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Thomas Aloysius Gorman
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher
Born: January 4, 1925, New York, NY
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1952-1954; Kansas City Athletics 1955-1959
Died: December 26, 1992, Valley Stream, NY (age 67)
Tom Gorman pitched in parts of eight seasons in the major leagues, winning World Series rings with the Yankees in 1952 and 1953. As a middle reliever and occasional closer for those Yankees teams, he appeared in two World Series games against the Dodgers, recording the final outs in the ninth inning in Game 3 of the 1952 World Series (the Yankees would lose 5-3), and pitching three innings of relief in a 7-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 1953 World Series. He was sold to the Athletics, along with Ewell Blackwell and Dick Kryhoski on March 30, 1955, with the Yankees receiving $50,000 for all three players.
Gorman assumed closer duties for the Athletics in 1955, and was one of the team's best pitchers with a 7-6 record to go along with a 3.55 ERA and a team-leading 18 saves over 57 appearances. He'd finish second that season behind the Indians Ray Narleski (#133) for the league leader in saves as Narleski notched 19. Gorman continued as a steady and frequently used reliever for the Athletics through the 1958 season, and he appeared in only 17 games in 1959 with his last big league game coming on June 23, 1959. He'd attempt a brief comeback in 1960, but his pitching days would soon end. In 289 games, Gorman was 36-36 with a 3.77 ERA over 689 1/3 innings pitched with 44 career saves.
February 9, 2002 in Cooperstown, NY - Card #234
This is one of only four cards I purchased in 2002, which was one of the tougher years for me personally. I made a solo unscheduled and unplanned trip to Cooperstown in early 2002 in an attempt to clear my mind one weekend. It was an escape. Thinking back on that time now 21 years later, I realize Cooperstown was a logical choice for me to make my escape as I could leave my present worries behind and live in the past for a few days. I spent a lot of time walking around the Hall of Fame, taking my time and actually relaxing.
I didn't have a lot of money for this trip, but I visited Baseball Nostalgia that Saturday afternoon and purchased four cards for our 1956 Topps set, including this Gorman card. The other three cards purchased were Jim Davis (#102), Don Kaiser (#124) and Joe Frazier (#141) and the four cards together cost me $18.50. That's a fairly low price to pay for some much needed baseball card therapy.
I took my family to Cooperstown for the first time in November 2021, and I was happy to see Baseball Nostalgia was still open. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the shop would close permanently (in January 2022) soon after our visit. Had I known closure was imminent, I would have made a better effort to make one last purchase.
This is one of only four cards I purchased in 2002, which was one of the tougher years for me personally. I made a solo unscheduled and unplanned trip to Cooperstown in early 2002 in an attempt to clear my mind one weekend. It was an escape. Thinking back on that time now 21 years later, I realize Cooperstown was a logical choice for me to make my escape as I could leave my present worries behind and live in the past for a few days. I spent a lot of time walking around the Hall of Fame, taking my time and actually relaxing.
I didn't have a lot of money for this trip, but I visited Baseball Nostalgia that Saturday afternoon and purchased four cards for our 1956 Topps set, including this Gorman card. The other three cards purchased were Jim Davis (#102), Don Kaiser (#124) and Joe Frazier (#141) and the four cards together cost me $18.50. That's a fairly low price to pay for some much needed baseball card therapy.
I took my family to Cooperstown for the first time in November 2021, and I was happy to see Baseball Nostalgia was still open. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the shop would close permanently (in January 2022) soon after our visit. Had I known closure was imminent, I would have made a better effort to make one last purchase.
The Card / Athletics Team Set
This is Gorman's first mainstream baseball card to feature him with the Athletics, as he was omitted from both the 1955 Bowman and Topps sets. This is also his first Topps flagship set appearance. The middle cartoon panel on the back diplomatically explains Gorman had been buried in the Yankees' farm system for nine seasons and he was finally getting his chance to pitch with the Athletics. The third panel seems to be inaccurate, as Baseball Reference shows Gorman only combined on one shutout, saving a 2-0 game over the Orioles on June 24, 1955, and securing the win for Arnie Portocarrero (#53). The Athletics pitching staff threw nine shutouts in 1955, with Gorman only appearing in the June 24th game.
1956 Season
Phillies Connection
Gorman wrapped up his professional pitching career with 34 games for the Indianapolis Indians in 1960, then the top farm team for the Phillies. He's not to be confused with another Tom Gorman, a lefty pitcher, who pitched primarily for the Mets in the mid-1980s. The lefty Gorman appeared in eight games for the 1986 Phillies, going 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA.
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Bowman Black & White #61
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #449
15 - Gorman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/16/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #141 Joe Frazier - St. Louis Cardinals / #153 Frank Thomas - Pittsburgh Pirates
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