#310 Steve Gromek - Detroit Tigers

Stephen Joseph Gromek
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 15, 1920, Hamtramck, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1939 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1941-53; Detroit Tigers 1953-57

Died:  March 12, 2002, Clinton Twp; Macomb County, MI (age 82)

Steve Gromek pitched in 17 big league seasons with the Indians and Tigers.  A converted infielder, Gromek was used sparingly by the Indians over his first three seasons between 1941 and 1943.  He earned a regular spot in Cleveland's rotation in 1944, turning in his first of five seasons with at least 10 wins.  Gromek's career year came in 1945 when he was 19-9 with a 2.55 ERA, with 12 complete games and a pair of shutouts.  He was named to the American League All-Star team that season, but the game was not played due to World War II.  Used as a swingman over the next several seasons, Gromek helped lead the Indians to an American League pennant in 1948, and was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the World Series against the Boston Braves.  His post-game photo, embracing teammate Larry Doby (#250), would become an important symbol of integration in baseball.  The Indians would defeat the Braves in six games.

Gromek's 13-year run with the Indians came to an end on June 15, 1953, when he was dealt with Al Aber (#317), Ray Boone (#6) and Dick Welk to the Tigers for Owen Friend, Joe Ginsberg, Art Houtteman (#281) and Bill Wight (#286).  Starting again full-time, Gromek was 18-16 with a 2.74 ERA in 1954, and a 13-game winner in 1955.  He'd spend another season-plus with the Tigers before the club released him in August 1957.  Gromek earned a lifetime record of 123-108 in 447 games pitched.  He had a career 3.41 ERA in 2,064 2/3 innings, with 904 strikeouts.

Building the Set
July 16, 1988 from Millville, NJ - Card #59
We bought this card for $4.50 from a local card shop called Brokell's in Millville, NJ back in 1988.  My Dad and I frequented this store, and this was one of four cards for our 1956 set we purchased from Brokell's that year.  July 16th was a Saturday so if I had to guess, we most likely acquired this card before or after enjoying a few burgs from Jim's Lunch.  

As an eighth grader in 1988, I realized the need to start tracking these cards as my Dad and I added them to our set.  I wanted a record of where and when and how much we had paid for each card, and so I created a tracking schedule using our very sophisticated Commodore 64.  This was a complicated process, which involved typing out the checklist, printing the checklist, taking those pages to the library and using the photocopier to shrink the size of the pages, and then rubber cementing the pages to another piece of paper.  I have two pages similar to the one below for this tracking exercise, which I seemingly quickly abandoned at some point in 1988.  Eventually, my tracking got even more sophisticated as I graduated to a word processing document on our new Commodore 128.

The Card / Tigers Team Set
Gromek returned to Topps with this card, after appearing exclusively in the Bowman sets in 1954 and 1955.  The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his veteran status, his 18 wins in 1954, and his early career conversion from an infielder.

1956 Season

Gromek spent most of the season pitching out of the Tigers' bullpen, yielding starts to younger pitchers Frank Lary (#191), Paul Foytack and Billy Hoeft (#152).  Gromek was 8-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 40 games and 13 starts.  He threw four complete games, and his four saves were the second most on the team behind Aber.

1949 Bowman #198

1951 Bowman #115

1952 Topps #258

1954 Bowman #199

1957 Topps #258

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #198
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1952, 1956-57
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1985 TCMA 1948 Play Ball #39

33 - Gromek non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/5/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #309 Don Blasingame - St. Louis Cardinals / #311 Hal Naragon - Cleveland Indians

Order Collected: #120 Richie Ashburn - Philadelphia Phillies / #174 Glen Gorbous - Philadelphia Phillies

#309 Don Blasingame - St. Louis Cardinals

Don Lee Blasingame
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  March 16, 1932, Corinth, MS
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1955-59; San Francisco Giants 1960-61; Cincinnati Reds 1961-63; Washington Senators 1963-66; Kansas City Athletics 1966

Died:  April 13, 2005, Fountain Hills, AZ (age 73)

Don Blasingame played 17 years of professional baseball, with 12 seasons in the major leagues and 3 more seasons in Japan in the late 1960s.  He found the most success early in his career as the every day second baseman for the Cardinals between 1956 and 1959, taking that position over from future Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst (#165).  He earned MVP votes in 1957 when he hit .271 with career highs in home runs (8), RBIs (58), runs scored (108) and stolen bases (21).  Blasingame was an All-Star in 1958.  In 1960, Blasingame married Sara Cooper, the daughter of Walker Cooper (#273), a teammate of Blasingame's with the Cardinals in 1956 and 1957.  

After a brief stint with the Giants, Blasingame became the regular second baseman for the Reds, playing in the 1961 World Series against the Yankees, before Pete Rose took his starting job in 1963.  He played two and a half seasons with the Senators and 12 games with the Athletics before heading to Japan.  Blasingame played for the Nankai Hawks between 1967 and 1969, and later served as a coach in Japan between 1970 and 1978.  He'd go on to manage the Hanshin Tigers (1979-80) and the Hawks (1981-82) before returning to the U.S.

January 28, 2006 - Celebrating Dad's 62nd birthday

Building the Set
December 3, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #277
This was a relatively late edition to our set and one of eight cards we purchased at the 93rd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  My notes say we purchased this Blasingame card for a little less than $6.  With the Ocean City baseball card shows long gone by now, our only options for local baseball card shows were the "Philly Shows" held in Ft. Washington or the occasional mall baseball card show. 

My Dad didn't like the drive to Ft. Washington, and this would have been one of only a few shows we attended together in this location.  Looking at my records of when and where we purchased our cards, a full year would go by before we'd add any more cards to the set.

The year-long hiatus in collecting the set came at a time my wife and I were expecting our first son and as we moved into our first real house.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
This is Blasingame's rookie card, and he'd go on to appear in nine more Topps flagship sets.  Looking at the card more closely, I wonder if a Topps artist artificially extended the green background behind the action shot of Blasingame, covering over additional fans or whatever else was next to or behind Blasingame in the original photo.  The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his speed on the base paths, his success in the minors in 1955, and he strong defensive skills.

1956 Season

Blasingame appeared in five games with the Cardinals in 1955 as a September call-up, and he officially replaced Schoendienst as the club's regular second baseman in 1956.  Blasingame started the season at shortstop, making 49 starts at the position, before sliding over to second base in mid-June and making 96 starts there.  In 150 games, he batted .261 with 22 doubles and 27 RBIs.

1957 Topps #47

1958 Topps #199

1961 Topps #294

1962 Topps #103

1965 Topps #21

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #309
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1956-65
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #84

58 - Blasingame non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/30/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #308 "Chuck" Harmon - Cincinnati Redlegs / #310 Steve Gromek - Detroit Tigers

Order Collected: #303 Jim Dyck - Baltimore Orioles / #31 Hank Aaron - Milwaukee Brewers

#308 "Chuck" Harmon - Cincinnati Redlegs

Charles Byron Harmon
Cincinnati Redlegs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  175
Born:  April 23, 1924, Washington, IN
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Redlegs 1954-56; St. Louis Cardinals 1956-57; Philadelphia Phillies 1957

Died:  March 19, 2019, Golf Manor, OH (age 94)

Chuck Harmon was a high school and college baseball star, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, briefly played professional basketball as a player-coach in the American Basketball League and was the first African American to play for the Reds' franchise in 1954.  A 30-year-old rookie in 1954, Harmon served as the back-up third baseman to regular Bobby Adams (#287), batting .238 in a career-high 286 at-bats.  He played in 96 games in 1955, batting .253 with five home runs and 28 RBIs for the Redlegs.  He switched teams twice in 1956 and 1957, finishing up his major league career as a bat off the bench for the Cardinals and Phillies.  Harmon played 289 games overall, batting .238 with 25 stolen bases, 15 doubles, seven home runs and 59 RBIs.

May 15, 2010 - Harmon waves to the crowd before the Civil
Rights Game in Cincinnati

He continued to play in the minor leagues through the 1961 season, within the organizations of the Phillies, Pirates, Tigers and Athletics.  Following his playing days, Harmon was a scout for the Indians and Braves, along with the NBA's Indiana Pacers.  He was inducted into the University of Toledo Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.

Building the Set

December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #337

I last shared this full story with the Foster Castleman (#271) post in late December, but I'll repeat myself, in an edited version, here.  The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory.  Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set.  Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning.  I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set.  And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards.  

This Harmon card was one of the final 29.  It was one of the commons included in a memorable haul that included the cards of Pee Wee Reese (#260), Roberto Clemente (#33), Whitey Ford (#240) and a spotless checklist card for the 1st and 3rd Series.

The Card / Redlegs Team Set
We're getting pretty close to the end of the set, and I found it interesting that Harmon is only the third player featured, so far, to appear in the 1954, 1955 and 1956 Topps sets, with his 1956 Topps card using a different photo than his previous Topps cards.  The other two are Sherm Lollar (#243) and Johnny Schmitz (#298).  For comparison, and again this number isn't final, there are 46 players in the set with identical photos used for their 1954, 1955 and 1956 Topps cards.

That's likely Harmon sliding into second base, given he wore #10 during his Redlegs' tenure.  The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his collegiate basketball career, his successful minor league career and his ability to play multiple positions on the field.

1956 Season

Harmon once again made the Redlegs' opening day roster, appearing in 13 games, with eight appearances as a pinch-runner.  Used sparingly, and only 0 for 4 at the plate, Harmon was traded to the Cardinals on May 16th for outfielder Joe Frazier (#141) and infielder Alex Grammas (#37).  His troubles at the plate continued, and Harmon was 0 for 17 before being demoted to Triple-A in mid-July.  Harmon's hitless streak ended while playing for the Omaha Cardinals, and in 58 games he batted .360 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs.

Phillies Career
Harmon began the 1958 season back with the Cardinals, and was traded to the Phillies on May 10, 1957 for outfielder Glen Gorbous (#174).  He appeared in 57 games overall, batting .256 with a pair of doubles, seven stolen bases and five RBIs.  Manager Mayo Smith (#60) gave him 18 starts - 11 in left field, five at third base, and one each at first base and right field.  Harmon's final big league action came on September 15, 1957, when he pinch-ran for Willie Jones (#127) and scored a game-tying run in the ninth inning with the Braves' Warren Spahn (#10) on the mound.

Harmon spent part of the 1958 season with the Miami Marlins, then the Phillies' top farm team, but never earned another promotion to Philadelphia or the majors.  His time with the club is marked by a Phillies card in the 1958 Topps set.

1954 Topps #182

1955 Topps #82

1957 Topps #299

1958 Topps #48

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #182
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1954-58
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2007 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CH

10 - Harmon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/14/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #307 Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants / #309 Don Blasingame - St. Louis Cardinals

Order Collected: #306 Curt Roberts - Pittsburgh Pirates / #311 Hal Naragon - Cleveland Indians

#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

National Baseball Hall of Fame

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #306 Curt Roberts - Pittsburgh Pirates / #308 "Chuck" Harmon - Cincinnati Redlegs

Order Collected: #293 Stu Miller - St. Louis Cardinals / #313 Gene Stephens - Boston Red Sox

#306 Curt Roberts - Pittsburgh Pirates

Curtis Benjamin Roberts
Pittsburgh Pirates
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  165
Born:  August 16, 1929, Pineland, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Monarchs 1947-48; Pittsburgh Pirates 1954-56

Died:  November 14, 1969, Oakland, CA (age 40)

Curt Roberts played for two seasons with the Kansas City Monarchs in the late 1940s before becoming the first black player in Pirates' franchise history in 1954.  With the Monarchs as a teenager, Roberts batted .275 in 65 games over the 1948 and 1948 seasons.  He earned a reputation as one of the best fielding second basemen in the league.  Originally signed by the Braves in 1951, Roberts played steadily in the minors before earning a spot on the Pirates' opening day roster in 1954.  He tripled off future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts (#180) in his first at-bat and would later double in the same game.  With general manager Branch Rickey supporting him, Roberts was the regular second baseman for the Pirates that season, batting .232 in 134 games with 18 doubles, a home run and 36 RBIs.  That would be his sole full season in the majors, as he was demoted to the minors early in the 1955 season and eventually lost his job in 1956 to Bill Mazeroski.

Roberts would continue to play professionally through the 1963 sesason in the Yankees, Dodgers and White Sox systems, finding success with the Denver Bears, then the Yankees' top farm team, in the late 1950s.  In parts of three seasons with the Pirates, Roberts batted .223 in 171 games.  His legacy has been revisited in recent years, with the Pirates recognizing his contributions to their franchise with various initiatives named for Roberts.  He's credited with paving the way for other players in the years to come, including future Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente (#33).

December 25, 2007

Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #336

I last shared this full story with the Foster Castleman (#271) post in late December, but I'll repeat myself, in an edited version, here.  The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory.  Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set.  Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning.  I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set.  And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards.  

This Roberts card was one of the final 29.  It was one of the commons included in a memorable haul that included the cards of Pee Wee Reese (#260), Roberto Clemente (#33), Whitey Ford (#240) and a spotless checklist card for the 1st and 3rd Series.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
Roberts has cards in the 1954, 1955 and 1956 Topps sets with all three cards using the exact same photo.  The action shot would appear to show him out at home plate on a tag applied by what looks to be a Braves catcher.  The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his recent success in the minor leagues and his strong defensive skills.

1956 Season

Roberts began the season as the back-up to Johnny O'Brien (#65), but with O'Brien slumping Roberts earned more playing time.  Roberts didn't fare much better, making 17 starts at second base and batting just .177 in 31 games overall.  His last game in the majors came on June 8th when he entered a game against the Cardinals as a late inning defensive replacement.  On June 23rd, Roberts was dealt to the Athletics with Jack McMahan for Spook Jacobs (#151), but he'd never suit up in Kansas City.  With their top minor league team in Columbus, Roberts batted .320 in 87 games.

1954 Topps #242

1955 Topps #107

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #242
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1954-56
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #242

15 - Roberts non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/31/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #305 Brooks Lawrence - Cincinnati Redlegs / #307 Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants

Order Collected: #288 Bob Cerv - New York Yankees / #308 "Chuck" Harmon - Cincinnati Redlegs

#305 Brooks Lawrence - Cincinnati Redlegs

Brooks Ulysses Lawrence
Cincinnati Redlegs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  205
Born:  January 30, 1925, Springfield, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1954-55; Cincinnati Redlegs 1956-58; Cincinnati Reds 1959-60

Died:  April 27, 2000, Springfield, OH (age 75)

Brooks Laurence pitched in parts of seven seasons with the Cardinals and Reds, enjoying his best seasons in Cincinnati in 1956 and 1957.  Lawrence was a 15-game winner for the Cardinals in his rookie season of 1954 and he'd mainly work out of the bullpen for the club in 1955.  Dealt to Cincinnati on January 31, 1956 with Sonny Senerchia for Jackie Callum, Lawrence entered the best two years of his career.  He was an All-Star in 1956, finishing the season with a 19-10 record and a 3.99 ERA in 49 games, including 30 starts.  Lawrence had slightly better numbers in 1957, going 16-13 with a 3.52 ERA over a career-high 250 1/3 innings pitched.  He'd pitch nearly 200 innings again in 1958, but he'd see his output decline over his final two seasons with the Reds, retiring following the 1960 season.

Lawrence was 69-62 for his career, with a 4.25 ERA in 275 games pitched.  He struck out 481 batters over 1,040 2/3 innings.  He remained with the Reds for several years after his playing days as a scout, minor league coach and broadcaster, and was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1976.

1955 Red Man #NL4

Building the Set
August 13, 1989 in Bridgeton, NJ - Card #86
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 / Redlegs Team Set
Like a lot of recent cards, this is Lawrence's first appearance in a Topps set after his rookie card had appeared in the 1955 Bowman set.  The picture used is the same as appears on his 1955 Red Man card, with Topps replacing a Cardinals hat with a Redlegs hat.  The back of the card highlights his success from 1954 and 1955, and explains how he ended up with Cincinnati before the 1956 season.

1956 Season

As mentioned above, Lawrence was a 19-game winner in 1956 and made the National League All-Stars, although he didn't appear in the game.  He led Cincinnati's pitching staff in wins and innings pitched (218 2/3), and tied Johnny Klippstein (#249) for the team lead in complete games with 11.  At the outset of the season, Lawrence set a franchise record by winning 13 games before his first loss.

Phillies Connection
Lawrence's last action in professional baseball came with the Indianapolis Indians in 1960, then the top farm team for the Phillies.  He was 2-7 with a 6.05 ERA in 26 games with the Indians.

1955 Bowman #75

1957 Topps #66

1958 Topps #374

1959 Topps #67

1960 Topps #434

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #75
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1956-60
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1979 TCMA The 1950s #217

36 - Lawrence non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/18/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #304 Frank Malzone - Boston Red Sox / #306 Curt Roberts - Pittsburgh Pirates

Order Collected: #298 Johnny Schmidtz - Boston Red Sox / #314 Hobie Landrith - Chicago Cubs