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James Anthony Piersall
Boston Red Sox
Outfield
Born: November 14, 1929, Waterbury, CT
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1950, 1952-1958; Cleveland Indians 1959-1961; Washington Senators 1962-1963; New York Mets 1963; Los Angeles Angels 1963-1965; California Angels 1966-1967
Died: June 3, 2017, Wheaton, IL (age 87)
If you only know one fact about Jimmy Piersall, it should be this: On June 23, 1963, Piersall hit his 100th career home run of Phillies pitcher Dallas Green and circled the bases - first to home - while running backwards. Piersall battled personal demons throughout his career and eventually played in parts of 17 big league seasons, earning two All-Star Game berths and winning two Gold Gloves for his stellar center field defense. Given the tag of "spirited," Piersall had several run-ins with opposing players, teammates, umpires and his manager Lou Boudreau in 1952 before getting demoted to the minors. With his behavior increasingly erratic, he finally agreed to seek medical attention and was diagnosed with manic depression, which evolved into what we know today as bipolar disorder. He authored his autobiography, Fear Strikes Out, in 1955 which was made into a movie with Anthony Perkins starring as Piersall.
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1950, 1952-1958; Cleveland Indians 1959-1961; Washington Senators 1962-1963; New York Mets 1963; Los Angeles Angels 1963-1965; California Angels 1966-1967
Died: June 3, 2017, Wheaton, IL (age 87)
If you only know one fact about Jimmy Piersall, it should be this: On June 23, 1963, Piersall hit his 100th career home run of Phillies pitcher Dallas Green and circled the bases - first to home - while running backwards. Piersall battled personal demons throughout his career and eventually played in parts of 17 big league seasons, earning two All-Star Game berths and winning two Gold Gloves for his stellar center field defense. Given the tag of "spirited," Piersall had several run-ins with opposing players, teammates, umpires and his manager Lou Boudreau in 1952 before getting demoted to the minors. With his behavior increasingly erratic, he finally agreed to seek medical attention and was diagnosed with manic depression, which evolved into what we know today as bipolar disorder. He authored his autobiography, Fear Strikes Out, in 1955 which was made into a movie with Anthony Perkins starring as Piersall.
In between the ejections and the psychological struggles, Piersall appeared in 1,734 major league games and had a career .272 average with 104 home runs and 591 RBIs. He finished in the top ten in the American League for hits on three different occasions, and earned MVP votes in five different seasons. After retiring as a player, Piersall broadcast games for the Rangers and was paired with Harry Carey for White Sox games between 1977 and 1981. He served as a roving minor league outfield instructor for the Cubs between 1986 and 1999, and was a long-time radio personality in Chicago until his retirement in 2006.
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Building the Set
June 20, 1992 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #107
This is one of 11 cards (and the 9th I've covered on this blog) my Dad and I bought in June 1992 at the Ocean City baseball card show held on the boardwalk at the Music Pier. We paid $60 for the lot of 11 cards, which at the time was most likely a steal. Chronologically, I have this listed as the 107th card we added to the set. Like the other cards in this lot, this card is gorgeous with four sharp corners. I'd love to get into my time machine and buy whatever other 1956 Topps cards this dealer had for sale as they're some of the finest cards in our set.
I graduated from high school in 1992, so this trip to Ocean City came after my high school days were over and my college days had yet to begin.
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Piersall had appeared in Bowman sets between 1951 and 1955, and this is his first Topps card. That has to be Yogi Berra (#110) making yet another cameo on a 1956 Topps card. It's hard to tell if Piersall was safe or out, but Berra does appear to be sitting on his foot. If Berra held the ball, Piersall was presumably out. His above average fielding is highlighted in the first cartoon panel on the back.
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Piersall had appeared in Bowman sets between 1951 and 1955, and this is his first Topps card. That has to be Yogi Berra (#110) making yet another cameo on a 1956 Topps card. It's hard to tell if Piersall was safe or out, but Berra does appear to be sitting on his foot. If Berra held the ball, Piersall was presumably out. His above average fielding is highlighted in the first cartoon panel on the back.
The card has been reprinted as part of the 2001 Topps Archives and Archives Reserve sets, as well as the 2002 Topps Archives set. Piersall also signed versions of this reprinted card included as an autographed insert in the 2002 Topps Archives release.
1956 Season
In one of the best seasons of his career, Piersall was the regular center fielder for the Red Sox, appearing in 155 games. He led the American League with 40 doubles and had 14 home runs with a career-high 87 RBIs. That mark was second on the team to right fielder Jackie Jensen's (#115) 97 RBIs. Piersall also led the league with 12 sacrifice flies, putouts as an outfielder with 455 and fielding percentage among all outfielders with a .991 mark. The Boston sports writers voted him the team's MVP following the season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1951 Bowman #306
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1956-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2010 Topps Tales of the Game #TOG-10
131 - Piersall non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1951 Bowman #306
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1956-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2010 Topps Tales of the Game #TOG-10
131 - Piersall non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Until this post, I always thought Piersall celebrated his 100th Home Run by running "backwards" from third to second to first. Not sure why I assumed that, but thanks for clearing it up.
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