#129 "Jake" Martin - Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Charles Martin
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  235
Born:  March 9, 1932, Brownstown, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, June 28, 1955
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1955
Died:  October 11, 2011, San Diego, CA (age 79)

Paul "Jake" Martin was a big right-handed pitcher singed as a bonus baby in 1955.  He appeared in only seven games for the Pirates in 1955 before suffering a career-ending arm injury.  Martin made his big league debut on July 2, 1955 against the future World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers.  He pitched two shutout innings, striking out three batters - Don Zimmer (#99) and Jackie Robinson (#30) twice.  Martin's next six outings all resulted in at least one run scored with his final appearance on August 16th leading to five runs scored by the Phillies in two innings of work.  His career line was 0-1 with a 14.14 ERA with 3 strikeouts and 17 walks.  Martin was released by the Pirates on April 27, 1956.

Building the Set
October 3, 1988 in Millville, NJ - Card #67
This was one of three 1956 Topps cards my parents gave me for my 15th birthday, the others being Ray Moore (#43) and Dean Stone (#87).  I'm 95% certain my Dad purchased these cards at a baseball card show held at our local YMCA in August and then gave them to me a few months later.  I have in my records that this card cost him $3.  I was more focused on building our 1973 Topps set in the summer of '88, as those cards were more readily available and much cheaper.  My allowance from mowing lawns only went so far.

We didn't get autographs from either of the show's guests, Spook Jacobs or Chris Short and I included the front and back of the show's flyer in previous posts.  I'm kicking myself now, over 30 years later, for not spending the $2 it would have cost me for an autograph and a picture with Short.  

I worked at the Millville YMCA in the summer of 1990 before it closed its doors for good that August.  In 1997, the building was repurposed as an apartment complex with the pool and gym renovated and updated and it's now operated as The Holly City Family Center.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
This is the one and only baseball card issued for Martin during his playing days, given his professional career lasted 7 games.  The card was reprinted for Martin to sign as part of the 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.  Topps had to act quickly to get pictures of the big righty, as he was only active between early July and mid-August.  This is the first full on profile photo used in the set and Martin's nickname "Jake" is present in his signature.

Flipping to the back, the first two cartoon panels tell the story of Martin's arrival and big league debut against the Dodgers.  The third panel shows Martin's goal of becoming a minister.  I found his obituary, where it mentions he did attend Nyack Theological Seminary in New York and he served as a minister for a short time.  His true calling was has a long-time chiropractor in San Diego, where he lived for nearly 50 years.  As a respected chiropractor, he apparently traded his "Jake" nickname for "Doc."

1956 Season

There's nothing to report here.  Martin was released by the Pirates in April and would never again play professional baseball.  He's the third player to have a card in the set who had already appeared in his final game, joining Nelson Burbrink (#27) and Karl Spooner (#83).

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #129
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #129

4 - Martin non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/27/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database