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David Pope
Baltimore Orioles
Outfield
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.
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.
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.
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
1956 Season
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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
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