#155 Harvey Kuenn - Detroit Tigers

Harvey Edward Kuenn
Detroit Tigers
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  187
Born:  December 4, 1930, West Allis, WI
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, June 9, 1952
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1952-1959; Cleveland Indians 1960; San Francisco Giants 1961-1965; Chicago Cubs 1965-1966; Philadelphia Phillies 1966
As a Manager:  Milwaukee Brewers 1975, 1982-1983
Died:  February 28, 1988, Peoria, AZ (age 57)

One of the most prolific hitters in the American League throughout the 1950s, Harvey Kuenn was the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1953 and was named to eight straight All-Star teams between 1953 and 1960.  He and Al Kaline (#20) led the Tigers offense during those years, but the club never finished higher than fourth place in the junior circuit.  A shortstop early in his career, Kuenn led the league in hits four times (1953, 1954, 1956 and 1959), doubles three times (1955, 1958 and 1959) and took the batting crown in 1959 with a .353 average.  He was swapped to the Indians in April 1960 for Rocky Colavito, a blockbuster deal involving two All-Stars.

1982 Donruss #578

After a season in Cleveland, Kuenn moved to the National League where he'd play six more seasons for the Giants, Cubs and Phillies.  He'd see his only postseason play with the Giants in the 1962 World Series.  Over his 14-year career, Kuenn hit .303 with 2,092 hits.

Kuenn became a coach for the Brewers in 1972 and he served as an interim manager for a game in 1975 following the firing of Del Crandall (#175).  He was named the team's permanent manager on June 2, 1982, replacing Buck Rodgers, and he led that Brewers team to their first and only World Series appearance to date.  Despite losing to the Cardinals in the World Series, Kuenn and his team, affectionately called "Harvey's Wallbangers," cemented themselves as fan favorites in Milwaukee.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set

Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #16
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-posted the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post last July.  There were a lot of these Original 44 cards bunched together, meaning the original owner must have opened a few Series Two packs.  Seven of the Original 44 came from Series One, with 11 coming from Series Two.  So far I've covered the cards of Mathews, Yogi Berra (#110), Jim Brady (#126), Eddie Yost (#128), Willie Mays (#130), the Cardinals team card (#134), Johnny Logan (#136) and Johnny Antonelli (#138).  Still to come from Series Two are the cards of Red Schoendienst (#165) and Sammy White (#168).

The Card / Tigers Team Set
When I think of Kuenn, I think of the stocky manager of the Brewers from the early 1980s and not a nimble shortstop from the mid-1950s.  Kuenn returned to Topps after a one year absence and having appeared on a card in the 1955 Bowman set.  The back of this card, and one of the last white-backed cards in our set, highlights his offensive skills and the big signing bonus he received from the Tigers in 1952.  Per his SABR biography, the amount of the "bonus" was $55,000 and it was actually his first three years' salary.

1956 Season

Kuenn was in the middle of the best stretch of his career in 1956 and he led the American League in hits for the third time.  His .332 average was third in the league behind Ted Williams (#5) and Mickey Mantle (#135) who hit .345 and .353 respectively.  Kuenn hit 12 home runs and had 88 RBIs, second on the team to only Kaline and his 128.  Kuenn started all but 15 of the Tigers' 155 games at shortstop and was most often paired with Milt Bolling (#315) as his second base double play partner.

Phillies Career
The Cubs sold Kuenn to the Phillies three games into the 1966 season on April 23rd.  He spent the rest of the season with the Phillies, his final season in the majors, serving as a right-handed pinch-hitter and occasional back-up in left for Tony Gonzalez or at first base for Bill White.  Kuenn appeared in 86 games for the Phillies, hitting .296 with 9 doubles and 15 RBIs.  He received an invitation to spring training in 1967, but he abruptly announced his retirement right before the start of camp to take a job with a television station in Milwaukee.  Kuenn's time with the Phillies produced no official baseball cards.

1954 Topps #25

1959 Topps #70

1962 Topps #480

1966 Topps #372

1984 Topps #321

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #25
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1954, 1956-1966, 1973-1974, 1983-1984
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2021 Panini Diamond Kings #3

173 - Kuenn non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/16/21.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

#154 Dave Pope - Baltimore Orioles

David Pope
Baltimore Orioles
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  June 17, 1921, Talladega, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1952, 1954-1955; Baltimore Orioles 1955-1956; Cleveland Indians 1956
Died:  August 28, 1999, Cleveland, OH (age 78)

Dave Pope's older brother Willie was a pitcher for the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the Negros Leagues.  After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and getting his start in professional baseball in the Negro Leagues too, the younger Pope was signed by the Indians before the 1950 season.  Pope was a regular in the majors for only one season, getting the majority of starts in center field in 1955 for the Indians and later the Orioles to whom he was traded that June.  Pope appeared in 98 games for the Orioles in 1955 and early 1956 before being dealt back to Cleveland.  He saw his sole postseason action in the 1954 World Series and his non-catch in Game 1 of that series is actually featured on this card - see below.

In 230 major league games, Pope hit .265 with 12 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He was a fine fielder, committing only three errors in 315 total chances.  Even though he played his final big league game in 1956, he continued to play in the minors through the 1961 season, enjoying outstanding seasons in 1957 and 1958 with the San Diego Padres, then the Indians' top farm team.

Building the Set
December 3, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #272
This was a relatively late edition to our set and one of eight cards we purchased at the 93rd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  We purchased eight cards for our set that day, spending $50 on the lot.  With the Ocean City baseball card shows long gone by now, our only options for local baseball card shows were the "Philly Shows" held in Ft. Washington or the occasional mall baseball card show. 

My Dad didn't like the drive to Ft. Washington, and this would have been one of only a few shows we attended together in this location.  Looking at my records of when and where we purchased our cards, a full year would go by before we'd add any more cards to the set.  The year-long hiatus in collecting the set came at a time my wife and I were expecting our first son and as we moved into our first real house.

The Card / Orioles Team Set
What's behind Pope in the action shot?  Is it a gray wall or is that outfield grass Topps left uncolored?  It turns out that's the outfield wall of the Polo Grounds, and Pope is shown catching a ball at the wall during the 1954 World Series as a member of the Indians.  Except he didn't actually catch the ball.  In the 10th inning of Game 1, two innings after Willie Mays (#130) had made his amazing over the shoulder catch of a deep fly ball hit by Vic Wertz (#300), Giants' pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes (#50) lofted a fly ball towards the shallow right field wall of the Polo Grounds.  Pope lept as high as he could, but the ball was a few feet above him giving Rhodes a home run and the Giants a Game 1 win.  Topps opted to use the photo here, but gave Pope some redemption by placing the ball in his glove.

That's not the only strange thing about the front of this card.  I remember reading years ago in one of Night Owl Cards' '56 of the Month series that the facsimile autograph sure looks a lot like that of Davey Lopes, who wouldn't play in his first game with the Dodgers until 1972.

1956 Season

Pope began the season with the Orioles and appeared in 12 games with the club, batting just .158 (3 for 19).  On May 13th, he was dealt back to his original team, the Indians, for outfielder Hoot Evers.  Pope reported to the Indians' Triple-A team in Indianapolis where he hit a solid .302 over 100 games as one of the team's regular outfielders along with Roger Maris and Ted Beard.  He returned to the majors in August, appearing in 25 games for the Indians and playing in his final game on September 30th.  In a combined 37 games with the Orioles and Indians, Pope hit .225 in his last big league season.

1955 Bowman #198

1957 Topps #249

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #198
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #249

12 - Pope non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/15/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#153 Frank Thomas - Pittsburgh Pirates

Frank Joseph Thomas
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  200
Born:  June 11, 1929, Pittsburgh, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, July 23, 1947
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1951-1958; Cincinnati Reds 1959; Chicago Cubs 1960-1961; Milwaukee Braves 1961; New York Mets 1962-1964; Philadelphia Phillies 1964-1965; Houston Astros 1965; Milwaukee Braves 1965; Chicago Cubs 1966

Slugger Frank Thomas was a three-time All-Star with the Pirates in the 1950s, and hit at least 20 home runs in 10 of his 16 seasons in the Majors.  He finished fourth in voting for the N.L. MVP in 1958 when he hit .281 with 35 home runs and 109 RBIs, both career highs.  He bounced around between 1959 and 1961, playing for the Reds, Cubs and Braves, but maintaining his annual power output.  In 1962, he was a member of the original Mets, leading the team in both home runs (34) and RBIs (94) as their regular left fielder.  His single-season home run mark stood as a Mets franchise record until broken by Dave Kingman in 1975.

Thomas, who was given the nickname "The Big Donkey," appeared in 1,766 career games, hitting .266 with 286 home runs and 962 career RBIs.  His career home run tally is currently 173rd on the all-time list.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
January 18, 2003 in Plymouth Meeting, PA - Card #235
In January 2003, I added seven cards to our set, purchased at a baseball card show held inside the Plymouth Meeting Mall.  I paid $45 for the seven cards, which included this Thomas card.  My Topps set building had stalled out somewhat in 2003 as I had switched over to become primarily a Phillies collector, and I was also spending my disposable income trying to put together the early Topps Heritage sets.  This was the first of only 18 cards we added to our set in 2003, but we did cross the threshold of needing less than 100 cards to complete the set late in the year.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
That has to be Thomas sliding into second base, but the red sleeves and socks threw me off somewhat.  I'm also guessing that's the Dodgers' Jim Gilliam (#280) who looks to have just fired off a throw to first after forcing Thomas at second.  Sure enough, in the 1955 Dodgers home opener at Ebbets Field, on April 13, 1955, Thomas walked to start the second inning and was the first out in a 5-4-3 double play off the batt of the Pirates Sid Gordon.  Jackie Robinson (#30), starting at third, threw to Gilliam who relayed to Gil Hodges (#145) at first to complete the twin killing.

Thomas appeared in the 1954 and 1955 Bowman sets, and this was his first Topps card.  The cartoon panels on the back highlight his power for the Pirates, as he hit 30 home runs in 1953, 23 in 1954 and 25 in 1955.  The card was reprinted for the 2011 Archives and Archives Autographs sets.

1956 Season

Thomas moved from the outfield to third base for the Pirates in 1956 at the request of manager Bobby Bragan and to accommodate Lee Walls in left field.  Thomas had a tough season defensively, but his bat continued to produce.  In 157 games, Thomas batted .282 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs, both power marks second on the team to Dale Long (#56).

Wes Covington, Thomas, Dick Allen and Johnny Callison

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Thomas from the Mets on August 7, 1964 for Wayne Graham, Gary Kroll and cash and he immediately paid dividends for the pennant seeking Phillies.  In his first month with the club, Thomas hit .302 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs, but he'd miss crucial time down the stretch after breaking his thumb in a September 8th game.  By the time he returned to the lineup, the historic Phillies collapse and their season, was almost over.

He returned to the Phillies in 1965, initially serving as a pinch-hitter or late inning defensive replacement in the outfield or at first base.  Prior to the game on July 3, 1965, and according to various accounts, Thomas and Dick Allen got into a fight.  Different reports have Thomas using racial slurs or swinging a bat in Allen's direction after Allen had taken a swing at him.  Whatever truly happened marked the end of Thomas' Phillies career as he was put on waivers following the game and sold to the Astros on July 10th.

There's a great article, linked here and authored by Frank Fitzpatrick, that appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the fight.

1954 Bowman #155

1958 Topps #409

1959 Topps #490

1964 Topps #345

1964 Topps #345

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Bowman #155
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1956-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FT

123 - Thomas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/15/21.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

#152 Billy Hoeft - Detroit Tigers

William Frederick Hoeft
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  180
Born:  May 17, 1932, Oshkosh, WI
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1952-1959; Boston Red Sox 1959; Baltimore Orioles 1959-1962; San Francisco Giants 1963; Milwaukee Braves 1964; Chicago Cubs 1965-1966; San Francisco Giants 1966
Died:  March 16, 2010, Canadian Lakes, MI (age 77)

Long-time lefty pitcher Billy Hoeft spent 15 years in the majors and was an All-Star with the Tigers in 1955, a year in which he led the league with seven shutouts.  Hoeft spent eight seasons in Detroit and was a reliable starter for the team between 1952 and 1958.  His best season came in 1956 when he went 20-14 with a 4.06 ERA in 38 starts.  He bounced around a bit after being traded to the Red Sox in June 1959 for Jack Harshman (#29), but he was a fairly reliable pitcher at each of his stops over the next eight seasons.  Hoeft moved to the bullpen and appeared in a career-high 57 games for the Orioles in 1962.  He fell just short of the 100-win plateau for his career, going 97-101 over 505 games with a 3.94 ERA and 33 career saves.

Building the Set

College graduation, May 1997

July 19, 1997 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #153
My Dad and I added this card to our set at the Ocean City baseball card show held inside the Music Pier.  We purchased 11 cards that July day - Hoeft and eight other commons, along with the Warren Giles (#2) card for $10 and the Ray Boone (#6) card for $5.

I graduated college in the spring of 1997, and that summer was a good one as I worked on the Sea Isle Promenade at a few t-shirt stores.  My days were spent jogging, barely working, reading and sitting on the beach.  Dinner would usually come from Phil's on 37th and Landis Avenue, and ice cream was consumed nightly.

Dad was still working in Millville at the time, and we probably met up in front of the Music Pier prior to his show.  The baseball card collecting landscape changed drastically in the ten year period between 1987 and 1997, with autographed cards making their way into packs and multiple parallel versions of the same card confusing us as "old school" collectors.  Still, I'd give anything to be back inside the Music Pier with my Dad searching for the next 1956 Topps card to add to our set.  I'm sure he was thrilled to find a dealer selling a bunch of '56s in good shape and at just $2 a card.

The Card / Tigers Team Set
This is the first time palm trees appear on a 1956 Topps card, as this picture was most likely taken at the Tigers then spring training home at Henley Field in Lakeland, Florida.  This is Hoeft's first appearance in a Topps set since 1953.  He's in the 1954 Bowman set but had no mainstream baseball card appearances in 1955, the season in which he made his sole All-Star team.  His successful prior season is highlighted within the cartoon panels on the back, as he led the Tigers pitching staff with 16 wins and a 2.99 ERA.

1956 Season

Hoeft would build on the big year he had in 1955 with a career year in 1956.  As mentioned above, he went 20-14 with righty Frank Lary (#191) the other 20-game winner on the Tigers staff at 21-13.  Hoeft pitched 18 complete games, including four shutouts and threw 248 innings.  His innings pitched set a career high mark, as did his 172 strikeouts.

1952 Topps #370

1957 Topps #60

1959 Topps #343

1961 Topps #256

1966 Topps #409

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #370
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1952-1953, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #165

39 - Hoeft non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/14/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia