Friday, June 10, 2022

#206 Erv Palica - Baltimore Orioles


Ervin Martin Palica
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 9, 1928, Lomita, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, January 25, 1945
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1947-1951, 1953-1954; Baltimore Orioles 1955-1956
Died:  May 29, 1982, Huntington Beach, CA (age 54)

Erv Palica pitched in parts of nine seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Brooklyn Dodgers during their golden era in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  Palica was used primarily as a reliever for the Dodgers, appearing in at least 40 games in 1948, 1949 and 1950.  He pitched two scoreless innings against the Yankees in the 1949 World Series, with the Yankees winning in five games.  Palica's best season came in 1950 when he was 13-8 in 43 appearances, including 19 starts.  He had a 3.58 ERA over 201 1/3 innings pitched, throwing ten complete games and two shutouts.  Palica found himself in manager Chuck Dressen's doghouse in 1951, and the pitcher appeared in only 19 games.  He spent one more full season in Brooklyn, pitching in 25 games for the club in 1954, after missing all of 1952 and most of 1953 while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Dealt to the Orioles in March 1955 for first baseman Frank Kellert (#291) and cash, Palica would appear in 62 games for the second division club in 1955 and 1956.  He'd continue to pitch professionally through the 1963 season, with stops in the minor league systems of the Orioles, Red Sox, Reds and Angels.  Palica's minor league record was 107-78 over ten seasons, and he was 41-55 for his big league career in 246 games with a 4.22 ERA and 423 strikeouts.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #216
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Orioles Team Set
This is one of only two appearances by Palica in a Topps set, as he first appeared back in the 1952 Topps issue.  This is his final appearance on a mainstream baseball card during his playing career.  There appear to be a number of his Orioles teammates making cameo appearances behind his action shot, but the photo is way too dark to make out any actual uniform numbers.  The back of the card highlights his time with the Dodgers and it's worth saying, "When Oiv pitches, da boids choip," out loud so that you can get a sense of a typical Brooklyn accent.

1956 Season
In his last season in the majors, Palica appeared in 29 games for the sixth place Orioles, making 14 starts.  He was 4-11 with a 4.49 ERA in 116 1/3 innings pitched, and his best performance came on August 12th when he threw seven shutout innings, in relief, against the Yankees.  Palica would spend the entire 1957 season pitching for the Vancouver Mounties, then the Orioles' top farm team in the Pacific Coast League.

1951 Bowman #189
1952 Topps #273
1955 Bowman #195

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #189
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1952, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers #134

21 - Palica non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/7/22.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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