#120 Richie Ashburn - Philadelphia Phillies

Don Richard Ashburn
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  March 19, 1927, Tilden, NE
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1945 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1948-1959; Chicago Cubs 1960-1961; New York Mets 1962
Hall of Fame Induction:  1995
Died:  September 9, 1997, New York, NY (age 70)

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

The pride of Tilden, Nebraska, Richie Ashburn is one of the most beloved Phillies players and broadcasters of all-time.  In 12 seasons with the Phillies, and as one of the best lead-off hitters and defensive outfielders in the game, Ashburn helped lead the team to the 1950 World Series and went to the All-Star Game in four different seasons.  He led the National League in hits three times (1951, 1953 and 1958), in triples twice (1950 and 1958) and in batting average twice (1955 and 1958).  He finished in second place for the batting title twice (1948 and 1951), both times behind Stan Musial.  Ashburn concluded his 15-year playing career with a lifetime average of .308 and with 2,574 hits.  Among all-time Phillies players, he ranks third in games played (1,794) and hits (2,217) behind only Mike Schmidt and Jimmy Rollins in both categories.  He holds the Phillies franchise record for consecutive games played with 730.

Following his playing days, "Whitey" joined the Phillies broadcast team in 1963 and he was paired up with his good friend and partner Harry Kalas for 27 seasons between 1971 and 1997.  Ashburn had his #1 retired by the Phillies in 1979, the same year he was elected into their Wall of Fame.  He joined the Hall of Fame in 1995, the same year as fellow all-time Phillies great Schmidt.

Building the Set
June 25, 1988 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #58
We purchased this card, along with the card of American League President William Harridge (#1), at the Ocean City baseball card show held inside the Music Pier on the Ocean City Boardwalk.  The show was officially called the "Seashore VIII" by the organizers.  My records show we paid $14 for the card.  This would have been a few months before the start of my freshman year in High School, and I was about a year older than my oldest son is now.  What wonderful memories I have of those baseball card shows.

I've scanned here the one-page brochure we would have received upon paying our admission fee.  There are 54 dealers total, and I definitely recognize some of those names.  Ken Dolinick was better known to us as Diamond Dust, and shortly after entering each year's card show my Dad would at some point say, "I'm heading over to Diamond Dust."  Steve Weiser was the owner of Temdee Collectibles in Turnersville, NJ, which finally closed down several years ago and is now a Domino's Pizza.  Pre-pandemic, I'd pass by that location every day on my commute home from work and I was sad when I first saw the storefront darkened.  Alan Rosen was "Mr. Mint" and we had a few funny encounters with him, and when I get to the Red Schoendienst (#165) card, I'll need to recount the time we sold Rosen a vintage Schoendienst jersey at one of these Ocean City baseball card shows.

My Dad and I were never big autograph hunters, so the show's two big name signers - Brooks Robinson and Bob Lemon (#255) - wouldn't have interested us.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Our card is definitely off-centered, and there's a noticeable scuff at the bottom, but I'd still consider it a steal at $14.  I've never entertained any thoughts of upgrading the card either.  The umpire hasn't made his call yet, but I'm going to assume Whitey was safe at the close play at third.  The head shot used is the same from Ashburn's 1954 Topps card and he was omitted from the 1955 Topps set, perhaps due to a contractual obligation with Bowman at the time.

The back of the card pays tribute to his 1955 batting title and his six times hitting over .300 so far in his career.  A wonderful and speedy baserunner, the final panel highlights his skills on the base paths.

1956 Season

Ashburn was the Phillies' every day center fielder in 1956, appearing in all 154 games and patrolling the outfield with primarily Del Ennis (#220) in left and Elmer Valo (#3) in right.  He led the club with a .303 average and with 190 hits.  He finished second behind Stan Lopata (#183) for runs scored with 94 to Lopata's 96.  The 1956 Phillies were not a very good team, finishing with a 71-83 record and in fifth place in the National League.  Ashburn's SABR biography notes the team held a Richie Ashburn Day on August 14th, and I can only presume this was designed to try to increase sagging attendance.

Phillies Career
There's not much more to add based on my summary at the top of this post.  There would probably be more of a debate these days given the Phillies' dynasty between 2007 and 2011 and the play of Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  But if the Phillies were to commission their Mt. Rushmore for the franchise covering the start of the franchise through the mid-2000s, the four players featured would undoubtedly be Ashburn, Robin Roberts (#180), Schmidt and Steve Carlton.

1949 Bowman #214

1951 Topps Blue Backs #3

1957 Topps #70

1959 Topps #300

1963 Topps #135

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #214
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1951-1952, 1954, 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Panini Diamond Kings All-Time Diamond Kings #ATDK-24

372 - Ashburn non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/14/20.

Sources:  
2020 Phillies Media Guide

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame

The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database