Friday, May 9, 2025

#332 Don Larsen - New York Yankees


Don James Larsen
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  215
Born:  August 7, 1929, Michigan City, IN
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Browns 1953; Baltimore Orioles 1954; New York Yankees 1955-59; Kansas City Athletics 1960-61; Chicago White Sox 1961; San Francisco Giants 1962-64; Houston Colt .45s 1964; Houston Astros 1965; Baltimore Orioles 1965; Chicago Cubs 1967
Died:  January 1, 2020, Hayden, ID (age 90)

Regardless of whatever he would do for the rest of his playing career, Don Larsen would forever be linked, and rightfully so, to the perfect game he threw in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.  That performance has earned its place as perhaps the greatest pitching performances in World Series history and it earned him World Series MVP honors.  It's the only perfect game to be thrown in the postseason and one of two solo no-hitters thrown in postseason history with the other coming from the Phillies' Roy Halladay in the 2010 NLDS.

Larsen never won more than 11 games in a season in the major leagues and his best seasons came during his rookie year with the Browns (7-12 with a 4.16 ERA and 7 complete games) his magical 1956 season with the Yankees (11-5, 3.26 ERA, 107 strikeouts) and with the Colt .45s in 1964 as a reliever (4-8 over 30 games with a 2.26 ERA).  It should be noted that at the plate during his rookie season, Larsen batted .284 with three home runs.  He followed that up with a 21-loss season in 1954 for the newly located Baltimore Orioles and he came to the Yankees in a massive 17-player trade in November 1954.

A popular player who enjoyed the New York City nightlife, Larsen spent five years with the Yankees winning World Series rings with the club in 1956 and 1958.  He retired after 14 seasons with a 81-91 record and a 3.78 ERA over 1,548 innings pitched and 412 appearances.

October 7, 2007 - Birthday celebration with family
Building the Set
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #311
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set.  Along with this Larsen card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bill Bruton (#185), Bob Feller (#200) and Don Newcombe (#235).  My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday.  

My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
This is Larsen's first Topps card, and his previous mainstream baseball card appearances came in the 1954 and 1955 Bowman sets.  Topps wisely decided to include him in this set's last series, given the heroics that were about to transpire in the World Series.  The middle cartoon panel touches on Larsen's 21 losses in 1954 and features one of the creepiest cartoon drawings in the set.

The card was first reprinted in the 2001 Topps Archives set, and it's been reprinted a few more times since then.

 

1956 Season
Larsen was arguably the fourth or fifth best starter in the Yankees' starting pitching rotation, behind Whitey Ford (#240), Johnny Kucks (#88), Tom Sturdivant and possibly Bob Hurley (#40).  He was fourth on the club in wins and he relieved in almost as many games (18) as he started (20).  Larsen threw six complete games and one shutout during the regular season, a four-hitter against the Orioles on September 3rd in which he also walked eight batters.  He started Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers, and was chased after just 1 2/3 innings, having allowed four unearned runs on a hit and four walks.

Larsen was the surprising choice to start Game 5 by manager Casey Stengel, given his struggles in Game 2 and with the series knotted at two games a piece.  Larsen mowed the Dodgers' line-up down throughout the game, with the Yankees scoring runs in the fourth and sixth innings.  In the ninth, he retired Carl Furillo (#190) and Roy Campanella (#101) for the first two outs, and pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell (#268) stepped to the plate as the 27th and final out needed.  Larsen struck Mitchell out looking, earning his baseball immortality.

1954 Bowman #101
1959 Topps #205
1961 Topps #402
1961 Topps #177
1965 Topps #389

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Bowman #101
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1956-65, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2024 Topps Update Autumn Tales #AT-16

391 - Larsen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/4/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, May 2, 2025

#331 Dick Hall - Pittsburgh Pirates


Richard Wallace Hall
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher


Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  200
Born:  September 27, 1930, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, September 1951
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1952-57, 1959; Kansas City Athletics 1960; Baltimore Orioles 1961-66; Philadelphia Phillies 1967-68; Baltimore Orioles 1970-71
Died:  June 18, 2023, Timonium, MD (age 92)

Signed out of college as an outfielder, Dick Hall converted to a pitcher full-time in 1957 and would gain fame as a reliever for the Orioles during their late 1960s/early 1970s dynasty.  Hall was a reserve outfielder for the Pirates beginning in 1952, appearing in a career-high 112 games with the club in 1954 and batting .239.  He'd begin his transition to pitching in 1955, going 12-5 with 16 complete games and a 2.24 ERA for the minor league Lincoln Chiefs.  Hall was dealt to the Orioles in April 1961, beginning the most successful stretch of his big league career.  In his first stint with the club, Hall's best seasons came between 1961 and 1964, when he went 27-17 with a 2.60 ERA in 164 appearances, saving 31 games.  After a brief stint with the Phillies, he was back with the Orioles in 1969, in time for their three-year run of postseason play.  In five postseason appearances, Hall was 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched.  He won World Series rings with the Orioles in 1966 and 1970.  

He retired following the 1971 World Series, after two seasons of being the oldest player in the majors.  He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1989.  In 495 games pitching over 16 seasons, Hall was 93-75 with a 3.32 ERA, 20 complete games, three shutouts and 71 saves.  He walked only 236 batters to 741 strikeouts over 1,259 2/3 innings pitched.  Over 19 seasons as a batter, Hall collected 150 hits, including four home runs, and had a lifetime .210 average.

From the 1968 Phillies Yearbook
Building the Set
August 13, 1989 in Bridgeton, NJ - Card #91
We went nuts at the Bridgeton Baseball Card Show in August 1989, buying 12 different cards for our 1956 Topps set, all at $1.50 a piece.  That's an impressive haul for $18!

I have no other information on the location of this show, other than it was held in the nearby city of Bridgeton, New Jersey.  What I do have however is the checklist I brought with us to the show.  I believe this is the second full checklist we carried around, having retired the prior version I created in 1988 and posted with the William Harridge (#1) card.

Just looking at this checklist (shown here) brings back fond memories of finding the cards, deciding to make a purchase, negotiating a price and then finding a flat surface so that we could cross off the newest additions.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
Hall's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Topps set, using the same photo as seen here.  Hall's position on his rookie card is listed as "3rd base-outfield."  The cartoon panels on the back justifiably highlight his move from the outfield to the pitcher's mound.

1956 Season
With the Pirates the entire season, Hall played in 33 games overall - 19 as a pitcher, 14 as a pinch-hitter and one as the starting first baseman on August 2nd.  As a pitcher, Hall was 0-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 10 relief appearances and nine starts.  He threw a complete game in his second start of the season on April 28th.  As a batter, Hall hit .345 (10 for 29) with an RBI.  His ten hits were all singles.

Phillies Career
Hall was a bright spot in the Phillies bullpen during his two years with the club during the lean years of 1967 and 1968.  On December 15, 1966, the Orioles traded Hall to the Phillies for a player to be named later, which ended up being lefty pitcher John Morris.  Hall and Turk Farrell were the club's top relievers in 1967, with Hall going 10-8 with a 2.20 ERA in 48 appearances and 86 innings pitched.  He saved nine games, second on the team behind Farrell's 12.  Hall slumped in 1968, going 4-1 with a 4.89 ERA in 32 appearances as one of the worst relievers in a surprisingly strong Phillies' bullpen.  He was released by the Phillies following the season, and the Orioles brought him back towards the end of spring training in 1969.

In 80 games (including one start) with the Phillies, Hall was 14-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 132 innings pitched.  His pinpoint control came with him to Philadelphia, as he struck out 80 and walked only 17.

1955 Topps #126
1957 Topps #308
1962 Topps #189
1967 Topps #508
1971 Topps #417

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #126
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1955-57, 1960-63, 1967-68, 1970-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #93FF-DH

52 - Hall non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/26/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, April 25, 2025

#330 Jim Busby - Cleveland Indians


James Franklin Busby
Cleveland Indians
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  January 8, 1927, Kenedy, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent, June 7, 1948
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1950-52; Washington Nationals 1952-55; Chicago White Sox 1955; Cleveland Indians 1956-57; Baltimore Orioles 1957-58; Boston Red Sox 1959-60; Baltimore Orioles 1960-61; Houston Colt .45s 1962
Died:  July 8, 1996, Augusta, GA (age 69)

Jim Busby spent nearly three full decades in the major leagues as both a smooth-fielding center fielder and as a coach.  He spent 13 seasons as a player, and his earlier seasons were his best.  Busby was an All-Star with the White Sox in his rookie season of 1951, and he'd play a half inning in left field in the All-Star Game, replacing Ted Williams (#5).  Busby swiped a career-high 26 bases in 1951.  He'd have his best seasons as a member of the Nationals, batting .312 with career highs in doubles (28) and RBIs (82) in 1953.  Speed in the outfield helped him finish in the top 10 for putouts, fielding percentage and assists in most of the seasons throughout the 1950s.  Busby's production declined following his departure from Washington, and he spent the final eight seasons of his career playing for six different clubs, including a repeat stint with the White Sox and two different stints with the Orioles.

Busby is one of the more underrated players from the 1950s in my opinion.  In 1,352 games, he collected 1,113 hits, 162 doubles, 35 triples, 48 home runs and had 438 RBIs, while stealing 97 bases.  He was a player-coach with the Orioles in 1961 and with the inaugural Colt .45s team in 1962.  Busby's complete coaching career spanned 18 years with the Orioles (1961), Colt .45s/Astros (1962-67), Braves (1968-75), White Sox (1976) and Mariners (1977-78).


Building the Set
July 20, 1989 in Williamstown, NJ - Card #79
In the summer of 1989, I was between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, and I have nothing but pleasant memories of that time growing up in South Jersey.  There were maybe five or six baseball card stores in our area, although only a few of them were known to carry older baseball cards.  One of those stores was located in Williamstown, New Jersey, which ironically enough is where my wife and I would settle and start to raise our family some 14 years later.  I had to dig into my notes from our other set quests to find the store's name - Collector's Corner.  We had finished off our 1974 Topps set in February 1988 at Collector's Corner.   

1977 Topps #597
July 20th was a Thursday, and I guess my Dad would have been off work with a hankering for a new card for our relatively new 1956 Topps set quest.  We were also collecting the 1973 Topps set, and with our 1956 and 1973 checklists in hand, we made the half hour drive from Millville to Williamstown.  I don't know if we purchased any 1973 Topps cards that day, but we found this Busby card for $5 - not a bad deal.  As a current Williamstown resident, I'm not even sure where this store would have been located back in the day, as a lot of the ubiquitous strip malls all look pretty much the same to me.  But it was in a strip mall, I remember that much.

I'm not exactly sure why Busby was one of my Dad's favorite players, and I wish I had thought to ask him at some point.  I suspect it has something to do with the fact they both shared the same first name, and there weren't a lot of major leaguers with the first name of Jim during my Dad's years as a young baseball fan.  Busby holds a special place for me in my collecting journey, as my Dad brought home a 1959 Topps Busby card one day back in the early 1980s.  It was one of a trio of completely disconnected (and ancient) cards added to my collection after I had first discovered baseball cards, and these were the oldest cards in my collection for a few years until the Magic Shoebox entered my life, jumpstarting the journey of collecting the 1956 Topps set.

The Card / Indians Team Set
This is Busby's first Topps card since 1952, as he had been exclusive to Bowman.  It looks as if Busby is wearing a White Sox uniform in the action photo and Topps also decided to remove any infielders in the background who may have been in the vicinity of second base.  He could be wearing a White Sox or Nationals jersey in the head shot, and a Topps artist did a decent job adding the Indians logo to Busby's hat.  The back of the card highlights his speed and "great fielding ability."

On October 25, 1955, Busby was traded by the White Sox with Chico Carresquel (#230) to the Indians for Larry Toby (#250).  Topps updated the cap logos on Busby's and Carresquel's cards, but surprisingly decided to leave Doby's cap logo as is. 

1956 Season
Busby was the opening day center fielder for the Indians, and he'd start 122 games overall at the position.  In 135 total games, he batted .235 with 17 doubles, 12 home runs and 50 RBIs.  He was not able to replace Doby's output for the Indians, as had been hoped, but he did hit grand slams in back-to-back games on July 5th and 6th.

1951 Bowman #302
1952 Topps #309
1953 Bowman Color #15
1957 Topps #309
1974 Topps #634

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1952, 1956-60, 1973-74, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Topps 1952 Reprint Series #309

55 - Busby non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/8/22.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, April 18, 2025

#329 Lou Berberet - Washington Nationals


Louis Joseph Berberet
Washington Nationals
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  200
Born:  November 20, 1929, Long Beach, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1954-55; Washington Nationals 1956; Washington Senators 1957-58; Boston Red Sox 1958; Detroit Tigers 1959-60
Died:  April 6, 2004, Las Vegas, NV (age 74)

A steady defensive catcher with a strong arm for throwing out would-be base stealers, Lou Berberet played in parts of seven big league seasons, with most of his success coming in Washington.  Berberet earned September call-ups in 1954 and 1955 with the Yankees, appearing in a combined seven games over the two seasons.  A seven-player deal with the Nationals before the 1956 season gave Berberet a good home and more regular playing time.  He was the opening day catcher for Washington in 1956, ultimately making 54 starts behind the plate in a three-way platoon with fellow catchers Clint Courtney (#159) and Ed FitzGerald (#198).  He'd have another successful campaign in 1957, playing in 99 games while batting .261 and connecting for seven home runs and 36 RBIs.  Berberet led all catchers with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 1957.  He was dealt to the Red Sox on May 1, 1958 for infielder Ken Aspromonte, and after a season in Boston he was dealt to Detroit that December.

Berberet was the most frequently used catcher for Jimmy Dykes' Tigers team in 1959, appearing in 100 games overall, and reaching career highs in home runs (13) and RBIs (44).  His last action in the majors came in 1960 and he was the most frequently used catcher for the Tigers in his final season.  Berberet led the American League in caught stealing percentage in both 1956 and 1959.  In 448 games, he collected 281 hits, batted .230 and swatted 31 home runs with 153 RBIs.

November 22, 2007 - Thanksgiving Day
Building the Set
October 31, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #313
Our first son Doug was born in December 2006, and this happy event led directly to my Dad visiting us on a more regular basis.  Dad was living by himself at this point in Mays Landing, New Jersey and he detested the 40 minute ride north to our house.  Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact that he absolutely seemed to loathe driving and that loathing increased exponentially if there was traffic or if it were dark.  But he made the trips anyway, sometimes staying no more than an hour, because he was so incredibly anxious and excited to spend time with his grandson. 

By the time his second grandson (Ben) was born in April 2010, my Dad's health had begun failing and whatever visits we had were pre-arranged or consisted of us visiting him.  Which is why these visits during Doug's infancy and first few years are so special to me.  My Dad would show up, ecstatic to see Doug, there would be some small talk and we'd complain about the Phillies, and then he'd leave.  But on his way out, he'd always say he'd see us again in a few days and I'd look forward to these visits.

This background is needed to better explain how this Berberet card came into our set.  In 2007, My Dad's days mostly consisted of an occasional round of golf, calls and visits to his kids - my sister and me, watching cable news, an afternoon nap and scouring eBay. Most (but not all) of his eBay purchases benefitted me in the form of 1956 Topps cards we needed for our set.  He'd show up at our house for a visit with Doug and nonchalantly hand me one of his recent purchases.  He handed me this Berberet card on Thanksgiving Day, as he was visiting with the rest of our family to enjoy Doug's first Thanksgiving.

Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.  Not to ruin the ending for this blog, but this is how we finished the 1956 Topps set.  Not with one last glorious purchase at a baseball card show, but with my Dad systematically and methodically checking off cards from our checklist through eBay purchases.

Together with my Mom, he'd deliver the last 29 cards we needed to complete the set as a Christmas present to me that year.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
This is Berberet's rookie card, and like the Bob Wiesler (#327) card right before this one, the catcher is likely wearing all Yankees gear in both photos.  The cartoon panels on the back celebrate his arrival in Washington, his minor league success and his strong defensive skills.

This is the last Nationals' card in the set, and not including the team card, there are 18 players featured in the Nationals team set.  Of interest to probably only a few of us, Topps spelled out Nationals on 10 cards, and abbreviated the team name to Nate on eight cards, including Berberet's.

1956 Season
On February 8th, the Yankees dealt Berberet, Herb Plews, Dick Tettelbach, Wiesler and player to be named later Whitey Herzog to the Nationals for Bobby Kline and Mickey McDermott (#340).  As noted above, Berberet and two other catchers shared catching duties for the club throughout the season, with Courtney's offensive numbers a little better than Berberet's.

1957 Topps #329
1958 Topps #383
1959 Topps #96
1960 Topps #6

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #329
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1956-60
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1961 Post #43

16 - Berberet non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/8/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, April 11, 2025

#328 Preston Ward - Pittsburgh Pirates


Preston Meyer Ward
Pittsburgh Pirates
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  190
Born:  July 24, 1927, Columbia, MD
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1948; Chicago Cubs 1950, 1953; Pittsburgh Pirates 1953-56; Cleveland Indians 1956-58; Kansas City Athletics 1958-59
Died:  June 2, 2013, Las Vegas, NV (age 85)

Originally signed by the Dodgers before the 1944 season, Preston Ward made his professional debut with the Class D Zanesville Dodgers as a 16-year-old.  After a solid season with the Pueblo Dodgers of the Western League in 1947, Ward earned the job as the opening day first baseman for the big league Dodgers in 1948.  He'd lose playing time, and eventually his job, when Gil Hodges (#145) moved from behind the plate to first base for Brooklyn.  Ward was sold to the Cubs following the 1949 season and after playing in a utility role for Chicago in 1950, he'd miss the next two seasons while serving in the military during the Korean War.  With the Pirates in 1954, Ward collected a career-best 48 RBIs as a back-up first baseman and right fielder.  

He'd appear in a career-high 129 games in 1958, splitting time with the Indians and Ahtletics, and batting .284 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs.  Ward hit three home runs in a game against the Orioles on September 9, 1958, and he'd retire from baseball following the 1959 season.  In 744 big league games, Ward batted .253 with 522 hits, 50 home runs and 262 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 13, 1989 in Bridgeton, NJ - Card #90
We went nuts at the Bridgeton Baseball Card Show in August 1989, buying 12 different cards for our 1956 Topps set, all at $1.50 a piece.  That's an impressive haul for $18!


I have no other information on the location of this show, other than it was held in the nearby city of Bridgeton, New Jersey.  What I do have however is the checklist I brought with us to the show.  I believe this is the second full checklist we carried around, having retired the prior version I created in 1988 and posted with the William Harridge (#1) card.

Just looking at this checklist brings back fond memories of finding the cards, deciding to make a purchase, negotiating a price and then finding a flat surface so that we could cross off the newest additions.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
Topps repeated the same photo found on Ward's 1955 Topps card for this card.  The cartoon panels on the back nicely summarize Ward's career, explaining his start with the Dodgers then his move to the Cubs and finally his super utility role with the Pirates.  By the time collectors were finding this card in packs of 1956 Topps, Ward was already playing in Cleveland - see below.

1956 Season
Ward began the season in a reserve role, getting starts at third base and in right field for the Pirates, and batting .333 in 16 games.  On May 15th, he was traded, straight-up, to the Indians for catcher Hank Foiles.  Ward would settle into a back-up role with the Indians, appearing in 87 games overall, and getting starts in left field, right field and at first base.  He batted .253 with six home runs and 21 RBIs for the Indians, in one of his best seasons in the majors.   

1950 Bowman #231
1953 Topps #173
1954 Topps #72
1957 Topps #226
1959 Topps #176

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #231
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1953-59
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #72

27 - Ward non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/5/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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