#236 Kansas City Athletics Team Card

Topps included full team photos in its baseball card set for the first time in 1956, having previously experimented with team cards in a limited edition 1951 stand-alone set.

Building the Set
October 10, 1998 in Winston-Salem, NC - Card #164
In what had to have been a post-birthday purchase, I spent $52 in the Season Ticket baseball card store in Winston-Salem for 10 1956 Topps cards.  This Athletics team card cost me $10, and was the priciest of the bunch along with the Braves team card (#95) which was also $10.  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.  Looking back at pictures from this period, I was in town for a wedding for a good friend of mine.

October 12, 1998 - With my friends John and Heather

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 that 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.

The Card / Athletics Team Set

This is the penultimate team card in the set, with just the highly desirable Yankees team card (#251) to go.  Topps didn't hold back any team cards for the fourth and final series.  Listed below are the players, coaches, and club personnel featured on the card.  The photo was taken at some point after May 31, 1955, as that's the day the team had signed Clete Boyer as an amateur free agent.  As a bonus baby, Boyer had to stay on the Athletics team, where he joined his brother Cloyd, also in the team photo.  The Boyer's are one of two sets of brothers in the team photo, joining brothers Bobby and Billy Shantz.  Interestingly enough, Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes isn't in the team photo, even though Grimes was one of four Athletics coaches in 1955.  He'd leave the coaching staff and become an Athletics scout in 1956.

Front Row Hector Lopez (#16) Joe DeMaestri (#161) Enos Slaughter (#109) Coach Ski Melillo Manager Boudreau Coach Harry Craft Coach George Susce Arnie Portocarrero (#53) Vic Power (#67)

2nd Row Jim Finigan (#22) Alex Kellner (#176) Tom Gorman (#246) Bill Wilson Gus Zernial (#45) Bill Renna (#82) Cloyd Boyer Harry Simpson (#239) Joe Astroth (#106) Elmer Valo (#3) Trainer Jim Ewell

Back Row Bobby Shantz (#261) Ray Herbert Bill Harrington Vic Raschi Art Ditmar (#258) Jack Littrell Billy Shantz Art Ceccarelli Clete Boyer

The back of the card states the Athletics kept their nickname when they moved to Kansas City due to the team's "rich tradition."  There were definitely some lean years for the team while in Philadelphia, but they did win five World Series titles.  Given accolades on the back are manager Connie Mack (1901-1950), along with stars Rube Waddell (1902-1907), Chief Bender (1903-1914), Al Simmons (1924-1932, 1940-1941, 1944), Jimmie Foxx (1925-1935), Mickey Cochrane (1925-1933) and Lefty Grove (1925-1933).  The Athletics would play only 13 seasons in Kansas City before moving to Oakland in 1968.  With the Athletics' lease expiring for Oakland Coliseum after the 2024 season, the team might be on the move again soon to a possible fourth home.

Here are the updated statistical categories through the 2022 season, adding the four additional World Championships the Athletics have won since moving to Oakland.

Most Home Runs - 257 in 2019

Most Stolen Bases - 341 in 1976

Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2020
Additional Championship Teams - 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989

1956 Season
In their second year in Kansas City since relocating from Philadelphia, the Athletics lost 102 games, finishing 45 games behind the Yankees in the American League standings.  Their best position player was probably third baseman Hector Lopez, who batted .273 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs.  Right fielder Harry Simpson was the best power hitter with a team-leading 21 home runs and 105 RBIs.

Art Ditmar went 12-22 with a 4.42 ERA in 44 games, including 34 starts.  Pitcher Wally Burnette had the top bWar on the club with a 2.6 mark, and he was 6-8 with a 2.89 ERA in just 18 games.  Bobby Shantz, the 1952 American League MVP, led the team with nine saves.

Athletics Cards That Never Were
There are some easy choices here and if I were put in charge of a fifth series for the set, listed below are the additional Athletics cards I'd include. 

• Lou Boudreau (manager) - Hall of Famer Boudreau had won a World Series with the Indians in 1948, and his managing career was on its downside by the time he took over the Athletics when they moved to Kansas City.  He'd be out as manager before the 1957 season ended.
• Tim Thompson (c) - The most regularly used catcher for the team, Thompson would appear in the 1957 Topps set.
• Al Pilarcik (cf) - As would Pilarcik, the Athletics' regular center fielder.
• Lou Skizas (of) - Skizas made it into 83 games, batting .316 with 11 home runs.
• Clete Boyer (2b) - At just 19 years old, the future Yankee would appear in 67 games with the Athletics.
• Wally Burnette (rhp) - The MVP of the club (?), Burnette's rookie card would also appear in the 1957 Topps set.
• Tommy Lasorda (lhp) - Lasorda was sold to the Athletics by the Dodgers on March 2, 1956, and he'd pitch in 18 games for Kansas City during his brief exile from the Dodgers' organization.  Bob Lemke created a Lasorda card in the style of the 1956 Topps set back in 2012, shown above.

Sources

Baseball Reference

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #235 Don Newcombe - Brooklyn Dodgers / #237 Jose Valdiveilso - Washington Nationals

Order Collected: #183 Stan Lopata - Philadelphia Phillies / #35 Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians

#235 Don Newcombe - Brooklyn Dodgers

Donald Newcombe
Brooklyn Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  220
Born:  June 14, 1926, Madison, NJ
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Newark Eagles 1944-1945; Brooklyn Dodgers 1949-1951, 1954-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958; Cincinnati Reds 1958-1960; Cleveland Indians 1960

Died:  February 19, 2019, Sherman Oaks, CA (age 92)

1975 Topps #194

Don Newcombe was the first pitcher to win Rookie of the Year, MVP and Cy Young Award honors, a feat no-one else accomplished until Justin Verlander.  After a few years playing with the Newark Eagles, Newcombe was signed by the Dodgers and he'd immediately find success in the National League, winning 17, 19 and 20 games in the 1949, 1950 and 1951 seasons.  He was named Rookie of the Year in 1949 following his 17-8 season in which he led the league with five shutouts.  Newcombe missed two full seasons in his prime to serve in the military during the Korean War.  Returning in 1954 he struggled somewhat, but was a 20-game winner again in 1955.  His Brooklyn club would win their only World Championship in 1955.  Newcombe had his career year in 1956, going 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA and winning both the league's MVP and Cy Young awards.  He threw 18 complete games, including five shutouts, and struck out 139 over 268 innings pitched.

Newcombe never returned to that form and was 0-6 for the Dodgers in 1958, the team's first year in Los Angeles.  His battle with alcoholism contributed to his swift decline.  He was traded to the Reds in June 1958 for Steve Bilko, Johnny Klippstein (#249) and two players to be named later.  After two more seasons with the Reds and Indians, Newcombe was released, but he'd attempt comebacks with the Dodgers in 1961 and in Japan in 1962.  For his career, Newcombe was 153-96 with a 3.57 ERA in 360 games pitched, with 145 complete games and 24 shutouts.  Also a threat at the plate, Newcombe batted .268 with 15 home runs and 109 RBIs, and had 106 pinch-hitting appearances throughout his career.  Newcombe rejoined the Dodgers organization in the late 1970s, and he'd serve in a variety of public relations and front office roles with the club for several decades.

October 7, 2007 - Birthday celebration with family

Building the Set
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #310
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set.  Along with this Newcombe card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bill Bruton (#185), Bob Feller (#200) and Don Larsen (#332).  My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday.  

My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Newcombe had an exclusive contract with Bowman, appearing in that company's sets every year between 1950 and 1955, excluding 1953.  This is his first appearance in a Topps set, and I would have first seen the card as part of the MVP subset included in the 1975 Topps set.  Topps reprinted this card in their 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set, and also created cards that never were for Newcombe for 1952, 1953 and 1954.  Newcombe autographed reprints of this card for the 2001 and 2002 Topps Archives sets.

1956 Season

As mentioned above, this was Newcombe's career year and he'd top Sal Maglie to win the major league's first Cy Young Award.  Newcombe received 10 of 16 total first place votes with Maglie receiving four votes and Whitey Ford (#240) and Warren Spahn (#10) each receiving one vote each.  Newcombe also edged out Maglie in the National League MVP voting.  Henry Aaron (#31), who had led the league with 200 hits and a .328 batting average, finished third in the voting.

Newcombe was roughed up in both his World Series starts against the Yankees.  In Game 2, he allowed six runs in just 1 2/3 innings of work, and he allowed five runs over three innings in the decisive Game 7.

1950 Bowman #23

1952 Bowman #128

1957 Topps #130

1958 Topps #340

1960 Topps #345

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #23
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1956-1961, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Sportkings #24

217 - Newcombe non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/21/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #234 "Pete" Runnels - Washington Nationals / #236 Kansas City Athletics Team Card

Order Collected: #200 Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians / #332 Don Larsen - New York Yankees

#234 "Pete" Runnels - Washington Nationals

James Edward Runnels
Washington Nationals
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  January 28, 1928, Lufkin, TX
Acquired:  Purchased by the Washington Senators from the Texarkana Bears (Big State League) for $12,500, September 1950
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1951-1957; Boston Red Sox 1958-1962; Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964

As a Manager:  Boston Red Sox 1966

Died:  May 20, 1991, Pasadena, TX (age 63)

Pete Runnels began his big league career playing in seven seasons for the Washington Senators, but he'd enjoy his best years with the Red Sox following a trade to Boston in early 1958.  Runnels earned the everyday shortstop job with the Senators in mid-1951.  He'd hit for average, with little power, seemingly peaking in 1956 with a .310 average to lead Washington.  On January 23, 1958, Runnels was traded to the Red Sox for Albie Pearson and Norm Zauchin (#89), and he'd be named to both All-Star teams in 1959 and 1960.  After finishing second and third in the batting title races in 1958 and 1959, he'd win his first batting title in 1960 with a .320 mark.  Runnels would tie a major league record on August 30, 1960, when he collected nine hits in a double header against the Tigers.  He would win his second batting title in 1962, batting .326 to beat out league MVP Mickey Mantle (#135) and his .321 average.  In his fifth All-Star Game in 1962, Runnels hit a pinch-hit home run off the Phillies' Art Mahaffey.

Following his batting title win in 1962, he requested and was granted a trade to the Colt .45s, in his home state, where he'd play the final two seasons of his career.  He'd return to Boston as a first base coach in 1965 and 1966, briefly serving as interim manager at the end of the 1966 season following the dismissal of Billy Herman.  In 1,799 major league games, Runnels batted .291 with 1,854 hits, including 282 doubles.  He was inducted posthumously into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004.

Building the Set
April 22, 2000 in Raleigh, NC - Card #201
This Runnels card was added to our set for $5 at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show held in Raleigh, North Carolina a week after tax deadline day and the day before Easter.  I bought six cards that day, paying a grand total of $20.  Pictures from this time in my life are few and far between, but it looks as if my parents paid a visit to Raleigh for Easter weekend as I have photos of them dressed for what has to be for a church service.  We're standing outside the apartment complex where I was living at the time.  And it's quite possible my Dad attended this baseball card show in Raleigh with me, which would have been a rarity in those days.  I found my notes on the back of the pink show flyer, memorializing the prices paid for the six cards we added.  Also added that day were 1972 Topps cards for Boog Powell and Roberto Clemente.

This day is also notable as it's almost 10 years to the day before our youngest son Ben was born.  There were some bumpy roads coming up for a few years, but eventually things got back on track.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
Runnels wasn't included in the 1955 Topps set, and he returns here after a one year absence.  Topps made the decision to add quotes around his nickname, "Pete," on the front of the card.  I set out trying to identify the action photo, as #39 wasn't a common uniform number for teams in the 1950s.  The only #39s in the American League in 1955 were Bob Smith from the Red Sox and Bob Wiesler (#327) from the Yankees.  Smith appeared in one game in 1955, and not against the Senators.  The Yankees wouldn't have had red uniform numbers, so I don't think that's Weisler, but double checking his game logs there wren't any plays at second base in the three games Weisler faced the Senators.  I went back to 1952, looking through game logs for players wearing #39 and appearing against the Senators and I couldn't find any logical fits.

The back of the card highlights his high average in 1955 (.284) and his ability to play multiple positions.  The final cartoon panel refers to an injury suffered in 1953.  Runnels made just one start at shortstop between July 29th and August 18th that season, so he may have been injured during that stretch.  Baseball Reference shows he made nine pinch-hitting appearances all season, batting .333 (3 for 9).  I'm not quite sure where Topps got their .400 average from, as Runnels wasn't actually in a pinch-hitting role for a prolonged stretch.

1956 Season

Runnels was the opening day second baseman for the Senators, and he'd make 144 starts overall - 79 at first base and 65 at second base.  He drove in a career-high 76 runs, which was third on the club behind Jim Lemon with 96 and Roy Sievers (#75) with 95.  Runnels batted .310 overall, and was third in the league in singles (133), fourth in the league in doubles (29) and sixth in the league in overall hits (179).

1952 Topps #2

1954 Topps #6

1959 Topps #370

1962 Topps #3

1964 Topps #121

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #2
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1952-1954, 1956-1964
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Fleer Boston Red Sox 100th Anniversary #18

84 - Runnels non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/13/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #233 Carl Erskine - Brooklyn Dodgers / #235 Don Newcombe - Brooklyn Dodgers

Order Collected: #223 Randy Jackson - Brooklyn Dodgers / #205 "Whitey" Lockman - New York Giants

#233 Carl Erskine - Brooklyn Dodgers

Carl Daniel Erskine
Brooklyn Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  165
Born:  December 13, 1926, Anderson, IN
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1948-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1959

Nicknamed "Oisk," which mimicked how a fan with a Brooklyn accent would pronounce his last name, Carl Erskine pitched in parts of 12 seasons for the Dodgers and was a key component of Brooklyn's 1955 World Championship.  Erskine was on five pennant-winning Dodgers teams throughout his career, and his personal best season came in 1953 when he was 20-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 39 appearances, including 16 complete games, and a career-high 187 strikeouts.  In Game 3 of the 1953 World Series, Erskine struck out a then-record 14 batters, and finished off the feat by striking out the side in the ninth inning.  He was an All-Star in 1954, and was 11-8 the following season when the Dodgers finally overcame the Yankees for a Championship title.  Erskine pitched a pair of no-hitters during his career, in 1952 against the Cubs and in 1956 against the Giants.  He pitched in parts of the Dodgers' first two seasons in Los Angeles before appearing in his final big league game on June 14, 1959.

After his playing days, Erskine coached baseball at Anderson College in his Indiana home town for 12 seasons.  He was a prominent local businessman, active in his community and devoted to his son Jimmy, who had been born with Down syndrome.  Erskine helped support the Baseball Assistance Team and the Special Olympics for decades.

Building the Set
January 27, 2001 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #225
For Father's Day in 2021, we attended my youngest son's piano recital and then travelled to the Moorestown Mall (in nearby Moorestown, NJ) for a baseball card show.  I don't spend a lot of time in malls, but I thought this one looked vaguely familiar.  As it turns out, I was at the very same mall 20 years earlier with my Dad for his 57th birthday.  We paid $60 for four cards for our 1956 Topps set, with the biggest purchase being the Harmon Killebrew card (#164) that set us back $38.  Based on my checklist at the time, we got a good deal on this card as I had the Killebrew card listed as one of the more valuable cards we still needed at a range of $60 to $100.  The other three cards added were this Erskine card, Frank Malzone (#304) and Ellis Kinder (#336).  Erskine was also a steal at $8.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Erskine's #17 can be seen on the back of his jersey in the action photo on the front of the card.  He had been exclusive to Bowman in 1953, 1954 and 1955, and this marks his return to Topps for the first time since 1952.  The back of the card justifiably pays tribute to his 14 World Series strikeouts in 1953 and his no-hitter in 1952.  Topps reprinted the card in its 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.  There's also a likeness of the card in the 2022 Topps Spotlight 70 II by Andy Friedman set, which had been sold online by Topps.

1956 Season

Following the high of winning the 1955 World Series, Erskine and the Dodgers went back to work and won the National League pennant again in 1956.  Erskine was 13-11 with a 4.25 ERA in 31 games and 28 starts, slotting into the pitching rotation behind Don Newcombe (#235), Roger Craig (#63) and Sal Maglie.  His second career no-hitter came on May 12th at Ebbets Field against the rival Giants.  Erskine walked a pair and struck out three in the game.  In the World Series, Erskine started Game 4, taking the loss when he allowed three runs in his four innings of work.  He was on the mound in relief in the blowout Game 7, in which the Yankees won by a score of 9-0 after roughing up Craig and Newcombe.

1951 Bowman #260

1952 Topps #250

1955 Bowman #170

1957 Topps #252

1959 Topps #217

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #260
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Panini Diamond Kings #14

159 - Erskine non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/7/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #232 "Toby" Atwell - Pittsburgh Pirates / #234 "Pete" Runnels - Washington Nationals

Order Collected: #164 Harmon Killebrew - Washington Nationals / #304 Frank Malzone - Boston Red Sox