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Carl Anthony Furillo
Brooklyn Dodgers
Outfield
Born: March 8, 1922, Stony Creek Mills, PA
Acquired: Obtained by the Brooklyn Dodgers from Reading (Interstate) as part of a minor league working agreement before 1941 season
Major League Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers 1946-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1960
Died: January 21, 1989, Stony Creek Mills, PA (age 66)
Spending his entire career within the Dodgers' organization, Carl Furillo cemented his place as one of the more popular members of the Dodgers dynasty of the 1950s. Furillo, nicknamed "The Reading Rifle" and "Skoonj," after one of his favorite Italian dishes, scungilli, came up with the Dodgers in 1946. He'd spend the next 13 seasons as the club's regular center or right fielder, playing in seven World Series with the club between 1947 and 1959. Furillo drove in at least 90 runs in six different seasons, driving in 106 in both 1949 and 1950. He was a two-time All-Star in 1952 and 1953, and Furillo won the National League batting title in 1953 with a .344 average. His best season came in 1955 as the Dodgers would win their only World Series Championship while in Brooklyn. Furillo batted .314 that season with a career-high 26 home runs and 95 RBIs. He batted .296 (8 for 27) in the 1955 World Series and had a .266 overall batting average in 40 World Series games. Furillo would win a second World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1959, contributing a key two-run pinch-hit single in Game 3.
Furillo possessed an above-average throwing arm and he led all National League right fielders in assists three times. His 115 career assists from right field are currently 41st all-time. Upon his retirement, Furillo's games played in right field (1,408) were fifth all-time in the National League. In 1,806 games, he collected 1,910 hits while batting .299 with 192 home runs and 1,058 RBIs. Featured as one of the former Dodgers' players tracked down by author Roger Kahn in his book, The Boys of Summer, Furillo was found in 1972 while installing elevators at the World Trade Center.
Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #323
The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Signed exclusively to Bowman, this is Furillo's first Topps card despite his ten seasons in the majors to this point. He appears in each Bowman set issued between 1949 and 1955. I was able to find the original photo used for Furillo's main head shot with a quick Getty Images search, and I found the source of the action shot as well. The action shot seems to be from Game 2 of the 1953 World Series, played on October 1, 1953. That's Yogi Berra (#110) making yet another cameo on another player's card in the 1956 Topps set, and Furillo is safe at the plate on a two-run, fourth inning double from Billy Cox. Gil Hodges (#145) had scored before Furillo, and the Dodgers held a temporary 2-1 lead. The Yankees would go on to win Game 2, 4-2, and they'd also win the Series in six games.
Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #323
I first shared this story with the Roberto Clemente (#33) post, but I'll repeat myself, in an edited version, here. The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory. Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set. Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning. I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set. And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards. Off-center, but well-loved, This Furillo card was one of the final 29.
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The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Signed exclusively to Bowman, this is Furillo's first Topps card despite his ten seasons in the majors to this point. He appears in each Bowman set issued between 1949 and 1955. I was able to find the original photo used for Furillo's main head shot with a quick Getty Images search, and I found the source of the action shot as well. The action shot seems to be from Game 2 of the 1953 World Series, played on October 1, 1953. That's Yogi Berra (#110) making yet another cameo on another player's card in the 1956 Topps set, and Furillo is safe at the plate on a two-run, fourth inning double from Billy Cox. Gil Hodges (#145) had scored before Furillo, and the Dodgers held a temporary 2-1 lead. The Yankees would go on to win Game 2, 4-2, and they'd also win the Series in six games.
The cartoon panels on back highlight his stellar 1955 season, as well as his eight hits in the 1955 World Series. His strong throwing arm is featured in the final cartoon panel. Topps has reprinted this card a few times, first in the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set and again in the 2001 Topps Archives set.
1956 Season
As a member of the newly crowned World Champions, Furillo enjoyed another solid season in 1956. He appeared in 149 games overall, making 138 starts in right field and sharing the outfield most often with Sandy Amoros (#42) in left and Duke Snider (#150) in center. The Dodgers again reached the World Series, but fell in seven games to the Yankees. Furillo batted .289 for the season with 21 home runs and 83 RBIs, finishing 21st in the league's MVP voting.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #70
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1956-1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #16
187 - Furillo non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #70
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1956-1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #16
187 - Furillo non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
My favorite Furillo card, even more than the '57.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to say anyone from the Brooklyn Dodgers was underrated but Furillo still is. He did a lot that gets ignored and he was with the Dodgers for longer than even I realized.
Also, I had to look up scungilli. As a proud Italian, I think I've had it a couple of times.