baseman in 1956, his final full season as a player in New York.  Rumblings circulated during the season that Martin was a bad influence on his teammates, especially star slugger Mickey Mantle (#135).  Martin was named to his only All-Star Game and he grounded out against Warren Spahn (#10) as a pinch-hitter.  During the regular season, he played in 121 games, batting .264 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.  He was again a key player in the World Series, delivering a go-ahead RBI single in Game 4 and hitting .296 overall with two home runs as the Yankees defeated the Dodgers in seven games.

1952 Topps #175
1962 Topps #208
1972 Topps #33
1978 Topps #721
1986 Topps #651

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #175
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1952-1954, 1956-1962, 1969, 1971-1978, 1980-1981, 1983-1986
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2021 Topps x Sports Illustrated #51

444 - Martin non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/21.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

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Friday, October 8, 2021

#170 Bill Virdon - St. Louis Cardinals


William Charles Virdon
St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 9, 1931, Hazel Park, MI
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1955-1956; Pittsburgh Pirates 1956-1965, 1968
As a Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1972-1973; New York Yankees 1974-1975; Houston Astros 1975-1982; Montreal Expos 1983-1984

Bill Virdon was the 1955 N.L. Rookie of the Year, winning the award in a year in which he hit his career highs in both home runs (17) and RBIs (68) as the every day center fielder for the Cardinals.  In May 1956, the Cardinals dealt Virdon to the Pirates, and that's where he'd play the rest of his big league career.  With the Pirates, Virdon was the team's regular center fielder for the decade between 1956 and 1965, winning a Gold Glove in 1962 and a World Championship with the club in 1960.  He led the league in triples with 10 in 1962 and finished in the top ten twice for assists by an outfielder due to his strong throwing arm.  Virdon retired following the 1965 season to focus on coaching and managing, but was activated for a few games in 1968 when the Pirates had a rash of players depart for military service.  For his career, Virdon batted .267 with 81 triples, 91 home runs and 502 RBIs.

Virdon managed for parts of 13 seasons in the majors, compiling a lifetime record of 995-921.  He was named The Sporting News' Manager of the Year in 1974 and 1980.  He had three first place finishes during his managerial career, with the Pirates in 1972 and with the Astros in 1980 and 1981.  Virdon also had four different stints as a coach with the Pirates (1968-1971, 1986, 1993, 2001-2002) and briefly returned to the Astros as a coach in 1997.

My earliest memory of Virdon is when Phillies broadcaster Richie Ashburn (#120) told viewers during the 1980 NLCS that Virdon reminded him of his elementary school math teacher.  (That might not be the exact quote, but you get the gist.)

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
February 2, 1991 in Millville, NJ - Card #96
1991 was a black hole year in terms of collecting our 1956 Topps set.  We only added three cards to our set (I think . . . see here for explanation) and as I was a junior in high school when this card was purchased, I had college, girls, friends and general high school stuff on my mind and not necessarily old baseball cards.  My notes show this card was purchased at a baseball card show held inside Millville Memorial High School (Millville's junior high school where I attended 8th and 9th grades) for $5.  My Dad spent several decades as a guidance counselor at Memorial, so we may have even ventured up to his office the Saturday of this show.  Thinking about Memorial High School now, I'm reminded of its "old building" smell and the indented stairs that led upstairs to the second level, worn down from nearly a century of foot traffic.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
This is Virdon's first Topps card and his rookie card appeared in the 1955 Bowman set.  The action shot here could be absolutely anyone, as the fielder's face is completely obscured.  The first panel of the cartoon on the back mentions the trade that originally brought Virdon to the Cardinals.  On April 11, 1954, Virdon was one of three players, along with Emil Telling and Mel Wright, dealt by the Yankees to St. Louis in exchange for slugger Enos Slaughter (#109).  The second cartoon panel attributes Virdon's improvement as a hitter to his decision to start wearing glasses.

1956 Season
It's odd to see the reigning Rookie of the Year traded in the season after winning the award, but that's what happened with Virdon.  He was the opening day center fielder for the Cardinals and appeared in 24 games with the club before the May 17th trade to the Pirates.  Virdon was dealt to Pittsburgh for outfielder Bobby Del Greco and pitcher Dick Littlefield.  The Pirates were slowly rebuilding and Virdon found himself inserted as the team's new regular center fielder with Lee Walls in left and Roberto Clemente (#33) in right.  In 133 games with the Pirates, Virdon batted .334, leading the team, and had eight home runs to go along with 37 RBIs.  He overall average for the year of .319 placed him second in the league after Hank Aaron (#31), who hit .334 overall. 

1955 Bowman #296
1959 Topps #190
1961 Topps #70
1972 Topps #661
1984 Topps #111

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #296
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1956-1965, 1972-1973, 1975-1981, 1983-1984
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BV

129 - Virdon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/7/21.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

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Friday, April 16, 2021

#145 Gil Hodges - Brooklyn Dodgers


Gilbert Raymond Hodges
Brooklyn Dodgers
First Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  200
Born:  April 4, 1924, Princeton, IN
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, September 6, 1943
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1943, 1947-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1961; New York Mets 1962-1963
As a Manager:  Washington Senators 1963-1967; New York Mets 1968-1971
Died:  April 2, 1972, West Palm Beach, FL (age 47)
Hall of Fame Induction:  2022

Jackie Robinson (#30) called Gil Hodges, "The core of the Brooklyn Dodgers."  Originally a catcher, Hodges moved to first base for the Dodgers in the late 1940s where he'd be a mainstay for the club throughout the next decade and including their move west to Los Angeles.  Hodges had seven straight seasons of 100 RBIs or more between 1949 and 1955, and his bat helped lead the Dodgers to World Series titles in 1955 and 1959.  He never won an MVP, but the eight-time All-Star was a perennial MVP vote getter.  Considered one of the finest defensive first baseman of his era, he won three Gold Gloves.  His 361 career home runs are second on the Dodgers' all-time list behind Duke Snider's (#150) 389.  Hodges finished his playing career as a member of the expansion Mets and in 1,921 career games he hit .273 with 370 home runs and 1,274 RBIs.

Hodges retired as an active player when the Mets traded him to the Senators on May 23, 1963 for Jim Piersall (#143), and Hodges assumed managerial duties for the departed Mickey Vernon (#228).  His years with the Senators were fairly dismal as the team never finished above sixth place.  He took over at the helm for the Mets in 1968 and led the club to their first improbable World Championship title in 1969 with a miraculous victory over the heavily favored Orioles.  Hodges passed away unexpectedly during spring training 1972, felled by a heart attack after a round of golf with his Mets coaches.

Hodges is considered to be one of the best players from his era not currently in the Hall of Fame.  His #14 was retired by the Mets in 1973 and he was elected into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1982.

Postscript - Gil Hodges was elected into the Hall of Fame in December 2021 by the Golden Days Era Committee, and he'll be inducted posthumously in July 2022.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set
December 25, 1998 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #173
I'm not sure what inspired me to take the picture shown here back in November 1998, but it shows the view from my couch in my apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina at the time.  I had (and still have) way too many CDs, and my 1956 Topps binder is open to the page showing cards #41 to #48.  That's Art Fowler (#47) and Jim Hegan (#48) blurry on the bottom.

This Hodges card would have been missing from that binder at the time, as my parents gave me this card for Christmas in 1998.  It was my "big" present and my Dad let it slide that he had paid $50 for it from Kit Young Cards, his baseball card dealer of choice.  It was a lean year for building our 1956 Topps set, as we added just 14 new cards throughout all of 1998.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Unless Hodges' head is blocking the fielder holding the ball, I'd say the sliding Hodges is safe at third in the action photo.  Baseball card collectors had become familiar with the headshot of Hodges by now, as it had also appeared on his 1954 and 1955 Topps cards.  His power numbers are celebrated on the back.  Hodges drove in at least 100 runs for seven straight seasons between 1949 and 1955.  He'd dip down to 87 RBIs in 1956 and almost crack the 100-RBI plateau in 1957 with 98.  His 162-game average for his career, over 18 seasons, was an impressive even 100 RBIs with 29 home runs.  Hodges' four-home run game came on August 31, 1950 against the Braves at Ebbets Field against four different Braves pitchers - Normie Roy, Warren Spahn (#10), Bob Hall and Johnny Antonelli (#138).

This card was reprinted as part of the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.

1956 Season
Hodges appeared in 153 games for the Dodgers as their regular first baseman.  He batted .265 with 32 home runs (second on the club behind Snider's 43) and 87 RBIs.  In the World Series, won by the Dodgers over the Yankees, Hodges played every inning in all seven games, batting .304 (7 for 23) with a home run and 8 RBIs.

1949 Bowman #100
1952 Topps #36
1959 Topps #270
1972 Topps #465
1989 Topps #664

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #100
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (22):  1951-1952, 1954-1972, 1989
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Panini Absolute Legends #AL2

511 - Hodges non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/1/21.

 Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

#5 Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox


Theodore Samuel Williams
Boston Red Sox
Outfield


Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  205
Born:  August 30, 1918, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1936
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1939-1942, 1946-1960
As a Manager:  Washington Senators 1969-1971; Texas Rangers 1972
Died:  July 5, 2002, Inverness, FL (age 83)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1966

Known affectionately throughout his career as The Kid, Teddy Ballgame and the Splendid Splinter, Ted Williams is one of the greatest hitters of all-time.  Other than his rookie campaign of 1939, his years serving in World War II (1943-1945) and his first year in Korea (1952), Williams was named to the A.L. All-Star team every year he was active, making the club 17 times.  The A.L. MVP in 1946 and 1949, Williams is the last player to hit over .400 in a single season when he hit .406 in 1941.  His Hall of Fame plaque notes he was named Player of the Decade for the 1950s.

Williams is one of four players to appear in the 1956 Topps set and be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in the 1960s, along with Jackie Robinson (#30) and Bob Feller (#200, both 1962) and Roy Campanella (#101, 1969).

Building the Set
Mom & Me - Christmas 1993

December 25, 1993 from San Diego, CA - Card #122
This card is behind only the Hank Aaron (#31) and Mickey Mantle (#135) cards in terms of the most money spent on any single card for our set.  Dad (Santa) left this Williams card under the Christmas tree for me on Christmas morning, 1993.  He purchased the card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego and to hear him tell the tale, he fiercely negotiated the price down to $135.  Dad loved bragging that he "Talked to Kit himself" when purchasing this card since it was such a major purchase.  "Talked right to Kit about the price.  Told him we were building the set and I talked right to him."

I don't have a picture of my Dad and me together from this Christmas, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out from time to time that my Mom also played a large role in us collating this set.  My Dad would have been the one hesitant to spend $135 on a piece of cardboard, even if it had Ted Williams on it.  My Mom would have been the one telling him to go for it.

Our card has a minor ding on the top left corner, but otherwise it's in fantastic shape.  I also received the Jim Konstanty card (#321) on this Christmas morning, and I'm not ashamed to admit I have no memory of adding the Konstanty card to our set.  The Williams card far overshadowed it.

This was the 122nd card we added to the set and in terms of Big, big-ticket cards remaining, this left us with only the Aaron and Sandy Koufax (#79) cards to track down.

The Card
Williams had an exclusive contract with Bowman up until 1954, and he was omitted from the first three years' of Topps sets.  Making his first Topps appearance in their 1954 set (twice), Topps recycled the same portrait photo used on his second 1954 Topps card for the 1955 and 1956 Williams cards.  I always found it a little odd that Topps chose to use an action photo of Williams showing him appearing to be watching a pop-up. And I'll check for this on future cards, but I don't recall Topps spotlighting any other player autographs like they did for Williams with the white cloudy background making his signature easier to see.

The cartoon on the back in the first panel actually resembles Williams and states simply (and accurately), "Ted is one of baseball's all-time greats."

1956 Season
Williams was 37 entering the 1956 season and he showed no signs of slowing down.  In 136 games for the Red Sox, he hit .345 and led the majors with a .479 OBP, drawing 102 walks.  He hit 24 home runs with 82 RBIs.  At season's end, he was still the active career home run leader with 418, trailed by Stan Musial who had 352.

1939 Play Ball #92
1954 Topps #1
1958 Topps #1
1972 Topps #510
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1939 Play Ball #92
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #1
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1958 Topps #1
First Topps Card (as a manager):  1969 Topps #650
Last Topps Card (as a manager):  1972 Topps #510
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  1976 Topps #347 ATG
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 Topps Tape Measure Blasts #TMB-14
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1954-1958, 1969-1972, 1976

Apparently Williams was a big fan of signing exclusive contracts with a single baseball card manufacturer.  He doesn't appear in the 1959, 1960 or 1961 Topps sets as he had signed a deal with Fleer.  He returned to Topps with four manager cards with the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers and he made an appearance in the 1976 Topps subset celebrating the all-time greats.

2,129 - Williams non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/2/15

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

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