#373 Curt Simmons - St. Louis Cardinals

Curtis Thomas Simmons
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  May 19, 1929, Egypt, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1947-1950, 1952-1960; St. Louis Cardinals 1960-1966; Chicago Cubs 1966-1967; California Angels 1967

Curt Simmons will forever be associated with the beloved Whiz Kids, the 1950 Phillies club that made it to the World Series for the first time since 1915.  Simmons was a 17-game winner for the Phillies in 1950 and formed a solid one-two punch atop their starting pitching rotation with Robin Roberts (#15).  He missed the 1950 World Series against the Yankees after being drafted to serve in the Korean War.  Simmons was a three-time All-Star with the Phillies in 1952, 1953 and 1957.  He won at least 12 games with the club in six different seasons.  Released by the Phillies in May 1960, Simmons signed with the Cardinals where he enjoyed a career resurgence.  His best seasons actually came during his time in St. Louis as he went 15-9 in 1963 with a 2.48 ERA and was 18-9 for the team in 1964 when they upset the Phillies in the final week of the season to advance to the World Series.  Simmons pitched well in his Game 3 and Game 6 starts, and while he was the losing pitcher in Game 6, he compiled a 2.51 ERA over 14 1/3 innings.  The Cardinals would win the series in seven games over the Yankees.

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

A competent fielder as well, Simmons had errorless seasons in 1950, 1952, 1957 and 1963.  Simmons would finish up his 20-year big league career with a few seasons with the Cubs and Angels, retiring in 1967.  At the time, along with Smoky Burgess (#198), he was the last person to retire who had played in the majors in the 1940s.  Simmons had a lifetime record of 193-183 with a 3.54 ERA over 569 games pitched.  His career strikeout total of 1,697 is currently 149th on the all-time list.  Hank Aaron (#170) named Simmons as one of the toughest pitchers he faced during his career.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #399
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show.  If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May.  If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July.  Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time.  I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.

Looking to kill some time while we were waiting for our number to be called for Doug's autograph from Jim Thome, I found a bargain bin of 1965 Topps cards at Uncle Dick's and I texted Doug that I'd be standing at the table where the dealers were wearing neon green shirts.   This Simmons card was one of 15 from that first batch of purchases, totaling $40, and it was a little less than $3 after the dealer discount.  After getting the Thome autograph, and grabbing a slice of pizza from the "food court" upstairs, I'd settle in at Uncle Dick's for my second and biggest haul of the show.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
Simmons' veteran status and his lengthy major league career up to this point allowed no room for anything other than statistics.

1965 Season
Simmons, and the entire Cardinals team, came back down to Earth in 1965, with Simmons going 9-15 with a 4.08 ERA over 34 appearances, including 32 starts.  Only Bob Gibson (#320) with 36 made more starts than Simmons with the lefty pitcher crossing the 200-inning threshold for eighth and final time in his career.

Phillies Career
The Phillies signed Simmons as a bonus baby in 1947 for $65,000, one of the highest amounts received to date by an amateur player.  He made his debut on September 28th that season and he'd be a fixture in the Phillies' starting pitching rotation for the next decade.  He was the National League's starting pitcher in the 1952 All-Star Game, hosted at Shibe Park, and he pitched three shutout innings while striking out three.  With the Phillies entering a rebuilding phase, Simmons was released by the club on May 17, 1960.  He'd return briefly to the franchise in 1970 as a member of the Phillies' minor league instructional staff.

With the Phillies, he was 115-110 with a 3.66 ERA in 325 games.  Simmons was inducted onto the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1993, and he was by far the best left-handed pitcher in franchise history until Steve Carlton (#477), Chris Short and Cole Hamels all came along.  Simmons still ranks in the top ten among all Phillies pitchers in games started (263), shutouts (18), wins (115), innings pitched (1,939 2/3), and strikeouts (1,052).

1949 Bowman #14

1952 Topps #203

1957 Topps #158

1963 Topps #22

1967 Topps #39

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #14
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1952, 1956-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CS

92 - Simmons non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/29/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #372 Clay Dalrymple - Philadelphia Phillies

Next Card:  #374 Angels Rookie Stars

#506 Sam Mele MG - Minnesota Twins

Sabath Anthony Mele
Minnesota Twins
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  183
Born:  January 21, 1922, Astoria, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1947-1949; Washington Senators 1949-1952; Chicago White Sox 1952-1953; Baltimore Orioles 1954; Boston Red Sox 1954-1955; Cincinnati Reds 1955; Cleveland Indians 1956
As a Manager:  Minnesota Twins 1961-1967
Died:  May 1, 2017, Quincy, MA (age 95)

Mentored by his uncle, Tony Cuccinello, who was a three-time All-Star in the majors and played between 1930 and 1945, Sam Mele was signed by the Red Sox following a stint in the U.S. Marines.  He acquired the nickname "Sam" based on his initials, and settled in as the Red Sox' regular right fielder in 1947 after a strong performance in spring training.  Mele would play in ten seasons in the majors, mostly with the Red Sox and Senators, playing all three outfield positions and providing steady defense.  He drove in a career-high 94 runs in 1951 with the Senators, and led the league that season with 36 doubles.  Mele retired as a player after 1,046 games, having collected 916 hits while batting .267 with 80 home runs and 544 RBIs.

After a season as a scout for the Senators in 1958, he joined the club's coaching staff in 1959.  He remained with the club as they moved west to Minnesota and Mele filled in as manager part-way through the 1961 season for Cookie Lavagetto.  He'd ultimately succeed Lavagetto as full-time manager.  Mele guided the Twins to 91-win seasons in both 1962 and 1963 before leading his young team to their first American League pennant in 1965.  His club lost in seven games to the Dodgers in the World Series, and the Twins would fall back to second place in 1966.  Fifty games into the 1967 season, with the Twins sitting with a 25-25 record, Mele was fired, ending his managerial career.  He owned a career managerial record of 524-436, with his 1965 pennant winning season his biggest highlight.  Mele never returned to the dugout, but he served as a scout for the Red Sox from mid-1967 until his retirement in 1994.

Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #362
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set.  Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles.  When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card.  This Mele card was mine with a winning bid of $3.25.  Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting.  All is well.

The Card / Twins Team Set
Topps loved using this pose for managers in their sets from the 1960s.  I imagine the Topps photographer saying, "Hey skip, cup your hand and make like you're yelling orders to your team."  Mele appeared as the Twins manager in six straight years of Topps sets between 1962 and 1967.  The back of the card mentions Mele was named the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1947, but there was only one award given that year for the entire league, and it went to the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson.  The biography is fairly comprehensive, hitting on his big league playing career, his Uncle Tony and his replacing Lavagetto for good in 1961.

1965 Season
Mele's Twins won 102 games and finished seven games ahead of the second place White Sox.  The team was led offensively by league MVP Zoilo Versalles (#157), and batting champion Tony Oliva (#340).  Mudcat Grant (#432) led the pitching staff with 21 wins.  Game 7 of the 1965 World Series was decided when the Dodgers scored a pair of runs in the fourth off Twins' starting pitcher Jim Kaat (#62).  Lou Johnson led off with a home run, followed a few batters later by a Wes Parker (#344) RBI single.

1949 Bowman #118

1951 Bowman #168

1954 Topps #240

1962 Topps #482

1967 Topps #418

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #118
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1951-1952, 1954, 1960, 1962-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #240

57 - Mele non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/15/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #505 Ray Culp - Philadelphia Phillies

Next Card:  #507 Sammy Ellis - Cincinnati Reds

#99 Gil Hodges MG - Washington Senators

Gilbert Raymond Hodges
Washington Senators
Manager

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 called Gil Hodges, "The core of the Brooklyn Dodgers."  Originally a catcher, Hodges moved to first base for the Brooklyn 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 389 and he finished his playing career as a member of the expansion Mets.  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 (#172), and Hodges assumed managerial duties for the departed Mickey Vernon.  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, and he'll next earn consideration in December by the Golden Era Committee.  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.

Building the Set
July 8, 2020 from Cincinnati, OH - Card #122
In need of some cardboard therapy as we approached the four month anniversary of the start of our social distancing, I went on a mini eBay binge the first week of July.  We had a vacation planned for the last week of June, first week of July, and that vacation had been unceremoniously cancelled at some point in April.  Major League Baseball was showing signs of coming back, the Black Lives Matter movement was finally gaining momentum, the pandemic showed no signs of going away any time soon and a complete lack of intelligent national leadership wasn't helping anything or anybody.  I needed some old baseball cards.

17 cards arrived on July 8th, including this Hodges card purchased from Dean's Cards for what I thought was an extremely low price of $3.50.  I browsed the Dean's Cards eBay store, setting a reasonable budget and determined to click Buy It Now on 10 cards.  Another group of 7 cards were won in eBay auctions from Greg Morris Cards on the same day.  The 17 cards added put us just over the 20% completion point for our 1965 Topps set.

I specifically sought this card out as I had recently finished reading Roger Kahn's The Boys of Summer.  Of the Dodgers players featured prominently in the book, only Hodges has a card in the 1965 Topps set.  The Dodgers manager during the time Kahn covered the club for The New York Herald Tribune was Chuck Dressen (#538), and Dressen also has a manager's card in this set.  It was while researching Dressen's card, purchased in May, I decided I needed to read the book and I'm genuinely glad I did.  It was one of those rare books where I didn't want it to end and I thoroughly enjoyed Kahn's narrative of the key players from the 1952/53 Dodgers and what became of them.  If you've not already read it, and you're reading this blog, you should definitely check it out.

The Card / Senators Team Set
Hodges first received a Senators manager's card within the 1964 Topps set, and this photo appears to be from that same photo session.  The biography on the back of the card sums up Hodges' career to that point nicely.  His four home run performance came on August 31, 1950 against the Boston Braves, a game the Dodgers won 19-3.  He victimized four different pitchers - Warren Spahn (#205), Normie Roy, Bob Hall and Johnny Antonelli.  Hodges was the 14th pick by the Mets in the expansion draft, and he hit the first home run in Mets franchise history on April 11, 1962.

1965 Season
In his third season as the Senators' manager, Hodges guided the team to a 70-92 record, improving on their 62-win season from 1964.  The club finished in 8th place, 32 games behind the Twins, with only the Red Sox and Athletics beneath them in the standings.

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:  2019 Topps Archives #144

493 - Hodges non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/16/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #98 Bob Miller - Los Angeles Dodgers

Next Card:  #100 Ken Boyer - St. Louis Cardinals

#438 Harry Walker MG - Pittsburgh Pirates

Harry William Walker
Pittsburgh Pirates
Manager

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  175
Born:  September 22, 1918, Pascagoula, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1937 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1940-1943, 1946-1947; Philadelphia Phillies 1947-1948; Chicago Cubs 1949; Cincinnati Reds 1949; St. Louis Cardinals 1950-1951, 1955
As a Manager:  St. Louis Cardinals 1955; Pittsburgh Pirates 1965-1967; Houston Astros 1968-1972
Died:  August 8, 1999, Birmingham, AL (age 80)

1982 G.S. Gallery All-Time
Greats #3

Harry "The Hat" Walker starred for the Cardinals in the 1940s and missed two seasons in his prime while serving in the military.  Before and after his military service, he helped lead the Cardinals to two World Series titles in 1942 and 1946.  He hit .412 (7 for 17) in the 1946 World Series and drove home the winning run with an RBI double in the decisive Game 7 against the Red Sox.  Traded to the Phillies in May 1947, he won the National League batting title with a .363 average and also led the league with a .436 OBP.  He appeared in the 1943 and 1947 All-Star Games and finished his 11 year career with a .296 average and 786 hits.  His brother Dixie Walker was a four-time All-Star with the Dodgers in the 1940s, and his father, the elder Dixie Walker, played for the Senators between 1909 and 1912.

Walker started his big league managerial career as a player-manager for the Cardinals in mid-1955, replacing the fired Eddie Stanky.  He was let go as Cardinals manager following the season, but he remained with the organization as a minor league manager and a coach for the club between 1959 and 1962.  As Pirates manager between 1965 and 1967, he had his most success the first two seasons, leading the club to third place finishes in the N.L.  He'd later manage the Astros for five seasons.  In parts of nine seasons as a manager in the Majors, Walker compiled a record of 630-604.

Building the Set
February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #70
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

This Walker card was from an initial batch of 17 commons and semi-stars purchased from John's Sports Cards within the first hour of our arrival.  I didn't track each individual price of the cards purchased, but this card was from a half-price binder and the 17-card lot cost me $50 total.  John's table has been located in the back right of the showroom floor for as long as we've been going to these shows, and I know I've bought a bunch of vintage Topps cards from him in the past including cards needed for my 1971 Topps set.  He's one of those dealers who you can't help but remember, probably because he genuinely seems happy and to be enjoying what he's doing.  Doug and I would come back to him later in the show for a few major purchases for our set, and I'll eventually feature all cards added in upcoming posts.

The Card
I'm assuming Walker is wearing a Cardinals uniform in the photo here and Topps smudged out the "StL" logo on his navy blue hat.  The back of the card contains a fairly detailed biography for Walker up to that point in his career.

Pirates Team Set

1965 Season
This was to be Walker's best season as manager, as he guided the Pirates to a 90-72 record and a third place finish.  The team entered August with a 53-53 record and went 37-19 in the final two months of the season to finish strong.  His SABR biography notes he occasionally clashed with his players, including future Hall of Famers Bill Mazeroski (#95), Willie Stargell (#377) and Roberto Clemente (#160).  Bill Virdon (#69) reportedly retired following the season primarily to get away from Walker and long-time and now unhappy Pirate Bob Friend (#392) was granted a trade to the Yankees.

Phillies Career
Walker was originally signed by the Phillie before the 1937 season, but then sent to the Cardinals before the 1940 season in what Baseball Reference calls an "unknown transaction."  His SABR biography notes he was signed by the Indians, and not the Phillies.  In any event, on May 3, 1947, the Cardinals traded him to the Phillies with Freddy Schmidt for Ron Northey.  Walker earned his second All-Star game nod in 1947 and he started in center field and led off for the N.L.  His brother Dixie batted second and played right field.

His Phillies career lasted through the 1948 season as he was traded to the Cubs on October 4, 1948 for Bill Nicholson.  In 242 games with the Phillies, Walker hit .339.

1949 Bowman #130

1960 Topps #468

1967 Topps #448

1970 Topps #32

1972 Topps #249

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #130
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1960, 1965-1967, 1970-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Panini Diamond Kings #45

71 - Walker non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/13/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
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.

Prior Card:  #437 Chico Cardenas - Cincinnati Reds

Next Card:  #439 Moe Drabowsky - Kansas City Athletics

#158 Dick Sisler MG - Cincinnati Reds

Richard Allan Sisler
Cincinnati Reds
Manager

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  205
Born:  November 2, 1920, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, February 17, 1939
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1946-1947; Philadelphia Phillies 1948-1951; Cincinnati Reds 1952; St. Louis Cardinals 1952-1953
As a Manager:  Cincinnati Reds 1964-1965
Died:  November 20, 1998, Nashville, TN (age 78)

1951 Bowman #52

One of my Dad's favorite players, Dick Sisler was a star for the Phillies enjoying his best season as a member of the 1950 Whiz Kids.  Brother of Dave and son of Hall of Famer George, Sisler is best known for his 10th inning home run against the Dodgers on the last day of the 1950 season sending the Phillies to victory and giving the team its first National League pennant since 1915.  Even though he only played for the Phillies for four seasons, his status as a franchise legend was cemented with that swing.

Sisler was an All-Star with the Phillies in 1950, the season he reached career highs for average (.296), home runs (13) and RBIs (83).  The Phillies didn't prevail against the Yankees in 1950, but he still won two World Series rings with the Cardinals in 1946 as a bench player and again with the Cardinals in 1967 as the team's first base coach.  For his eight-year career he hit .276 with 55 home runs and 360 RBIs.

Following his playing career, he first served as a coach with the Reds in 1961 for manager Fred Hutchinson.  He was promoted to manager of the Reds when Hutchison was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Fired at the end of the 1965 season, Sisler went on to coach for the Cardinals (1966-1970), Padres (1975-1976) and Mets (1979-1980).  He worked throughout the 1980s as a roving hitting instructor in the Cardinals minor league system and was a frequent autograph guest at baseball card shows during the hobby's emergence that decade.

I mentioned at the top Sisler was one of my Dad's favorite players, and it's by pure luck and with no planning this post will appear on what would have been his 76th birthday.  On Christmas day 2007, my Dad gave me Sisler's 1951 Bowman card and I've used that card as the centerpiece of the banner on my flagship blog, The Phillies Room.  Along with that card my Dad included a note within the package noting that it was the first baseball card he ever saw.

Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #18
We were up to 11 cards for our 1965 Topps set, and I honestly had it in mind that I wanted to purchase one fairly major "star" card during our remaining time at the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show inside the Valley Forge Casino.  The showroom floor was packed as we were now into the early afternoon and autograph guests were showing up every 15 minutes or so.  The public address announcer would call out ticket numbers in groups of 10 all while imploring collectors to back away from the entrance that led into the autograph signing area.

That was the backdrop when we came upon the table for MJW Collectibles out of Somerdale, NJ.  This dealer had a bunch of 1960s Topps binders spread out, and the sign on the 1965 Topps binder caught my eye - ALL CARDS $1.  And with Doug's help, I dug in.

I first determined I'd buy 10 cards, and then that went up to 15.  My only criteria was that the cards needed to be a good shape with four sharp corners.  Doug helped me pick the cards in best shape, especially when there were several of the same card to a page.  This Sisler card was one of the 15 commons we added from MJW Collectibles.  Once I saw this card, and the great shape it was in, it was an absolute no-brainer that it needed to be added to the stack.

The Card
This is Sisler's final Topps card, and his last mainstream baseball card appearance until the mid-1970s.  Looking closely at the photo, I first thought there was a blemish just under the brim of Sisler's hat and on his forehead.  But the mark appears on every instance of the card, so perhaps it's a bandage?  This is our first manager card from the set, and I like the idea of the backs of the manager cards containing a bio.

Sisler's bio mentions his family lineage.  I'd argue that Sisler's "biggest thrill" wasn't his pinch-hit single in the 1950 All-Star Game, but rather the home run hit off Don Newcombe on October 1, 1950 to win the pennant for the Phillies.  Coincidentally, he was pinch-hitting for Newcombe in the 1950 All-Star Game, and he collected his single off Bob Lemon in the fifth inning.

1965 Season
Sisler managed the Reds to a 89-73 record, good enough for fourth place in the National League.  The team had been in first place as late as July 19th, but a late season swoon and surges from the Dodgers, Giants and Pirates dropped them to fourth.  The team was just three games out of first place heading into the final week of the season but lost seven of their final eight games.  The late season collapse cost Sisler his job and he was fired at the end of the season.

Phillies Career
On April 7, 1948, the Phillies acquired Sisler from the Cardinals for Ralph LaPointe and $30,000.  Originally disappointed to be leaving his hometown Cardinals, Sisler later realized it was the best break of his career.  He was the team's regular first baseman in 1948 but lost time to Eddie Waitkus at the start of 1949, as Waitkus was a better defender and was having a better year at the plate.  Relegated to pinch-hitting duties, Sisler was forced back into a starting role after Waitkus was shot by a deranged woman in Chicago on June 14, 1949.

At the start of the 1950 season, and with Waitkus recovering and reclaiming first base, Sisler challenged manager Eddie Sawyer to move him back to the outfield.  His hard work paid off and Sisler had the best season of his career.  He along with the other Whiz Kids won the National League pennant but they couldn't handle the powerhouse Yankees in the World Series, getting swept in four games.  Sisler went 1 for 17 (.059) in the Series.

After a decent 1951 season, Sisler was traded on December 10th to the Reds with Niles Jordan, Eddie Pellagrini and Andy Seminick for Smoky Burgess (#198), Howie Fox and Connie Ryan.  In 508 games for the Phillies, Sisler hit .287 with 39 home runs and 241 RBIs.

1949 Bowman #205

1951 Topps Blue Backs #8

1952 Topps #113

1964 Topps #162

1980 TCMA 1950 Phillies #0006

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #205
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1951-1952, 1964-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1987 TCMA 1950 Phillies #8

62 - Sisler non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/24/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
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.

Previous Card:  #157 Zoilo Versalles - Minnesota Twins

Next Card:  #159 Jim Duffalo - San Francisco Giants

#15 Robin Roberts - Baltimore Orioles

Robin Evan Roberts
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  September 30, 1926, Springfield, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1948-1961; Baltimore Orioles 1962-1965; Houston Astros 1965-1966; Chicago Cubs 1966
Hall of Fame Induction:  1976
Died:  May 6, 2010, Temple Terrace, FL (age 83)

Hall of Famer Robin Roberts was one of the most dominant right-handed pitchers of the 1950s, leading the National League in wins for four straight seasons between 1952 and 1955 and earning seven straight All-Star Game appearances.  A work horse for the Phillies, his 20-win season in 1950 led the Phillies to the World Series and made him the first pitcher to win at least 20 games for the club since Grover Cleveland Alexander did it in 1917.  Straddling the 1952 and 1953 seasons, he pitched 28 complete games in a row with his appearance on September 6, 1952 lasting 17 innings.  He led the league in strikeouts in 1953 and 1954, and was named The Sporting News pitcher of the year in both 1952 and 1955.

After departing the Phillies, Roberts bounced from the Yankees, Orioles, Astros and Cubs, pitching a total of 19 seasons and retiring at the age of 39.  He finished with a career record of 286-245 with a 3.41 ERA and exactly half of his 609 starts resulted in complete games (305).  His 609 games started currently rank 20th on the all-time list.  He was the first Phillies player to have his number retired in 1962 and the first player inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1978.

Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #8
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held inside the Valley Forge Casino.  After meeting Benito Santiago, Brad Lidge and Ryan Howard and having secured the first five cards for our 1965 Topps set, I continued scanning tables for the final two cards I needed to complete my 1971 Topps set.

I found a dealer with organized binders of vintage Topps cards, and I dug in.  Quickly finding the last two cards I needed from 1971 - #662 Mike Hedlund and #715 Horace Clarke,  both in great shape - I started browsing through binders from other years, in search of cards for my 1960s Phillies team sets.  I added five cards (all high numbers) for those sets and then decided to look through the 1965 Topps binder, figuring Doug wouldn't mind if I added a few more cards to our set.  I found four more sharp cards for our set, featuring players who all had some meaning for me personally.  This Roberts card was the first of those four cards along with Jim Fregosi (#210), Juan Pizarro (#125) and Harvey Haddix (#67).  For all 11 cards, the dealer gave me a price of $62, which I felt was fair given I had calculated a price of $75 in my head for the lot.  I snapped a quick picture of his table before moving along.

The Card

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

This is Roberts' third and final Topps card showing him with the Orioles, as he previously appeared with the team in the 1963 and 1964 Topps sets.  It's still odd seeing Roberts in anything other than red pinstripes.  It's also odd that Roberts wore #38 with the Orioles instead of his familiar #36.  Darrell Johnson wore #36 for the Orioles in 1962, Roberts first year with the club, and he only appeared in six games.  No one wore #36 for the Orioles during Roberts' remaining time with the club.

With the palm tree visible over Roberts' right shoulder, it would appear this photo was taken during spring training.

1965 Season
At the start of the 1965 season, Roberts was relegated to the Orioles bullpen as the team already had set its starting pitching rotation with Steve Barber (#113), Dave McNally (#249), Wally Bunker (#290) and Milt Pappas (#270).  With Pappas missing a few games in May, Roberts got his shot and pitched four straight complete games.  But he struggled after that, going 1-7 over his final eight starts with the club and the Orioles released him on July 31st.

The Astros picked him up a week later, and he immediately rewarded them with two shutouts in first two starts.  His first Astros start came against the Phillies, and he allowed just four hits while striking out six.  In total, Roberts started 25 games for both teams, going a combined 10-9 with a 2.78 ERA.

Phillies Career
Roberts signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent before the 1948 season and he was sold to the Yankees on October 16, 1961.  In the decade-plus in between, he established himself as the best right-handed pitcher in franchise history.  He still ranks first in franchise history in games (529), complete games (272), and innings pitched (3,739 1/3), and is second only to Steve Carlton in games started (472), wins (234) and strikeouts (1,871).

Following his big league career, and after a partial season with the Reading Phillies in 1967 attempting a comeback, Roberts' later crossed paths with the Phillies when he served as a color commentary on Phillies broadcasts for games between 1974 and 1976.  Along with his induction into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1978, he was also named to their Centennial Team in 1983.  His statute sits outside the first base gate of Citizens Bank Park, and when he passed away in 2010 the Phillies wore a black #36 patch on their uniforms and hung a Roberts jersey in their dugout during each game.

1949 Bowman #46

1952 Topps #59

1956 Topps #180

1959 Topps #352

1966 Topps #530

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #46
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1952, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Archives #212

483 - Roberts non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/14/19.

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

Doug in the Hall of Fame Club at Citizens Bank Park in 2015
Photo shows the four greatest Phillies players together in Cooperstown

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.

Prior Card:  #14 Len Gabrielson - Chicago Cubs

Next Card:  #16 Astros Rookie Stars