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Robert Anton Grim
New York Yankees
Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'1" Weight: 175
Born: March 8, 1930, New York, NY
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1954-1958; Kansas City Athletics 1958-1959; Cleveland Indians 1960; Cincinnati Reds 1960; St. Louis Cardinals 1960; Kansas City Athletics 1962
Died: October 23, 1996, Shawnee, KS (age 66)
Brooklyn's own Bob Grim dazzled as a rookie in 1954, winning 20 games and A.L. Rookie of the Year honors. He'd pitch for parts of seven more seasons in the Majors, but he'd never reach the career highs he set in 1954 in wins, innings pitched (199), strikeouts (108) and complete games (8). Converted to a full-time reliever a few years later, Grim saved 19 games in 1957 and was named to the All-Star team. Grim recorded the final out of the 1957 All-Star Game, getting Gil Hodges (#145) to fly out to secure a 6-5 American League win.
He appeared in two World Series with the Yankees, in 1955 and 1957, but the Bronx Bombers lost both times to the Dodgers and Braves, respectively. Traded to Kansas City in 1958, Grim was a reliable reliever for a relatively bad Athletics team. He spent time with three teams in 1960 - Indians, Reds and Cardinals - and came back briefly for 12 games with the 1962 Athletics before calling it a career.Building the Set
September 20, 2003 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #243
I purchased only one card for our 1956 Topps set at the 83rd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held in Ft. Washington, PA in September 2003. This Grim card set me back $5, which is a really good price considering Grim is a Yankee and the card is in great shape. I had the checklist at right with me at the show, and it looks like this was a one-and-done checklist given that Grim is the only card crossed off. I don't know when exactly I came to this realization, but when collecting the 1956 Topps set, I soon determined it was easier to have an alphabetical checklist than a numerical one. Dealers seemed to have stacks of random 1956 Topps cards at baseball card shows, and these stacks would rarely be in number order. Knowing the team was also important since Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies cards were going to cost us more than say Senators, Braves or Indians cards.
This card represented a small milestone for us as it meant we were less than 100 cards away from completing the set.
I can't recall for certain, but I don't think Dad would have made the trip to Ft. Washington and it was probably just Jenna and me attending this show. We had recently moved into our first house and I have vague memories of us trying to complete a few early Topps Heritage sets at this show.
A few weeks later, my Dad and I attended the last Phillies games at Veterans Stadium during what was dubbed the Final Weekend. We sat through the rain on September 27th as the All Veterans Stadium Team was announced, waving to Mike Schmidt as he was driven around the warning track, and we watched the final game on September 28th with 60,000 other fans. Jenna and my sister Carol came with us to that final game and the post-game ceremony delivered by the Phillies was one of the best things I've ever experienced live at a sporting event. Dozens of Phillies alumni were introduced with Tug McGraw throwing the final "pitch" and all alumni congregating at home plate one last time.
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The Card
The head shot of Grim is the same used on his 1955 Topps rookie card. That might be Yankee Stadium in the background, although we can't see the famous arched facade hanging over the top deck. You can barely make out the Gem Razor Blade advertisement behind the right field foul pole, and there was a similar sign in pictures of Yankee Stadium I found from the 1950s.
The last panel on the back references Grim's 20-win season, making him the first Yankee rookie in 44 years to accomplish that feat. The pitcher referenced is Russ Ford who went 26-6 for the 1910 Yankees in his rookie season. To date, Ford and Grim are the only two Yankees pitchers to have won 20 games in their rookie seasons.
1956 Season
Grim was 26 years old in 1956, and he appeared in 26 games for the Yankees team that would eventually win the World Series against the Dodgers. Although he was left off the team's postseason roster, he had a fairly successful season, throwing 74 2/3 innings and compiling a 6-1 record with a 2.77 ERA.
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #167
First Topps Card: 1955 Topps #80
Last Topps Card: 1962 Topps #564
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #252
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1955-1960, 1962
Topps produced a 1954 Topps-style card for Grim in its 1994 Topps Archives 1954 release, and I always appreciate when they produce these cards that never were.
34 - Grim non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/19.
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 / Next Card
Set Order: #51 Ernie Oravetz - Washington Nationals / #53 Arnold Portocarrero - Kansas City Athletics
Order Collected: #14 Ken Boyer - St. Louis Cardinals / #166 Brooklyn Dodgers Team Card
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