#115 Jackie Jensen - Boston Red Sox

Jack Eugene Jensen
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  March 9, 1927, San Francisco, CA
Acquired:  Traded by the Oakland Oaks (PCL) with Billy Martin (#181) to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later (Eddie Malone) and cash, October 13, 1949
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1950-1952; Washington Senators 1952-1953; Boston Red Sox 1954-1959, 1961
Died:  July 14, 1982, Charlottesville, VA (age 55)

Jackie Jensen was a two-sport star, appearing in the Rose Bowl with the University of California, and reaching his peak with the Red Sox in 1958 when he was named the A.L. MVP.  Jensen was the first athlete to play in the Rose Bowl (1949), the World Series (1950) and the MLB All-Star Game (1952, 1955 and 1958).  A good fielding right fielder and a threat on the base paths, Jensen also demonstrated power throughout his 11-year big league career.

Traded by the Yankees to the Senators in 1952, he saw modest success until taking off with the Red Sox in the mid-1950s.  Jensen led the league with stolen bases in 1954 with 22 and triples in 1956 with 11.  He led the league three times in RBIs in 1955, 1958 and 1959.  Jensen was one of the Red Sox players featured in the Norman Rockwell painting, The Rookie, which I covered in the post for Frank Sullivan's (#71) card.  In his 1958 MVP season, Jensen hit .286 with career highs in both home runs (35) and RBIs (122).  A steady defender, he won his only Gold Glove in 1959.

He initially announced his retirement from baseball in January 1960, citing an intense fear of flying and his desire to spend more time with his family.  He returned to baseball in 1961, but retired for good following the season.  Despite multiple forms of therapy, Jensen could not overcome the anxiety and panic attacks he'd suffer prior to each airplane flight.  For his career, Jensen batted .279 with 199 home runs and 929 RBIs.

Building the Set
October 3, 1999 in Raleigh, NC - Card #185
We bought this card on October 3rd at the Raleigh Sports Card Show, and it ended up being part of a birthday present to me from my Dad.  I was still living in Raleigh in late 1999, and my parents made the trip south to visit me for my birthday.  We bought 8 cards that day (that I knew about) paying $5 for seven of the cards, including this Jensen card, and $2 for the Grady Hatton (#26) card.  Unbeknownst to me, my Dad also purchased the Sandy Koufax card (#79) but he squirreled that one away until Christmas morning 1999.

From the back of a checklist from this time period, my notes show we were simultaneously collecting the 1972 Topps set during this timeframe.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Topps recycled the main photo from Jensen's 1954 and 1955 cards for this card too.  On the back, I continue to be impressed with how much thought and effort the Topps' cartoonists put into these panels.  Jensen's 116 RBIs in 1955 tied him with the Tigers' Ray Boone (#6).  His 22 stolen bases in 1954 were four more than White Sox outfielders Minnie Minoso (#125) and Jim Rivera (#70), who both had 18.  Jensen makes a cameo appearance on Norm Zauchin's (#89) card, greeting Zauchin at home plate presumably following a home run.

1956 Season

Jensen had another solid season, manning right field for the Red Sox and roaming the Fenway Park outfield with Ted Williams (#5) in left and Jim Piersall (#143) in center.  Jensen appeared in 151 games, starting 150 of the Red Sox' 155 games in right.  Faye Throneberry (4 starts) and Gene Stephens (#313 and 1 start) accounted for the other five starts in right whenever Jensen received a rare day off.  He hit a career high .315, second on the team only to Williams and his .345 average.  As mentioned above, he led the league in triples with 11, while hitting 20 home runs and 97 RBIs.

His SABR biography mentions that in August 1956, Jensen agreed for a film of his life to be produced with Jensen himself making a cameo appearance at the end of the film.  Younger actors played Jensen throughout his young football and baseball careers and the finished film was primarily screened in high schools.

1951 Bowman #254

1952 Topps #122

1954 Topps #80

1958 Topps #130

1961 Topps #540

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #254
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1952-1959, 1961, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Topps Archives Reserve #37

88 - Jensen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/5/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
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.