#160 Billy Pierce - Chicago White Sox

Walter William Pierce
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  178
Born:  April 2, 1927, Detroit, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1945 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1945, 1948; Chicago White Sox 1949-1961; San Francisco Giants 1962-1964
Died:  July 31, 2015, Palos Heights, IL (age 88)

Billy Pierce was a mainstay in the White Sox pitching rotation throughout the 1950s, earning seven All-Star Game berths and winning the league's ERA title in 1955 with a 1.97 mark.  Pierce won 15 games or more in eight different seasons and was a 20-game winner in both 1956 and 1957.  He led the league in complete games three seasons in a row between 1956 and 1958.  Pierce threw four one-hitters and came within one batter of a perfect game on June 27, 1958 against the Senators.  His career statistics most likely would have been even better if not for his frequent pitching appearances against the powerhouse Yankees, with Pierce often matched up against Whitey Ford (#240).  Pierce pitched effectively in two World Series, with the White Sox in 1959 and the Giants in 1962, but his clubs lost both times.

Pierce ranked atop almost all left-handed pitcher leaderboards when he retired, and his 1,999 career strikeouts were fifth best among all left-handed pitchers in 1964.  Over 18 seasons, Pierce appeared in 585 games and went 211-169 with a 3.27 ERA with 193 complete games.  His career WAR of 53.4 is currently 88th on the all-time list.  Pierce had his #19 retired by the White Sox in 1987, and the team unveiled a statute of their former All-Star pitcher outside U.S. Cellular Field in 2007.  He was also selected to the White Sox All-Century Team in 2000.

December 24, 2004

Building the Set
December 25, 2004 from San Diego, CA - Card #258
This is the sixth of six cards my Dad gave me for Christmas in 2004, and I've already covered the cards for Andy Carey (#12), Bob Kennedy (#38), "Windy" McCall (#44), Johnny O'Brien (#65) and Gus Triandos (#80).  My Dad never told me how much he paid for the six cards he ordered from Kit Young Cards in San Diego.  Kit Young was a favorite of my Dad's, and I can picture him making the long distance call to California with a dollar amount in mind for this purchase.

The Card / White Sox Team Set
Pierce returned to Topps after appearing exclusively in the Bowman sets from 1954 and 1955.  Is that another Yogi Berra (#110) cameo?  It's close to impossible to say for sure, but in any event, that's quite an unusual action shot to use for a pitcher's baseball card.  Given that Pierce isn't too far up the line, I'm assuming he was thrown out at first.  The back of the card celebrates his status as one of the American League's top pitchers of the day.

This card was reprinted for the 2002 Topps Archives set, with Pierce signing copies of the reprinted cards as well.  There's a chrome version of the reprinted card found in the 2002 Topps Archives Reserve set.

1956 Season

Pierce along with second baseman Nellie Fox (#118) were the unofficial team leaders for the White Sox during this era.  In his first of two 20-win seasons, Pierce went 20-9 with a 3.32 ERA over 35 appearances, as his club finished third in the American League.  Pierce was the clear staff ace in 1956 with fellow starting pitchers Jack Harshman (#29) and Dick Donovan (#18) winning 15 and 12 games respectively.  Pierce's 21 complete games tied him for the league lead with the Indians' Bob Lemon (#255).

1951 Bowman #196

1952 Topps #98

1957 Topps #160

1959 Topps #466

1964 Topps #222

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #196
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1951-1953, 1956-1964
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BP

123 - Pierce non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/10/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#159 Clint Courtney - Washington Nationals

Clinton Dawson Courtney
Washington Nationals
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  180
Born:  March 16, 1927, Hall Summit, LA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1951; St. Louis Browns 1952-1953; Baltimore Orioles 1954; Chicago White Sox 1955; Washington Senators 1955-1959; Baltimore Orioles 1960; Kansas City Athletics 1961; Baltimore Orioles 1961
Died:  June 16, 1975, Rochester, NY (age 48)

Catcher Clint Courtney found success early in his career with the Browns/Orioles franchise, but ultimately played the most games with the Senators in the mid to late 1950s.  He's widely considered to be the first major league catcher to wear glasses.  Courtney was acquired by the Browns at the request of manager Rogers Hornsby following the 1951 season, and his successful rookie campaign led to his winning The Sporting News A.L. Rookie of the Year honors in 1952.  That was perhaps the best season of his career, as he batted .286 over 119 games with five home runs and 50 RBIs.  Courtney followed the Browns to Baltimore where he was the team's opening day catcher in their inaugural game in 1954.  His opening day home run was the first home run hit in Memorial Stadium history.

Courtney arrived in Washington in June 1955 and he'd appear in 473 games for the club, with a career high 134 appearances in 1958.  He attained career highs in home runs (8) and RBIs (62) that season as well.  Known as an intense competitor, Courtney was involved in at least two on-field skirmishes with Yankees' second baseman Billy Martin (#181).  He retired as a player after 11 big league seasons, with a .268 batting average and 38 home runs.  In 1965, Courtney served as the bullpen coach for the Astros and he managed the Braves' Triple-A team in Richmond between 1973 and 1975.

June 16, 2007 - Dad, Doug and me in Avalon, NJ

Building the Set
June 17, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #296
Our first son Doug was born in December 2006, and this happy event led directly to my Dad visiting us on a more regular basis.  Dad was living by himself at this point in Mays Landing, New Jersey and he didn't enjoy the 40 minute drive north to our house.  Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact he absolutely seemed to loathe driving and that loathing increased exponentially if there was traffic or if it were dark.  But he made the trips anyway, sometimes staying no more than an hour, because he was so incredibly anxious and excited to spend time with his grandson.

By the time his second grandson (Ben) was born in April 2010, my Dad's health had started to fail and whatever visits we had were pre-arranged or consisted of us visiting him.  Which is why these visits during Doug's infancy and first few years are so special to me.  My Dad would show up usually unannounced, ecstatic to see Doug, there would be some small talk and we'd complain about the Phillies, and then he'd leave.  But on his way out, he'd always say he'd see us again in a few days and I'd look forward to these visits.

This background is needed to better explain how this Courtney card came into our set.  (I first shared all of this a few years ago in the post for the Jack Harshman card - #29.)  In 2007, My Dad's days mostly consisted of an occasional round of golf, calls and visits to his kids - my sister and me, watching cable news, an afternoon nap and scouring eBay.  Most (but not all) of his eBay purchases benefitted me in the form of 1956 Topps cards we needed for our set.  He'd show up at our house for a visit with Doug and nonchalantly hand me one of his recent purchases.  He brought this Courtney card and Elston Howard (#208) card on June 17, 2007, as what most likely was a Father's Day gift.  From pictures at the time, I think we were staying in a house rented in Avalon, New Jersey during this week.

Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
At first I thought Courtney was the catcher depicted in the action shot, but I believe that's Yogi Berra (#110) once again making another cameo on a 1956 Topps card.  By my very unofficial tally, Berra has made cameos so far on the cards of Jim Piersall (#143), Sandy Amoros (#42), Roy Campanella (#101) and Bob Kennedy (#38).  I'm going to call Courtney out at the plate on this play.

The final cartoon panel on the back of the card covers Courtney's offseason exploits as a cattle rancher in Louisiana.  At one point, he owned at least 200 acres of farmland where he'd raise his cattle.

1956 Season

In his first full season in Washington, Courtney appeared in 101 games the Senators, making 66 starts behind the plate.  The team split catching duties three ways that season with Courtney getting the most starts ahead of Lou Berberet (#329) with 54 starts and Ed FitzGerald (#198) with 35 starts.  Courtney batted an even .300 with five home runs and 44 RBIs for the seventh place team.

1953 Topps #127

1954 Bowman #69

1957 Topps #51

1959 Topps #483

1961 Topps #342

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Bowman Color #70
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1953, 1956-1961
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #127

33 - Courtney non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/10/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#158 Wally Post - Cincinnati Redlegs

Walter Charles Post
Cincinnati Redlegs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  July 9, 1929, St. Wendelin, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1949, 1951-1953; Cincinnati Redlegs 1954-1957; Philadelphia Phillies 1958-1960; Cincinnati Reds 1960-1963; Minnesota Twins 1963; Cleveland Indians 1964
Died:  January 6, 1982, St. Henry, OH (age 52)

Slugger Wally Post spent the bulk of his 15-year big league career with his hometown Reds, hitting at least 20 home runs in four different seasons but also leading the league in strikeouts three times.  His best season came in 1955 when he batted .309 with 40 home runs and 109 RBIs - all three setting career bests.  In 1957, Post was one of eight Reds players voted to start in the All-Star Game in a ballot-stuffing drive spearheaded by Reds' management.  Commissioner Ford Frick removed Post and two of his teammates, replacing them with Hank Aaron (#31), Willie Mays (#130) and Stan Musial.  As a member of the Phillies, Post ended Aaron's record-setting streak of six wins in a row in the televised Home Run Derby TV series in 1960.

Post never appeared in the postseason.  In 1,204 career games, he batted .266 with 210 home runs and 699 RBIs.  Post was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1965, following his retirement from baseball.

Building the Set
September 25, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #262
This was a late edition to our set and one of 11 cards we purchased at the 92nd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  My records show we paid $7 for this card. 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 at the time or the occasional mall baseball card show.

August 14, 2005 - Dad and me at Yankee Stadium

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.  Our next show together was a few months later in December, also in Ft. Washington.  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 after that December show.

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, so we had a pretty good excuse not to be purchasing baseball cards at the time.

The Card / Redlegs Team Set
This card marks the return to a Topps set for Post after a four year absence.  Having appeared in the 1952 Topps set, his next mainstream baseball card wouldn't show up until the 1955 Bowman set was released.  The action shot might show Post diving back to first after a pick-off throw from the pitcher?

The cartoons on the back highlight his 40-home run year in 1955 and the fact he was converted from a pitcher to an outfielder by the Reds in 1948.  His strong throwing arm is highlighted in the final panel.  Post led all right fielders in assists in 1954 and 1959, and was in the top five for assists among all National League outfielders in four different seasons.

1956 Season

Post was again the regular right fielder for the Reds, appearing in 143 games while batting .249.  His 36 home runs where two behind Frank Robinson for the team lead, and his 83 RBIs were tied for second on the team with Robinson.  Ted Kluszewski (#25) won the Reds' team RBI title with 102.  The Reds hit 221 home runs in 1956, tying the since broken record of most home runs hit by one team in any season.

Phillies Career
On December 16, 1957, Post was traded to the Phillies for pitcher Harvey Haddix (#77).  Post was the Phillies' opening day right fielder in 1958, ultimately appearing in 110 games for the cellar-dwelling club.  His playing time increased to 132 games in 1959 and he led the National League in strikeouts with 101, with the Phillies once again finishing in eighth place.  Post began the 1960 season as a fourth outfielder with the Phillies, having lost his starting job.  In 34 games with the club, he batted .286, before a June 15th trade sent him back to Cincinnati.  The Phillies received Tony Gonzalez and Lee Walls in return, with Fred Hopke and Harry Anderson heading to the Reds with Post.  In 276 games with the Phillies, Post batted .269 with 36 home runs and 168 RBIs.  He appears on Phillies cards in the 1958, 1959 and 1960 Topps flagship sets, but my personal favorite card of his appears in the 1958 Hires Root Beer set.  (I'm still in need of this card for my Phillies collection as of this writing.)

1952 Topps #151

1955 Bowman #32

1959 Topps #398

1961 Topps #378

1964 Topps #253

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #151
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1952, 1956-1964
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 SP Legendary Cuts #76

60 - Post non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/10/21.

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

Wikipedia

#157 Dick Brodowski - Washington Nationals

Richard Stanley Brodowski
Washington Nationals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  182
Born:  July 26, 1932, Bayonne, NJ
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1952, 1955; Washington Senators 1956-1957; Cleveland Indians 1958-1959
Died:  January 14, 2019, Lynn, MA (age 86)

Dick Brodowski began his professional baseball career as a third baseman, but a rash of injuries to the Class D Marion Red Sox in 1951 forced him into pitching duties.  He ended up going 21-5 with a 2.60 ERA that season (while batting .276) ensuring a quick promotion to the majors.  Brodowski appeared in 20 games for the Red Sox in 1952 at the age of 19, compiling a 5-5 record with a 4.40 ERA.  He pitched four complete games, including a victory over the powerhouse Yankees.  Drafted into military service during the Korean War, Brodowski missed all of the 1953 and 1954 seasons.  He appeared in 16 games for the Red Sox in 1955 and was dealt to the Senators following the season.  Brodowski would only appear in 36 games over four seasons with the Senators and Indians.  After appearing in one game for the Class A Reading Indians in 1960, Brodowski retired.  For his big league career, Brodowski was 9-11 over 72 games, with a 4.76 ERA.

Building the Set
June 22, 1993 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #113
Like the Bill Tremel (#96) and Spook Jacobs (#151) cards, this card isn't in the best of shape and there's no way my Dad was with me when this was purchased from Only Yesterday on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey.  My Dad would have rejected this card outright for our set given its condition, including a few visible creases on the front.  This Brodowski card was purchased along with the cards for Tremel and Jacobs for $10 total.  Up until a few years ago, Only Yesterday was located on the Ocean City boardwalk and it was one of the few stops that was a must-visit for me whenever I'd walk the boards.  (The others being, and still being, Shriver's, Johnson's Popcorn, Manco & Manco's and the Surf Mall.)

I missed a chunk of my spring semester of my freshman year of college due to a bad bout of mono.  In the summer of 1993, after that freshman year, I was back at home.  June 22nd would have been a Tuesday, so that's a strange day to be visiting the Ocean City boardwalk given I would have had a summer job somewhere.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
The main photo is the same used on Brodowski's 1954 and 1955 Topps cards, except this version has him wearing a Senators hat instead of a Red Sox hat.  On the back, his trade from Boston to Washington is mentioned.  On November 8, 1955, the Red Sox dealt Brodowski, Al Curtis, Neil Chrisley, Tex Clevenger and Karl Olson (#322) to the Senators for Bob Porterfield (#248), Johnny Schmitz (#298), Tom Umphlett and Mickey Vernon (#228).  His minor league success is highlighted in the middle and right cartoon panels.

This is also the first (and only?) use of the black-yellow color combination in the set for the bars on the front of the card.

1956 Season

In his first season with the Senators, Brodowski appeared in only seven games, pitching 17 2/3 innings and struggling with an 0-3 record and a 9.17 ERA.  He was demoted in May and didn't return to the Senators until September when rosters expanded.  In the minors with the Louisville Colonels, Brodowski went 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA over 27 games overall and 25 starts.

1952 Topps #404

1953 Topps #69

1954 Topps #221

1955 Topps #171

1959 Topps #371

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #404
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1952-1956, 1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #221

14 - Brodowski non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/18/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#156 Wes Westrum - New York Giants

Wesley Noreen Westrum
New York Giants
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  185
Born:  November 28, 1922, Clearbrook, MN
Acquired:  Sent from Crookston (Northern) to the New York Giants in an unknown transaction before 1941 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1947-1957
As a Manager:  New York Mets 1965-1967; San Francisco Giants 1974-1975
Died:  May 28, 2002, Clearbrook, MN (age 79)

Wes Westrum was a fixture with the New York Giants during their final 11 seasons on the East Coast before the team's move to San Francisco in 1958.  He was a two-time All-Star and played in two World Series with the Giants, helping them win the World Championship in 1954.  Westrum's best season was perhaps 1950 when he batted .236 with career highs in home runs (23) and RBIs (71).  Known more for his defense than his offense, Westrum led all National League catchers in fielding percentage in 1950 and also led the league in caught stealing percentage twice (1953 and 1954).  When the Giants moved west for their 1958 season, he was offered a job as either the team's third-string catcher or as a coach.  He accepted the coaching position, beginning a nearly two decade run as a big league coach or manager.  For his playing career, Westrum appeared in 919 games and batted .217 with 96 home runs and 315 RBIs.

He original stint as a Giants coach lasted until 1963, when he departed to join the Mets staff under manager Casey Stengel.  Westrum was named the Mets' interim manager in 1965 when Stengel broke his hip and he'd have the interim tag removed when Stengel was no longer able to manage.  Between 1965 and 1967 with Westrum at the helm, the Mets went 142-237 and he resigned with less than two weeks to go in the 1967 season.  He rejoined the Giants serving as a coach (1968-1971) and then a scout (1972-1974) before succeeding Charlie Fox as manager on June 28, 1974.  In a year and a half with his original club, he had a 118-129 record and was let go following the 1975 season.  Westrum would then leave the Giants for a final time, serving as a long-time scout for the Braves between 1977 and 1994.

1998 birthday haul, including
1998 Topps factory set

Building the Set
October 10, 1998 in Winston-Salem, NC - Card #168
In what had to have been a post-birthday purchase, I spent $52 in the Season Ticket baseball card store in Winston-Salem for ten 1956 Topps cards.  This Westrum card cost me $4.  I say it had to have been a post-birthday purchase as I didn't have a lot of disposable income back then, but I made sure that any birthday money from my parents went towards something fun and not towards something practical.

I spent 5 years living in Winston-Salem, but I still managed to get lost driving around in those pre-GPS days quite frequently.  Season Ticket was one of the few locations in the city I memorized and I could drive to without having to ask someone to remind me of the directions.  I mean no disrespect to the former owners, but the place was a glorious dump.  Baseball cards were stacked precariously and haphazardly throughout the store, there was hardly any flat surface without something piled on it, nothing was ever in order and if you asked for something specific the owners may or may not remember the general direction of where they had last seen it.

And I loved it in there.  I took my Dad a few times when my parents visited me, and he couldn't wait to get out of the store and back into some fresh air.  Sadly, a recent Google Maps search shows that Season Ticket has gone the way of a lot of hobby shops, and there's now something called Beauty Touch in its place.  But I bet there are still random stacks of baseball cards hiding in a nook or crevice somewhere in the shop.

The Card / Giants Team Set
I'm calling the Cardinal baserunner out, as Westrum seems to have tug him before his foot reached the plate.  And I might be wrong here, but I think Topps used the same headshot photo for Westrum's 1951, 1952 and 1954 cards.  He was exclusively in the Bowman set in 1955, and this card marks his brief return to Topps sets.  The cartoon panels on the back play up his fine defensive skills and mention his ability to catch a knuckle ball.

1956 Season

Ray Katt took over the everyday catcher's job from Westrum in 1955 and while Westrum was the team's opening day catcher in 1956, he soon lost playing time to Katt and eventually Bill Sarni (#247).  Westrum appeared in 68 games, making 45 starts behind the plate, and batted .220 with three home runs and eight RBIs.

1951 Bowman #161

1954 Topps #180

1957 Topps #323

1967 Topps #593

1975 Topps #216

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #161
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1951-1952, 1954, 1956-1957, 1960, 1966-1967, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps Super Teams #6

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

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia