#181 Billy Martin - New York Yankees

Alfred Manuel Martin
New York Yankees
Second Base-Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  May 16, 1928, Berkeley, CA
Acquired:  Traded by Oakland (PCL) with Jackie Jensen to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later and cash, October 13, 1949
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1950-1953, 1955-1957; Kansas City Athletics 1957; Detroit Tigers 1958; Cleveland Indians 1959; Cincinnati Reds 1960; Milwaukee Braves 1961; Minnesota Twins 1961
As a Manager:  Minnesota Twins 1969; Detroit Tigers 1971-1973; Texas Rangers 1973-1975; New York Yankees 1975-1978, 1979; Oakland Athletics 1980-1982; New York Yankees 1983, 1985, 1988
Died:  December 25, 1989, Johnson City, NY (age 61)

As a player, Billy Martin was the Yankees' every day second baseman in 1952, 1953 and 1956, providing steady defense with double play partners Phil Rizzuto (#113) or Gil McDougald (#225).  Martin's best offensive seasons came in the early 1950s, as he batted a career-high .267 in 1952 and hit career highs with his power numbers in 1953 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs.  He was named to his only All-Star team in 1956 and departed the Bronx (for the first of many times) in mid-1957 having won World Series rings with the Yankees in 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1956.  For the rest of his playing days, Martin never stayed with one club for more than a full season, making stops with six different clubs.  He retired having played in 1,021 career games and batting .257 with 877 hits.

1983 Donruss #575

As a manager, Martin developed a reputation for his ability to turn around bad teams as well as his legendary temper.  First hired to manage the Twins in 1969, Martin led Minnesota to a division title but was fired following the season.  After stints with the Tigers and Rangers, he was first hired to manage his former team, the Yankees, in mid-1975.  Martin guided New York to three consecutive pennants between 1976 and 1978, including a World Series title in 1977.  He departed as the Yankees manager for the first time in July 1978 after highly publicized battles with the team's star outfielder, Reggie Jackson, and the team's owner, George Steinbrenner.  Martin and Steinbrenner would continue the pattern of reconciliation and self-destruction throughout the late 1980s, with Martin managing the Yankees in five different stints.  His lifetime managerial record was 1,253-1,013, including 48 career ejections. 

Building the Set

Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #19
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post.  This Martin card would have definitely been one of the names I recognized when going through the Original 44, given his notoriety at the time and his inclusion in Topps and Donruss sets of the day on manager cards.  Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this is the first of 16 from series three.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
Martin was omitted from the 1955 Bowman and Topps sets, given his year away in the military.  It looks as if the runner has been forced out in the action photo.  The cartoon panels on the back feature his military discharge in 1955 and his .500 batting average in the 1953 World Series when he collected 12 hits.

1956 Season

Martin missed all of the 1954 season and most of the 1955 season while serving in the military.  He was the Yankees' opening day second baseman in 1956, his final full season as a player in New York.  Rumblings circulated during the season that Martin was a bad influence on his teammates, especially star slugger Mickey Mantle (#135).  Martin was named to his only All-Star Game and he grounded out against Warren Spahn (#10) as a pinch-hitter.  During the regular season, he played in 121 games, batting .264 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.  He was again a key player in the World Series, delivering a go-ahead RBI single in Game 4 and hitting .296 overall with two home runs as the Yankees defeated the Dodgers in seven games.

1952 Topps #175

1962 Topps #208

1972 Topps #33

1978 Topps #721

1986 Topps #651

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #175
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1952-1954, 1956-1962, 1969, 1971-1978, 1980-1981, 1983-1986
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2021 Topps x Sports Illustrated #51

444 - Martin non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia