Alphonso Erwin Downing
New York Yankees
Pitcher
Born: June 28, 1941, Trenton, NJ
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1961-1969; Oakland Athletics 1970; Milwaukee Brewers 1970; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971-1977
Al Downing played in parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues, was an A.L. All-Star in 1967 and was the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year in 1971 after winning 20 games with the Dodgers. He had a lifetime record of 123-107 with a 3.22 ERA, and he allowed 177 home runs - including one of the most famous home runs ever hit. Despite his success and longevity, Downing is best remember as the pitcher who surrendered Hank Aaron's (#170) record breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974.
Downing was a member of the Yankees starting pitching rotation in the mid to late 1960s, as the franchise's perennial hold on the American League was waning. He won at least 13 games in 1963, 1964 and in his All-Star season of 1967. He led the league in strikeouts in 1964 with 217, the only time in his career he'd surpass the 200-strikeouts in a season mark. Following brief stays with the A's and Brewers, Downing enjoyed a resurgence with the Dodgers in the early to mid 1970s. He went 20-9 with the Dodgers in 1971, leading the league in shutouts with five, and finishing third in Cy Young voting behind Ferguson Jenkins and Tom Seaver.
Following his playing days, Downing served as a color analyst on Dodgers TV broadcasts between 1980 and 1987, and on radio in 2005. He also briefly broadcast for the Braves in 2000. Embedded below is a short video from 2014 with Aaron and Downing together, reminiscing over home run #715.
Building the Set
May 11, 2020 from El Paso, TX - Card #94
As we closed in on the two-month social distancing mark during the coronavirus pandemic, I found myself once again browsing eBay. I'm primarily a Phillies collector, and with no new products coming out, at least any that interested me, I once again turned to looking for cards for our 1965 Topps set. Using the strategy I first considered when recently adding two League Leaders cards (#3 and #4), this time I decided to work my way backwards through the set.
That meant looking for this card, the final card in the set, in excellent to mint shape and reasonably priced. I found what I was looking for in an auction hosted by Diamond Smiles located in El Paso, Texas and I won this card with a bid of $9.60. Not wanting Downing to travel alone from Texas, I also bid on two other 1965 Topps cards up for auction from the same seller, winning both of those too. (#535 Jack Kralick and #538 Chuck Dressen)
I was first hesitant to populate our 1965 Topps set with cards impersonally acquired through eBay auctions, but who knows when we'll attend another baseball card show again? And I like the idea of bidding on and winning cards from small dealers on eBay. I'm keeping track of each of these purchases, and it would be cool to see how many different states I can "visit" through my auction wins. My co-set builder, my son Doug, remains mildly interested in the few cards that arrived in padded envelopes for our set. Like me, he's anxious for real live baseball to return. And like me, he realizes that could be a while and the only thing we can do is wait and hope and stay positive.
The Card
Downing appeared on the A.L. Strikeout Leaders card (#11) way back in the first series, and Yankees collectors would have to wait all the way until the 7th series to obtain his solo card. This is his third appearance in a Topps flagship set, as his rookie card appeared in the 1962 set and he appeared in 1964 set after being omitted in 1963.
On the back, the no-hitter Downing threw in 1962 while a member of the Richmond Virginians is highlighted. The four World Series games referenced came in 1963 and 1964. Downing struggled in those games, going 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA with the Yankees losing all four of those games to the Dodgers and Cardinals. He'd appear in one more World Series game, starting Game 3 in 1974 against the A's. He took the loss in that game as well, lasting 3 2/3 innings and allowing three runs (one earned).
Yankees Team Set
1965 Season
Downing appeared in 35 games, making 32 starts, and going 12-14 with a 3.40 ERA. He was the solid third starter in the Yankees' pitching rotation that season behind Mel Stottlemyre (#550) and Whitey Ford (#330), as the Yankees fell to sixth place in the A.L. Downing led the team in strikeouts with 179 and threw two shutouts. His best start of the season came on June 6th, when he three-hit the White Sox while striking out nine in the second of his two shutouts that year.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #219
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1962, 1964-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #96
76 - Downing non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/13/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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: #597 Twins Rookie Stars