Friday, September 22, 2023

#262 Howie Pollet - Chicago White Sox


Howard Joseph Pollet
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 26, 1921, New Orleans, LA
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1939 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1941-1943, 1946-1951; Pittsburgh Pirates 1951-1953; Chicago Cubs 1953-1955; Chicago White Sox 1956; Pittsburgh Pirates 1956
Died:  August 8, 1974, Houston, TX (age 53)

Southpaw Howie Pollet was a three-time All-Star with the Cardinals, and twice authored 20-win seasons.  Pollet joined the Cardinals' starting rotation in 1942, seeing his first World Series action and winning his first Championship as St. Louis defeated the Yankees in five games.  In 1943, he won his first of two ERA titles with a 1.75 mark in 118 1/3 innings pitched.  Pollet missed three full seasons while serving during World War II, but picked up where he left off in 1946, again winning the league's ERA title.  That was to be his career year, as Pollet went 21-10 with a 2.10 ERA and a league-high 266 innings pitched.  He'd help the Cardinals reach and win the World Series again, as his team defeated the Red Sox in seven games and The Sporting News named him the National League Pitcher of the Year.  Pollet would win 20 games in 1949, his third and final season as an All-Star.

Pollet was traded to the Pirates at the start of the 1951 season, and he'd spend the next six years bouncing around somewhat.  He'd last play in the majors during his second stint with the Pirates at the end of the 1956 season.  Pollet was 131-116 lifetime in 403 games, with a 3.51 ERA and 934 strikeouts over 2,107 1/3 innings pitched.  He'd win this third World Series ring with the Cardinals in 1964, this time as their pitching coach.  Pollet coached with the Cardinals between 1959 and 1964, and was the first pitching coach for the newly-named Houston Astros in 1965.

Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #136
The Roy Campanella (#101) card was my "big" present from Santa for Christmas 1994.  With my Dad's help, Santa secured the Campanella card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego for what my notes say was $75.  That price seems steep, but there were six other cards from the 1956 Topps set under the Christmas tree that year from Kit Young Cards, including this Pollet card, with the other six cards costing a combined $20.  In December 1994, I would have been home from college for the winter break of my junior year.

This was the last Christmas my family and I spent in the house on 12th Street in my hometown where I grew up.  My parents were in the process of building a new house and we'd visit the construction site throughout that winter break.  I had a tough time leaving my childhood home behind and the 1994-1995 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.

The Card / White Sox Team Set
This was meant to be a Cubs card, but Topps pivoted and gave Pollet a SOX logo on his hat in both photos to reflect his latest team.  Pollet had spent the prior 2 1/2 seasons pitching for the Cubs.  The large photo is the exact same used by Topps on Pollet's 1954 and 1955 cards, just with the hat logo updated.  The back of the card mentions his veteran status, his prior success in 1943 and 1946, and his recent arrival to the White Sox.  This is his last Topps flagship card as an active player, and he'd later appear in the 1960 Topps set on a floating heads coach's card.

1956 Season
Pollet signed with the White Sox on April 16th, the day before the start of the season.  His former Cardinals teammate, Marty Marion, was managing the White Sox and Pollet successfully passed a late spring training tryout.  The White Sox changed their minds fairly quick though, as Pollet appeared in only 11 games before he was released on July 13th.  Two days later, the Pirates took a chance on the veteran pitcher, and Pollet made 19 relief appearances for Pittsburgh to close out his career.  In total, with the White Sox and Pirates, he was 3-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 30 appearances, pitching 49 2/3 innings.

1949 Bowman #95
1952 Topps #63
1953 Topps #83
1955 Topps #76
1960 Topps #468

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #95
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1951-1956, 1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #89

42 - Pollet non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/10/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, September 15, 2023

#261 Bobby Shantz - Kansas City Athletics


Robert Clayton Shantz
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher


Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'6"  Weight:  139
Born:  September 26, 1925, Pottstown, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1949-1954; Kansas City Athletics 1955-1956; New York Yankees 1957-1960; Pittsburgh Pirates 1961; Houston Colt .45s 1962; St. Louis Cardinals 1962-1964; Chicago Cubs 1964; Philadelphia Phillies 1964

Bobby Shantz pitched in 16 big league seasons, winning A.L. MVP honors in 1952 and earning eight consecutive Gold Gloves between 1957 and 1964.  Shantz was one of the last All-Stars for the Philadelphia Athletics, winning 18 games in 1951 and a career-high 24 games in his MVP season of 1952.  He was dealt to the Yankees following the 1956 season.  In 1957, Shantz was named to his third All-Star team and he'd lead the league with a 2.45 ERA.  He appeared in the World Series with the Yankees in 1957 and 1960, and won a ring with the team in 1958 although he didn't get into any of those Series games against the Braves.  Shantz was selected in back-to-back expansion drafts by the Senators in 1960, and by the Colt .45s in 1961.  He returned to Philadelphia for his final season, appearing in 14 games for the Phillies in their disastrous 1964 season.

1992 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards
ALS Autograph Party
Shantz owned a lifetime record of 119-99 with a 3.38 ERA and 1,072 strikeouts over 1,935 2/3 innings pitched.  He was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1994, back when the Phillies inducted a former member of the Athletics each year.  As of this writing, the soon to be 98-year-old Shantz is scheduled to appear as an autograph guest at the late September Philly Show.  He's the last surviving member of the Philadelphia Athletics, and the oldest living former player from the Phillies, Astros and Cubs.  His brother Billy Shantz was a catcher for the Athletics and Yankees between 1954 and 1960.

Building the Set
October 10, 1993 in Winston-Salem, NC (Tommy's Collectibles) - Card #121
This is one of three cards purchased right around my 20th birthday in 1993 from Tommy's Collectibles in Winston-Salem, not far from the campus of Wake Forest University, where I had just started my sophomore year.  We only added 13 cards to our 1956 Topps set in 1993, and this is one of seven cards we purchased for our set from Tommy's Collectibles between October 1993 and December 1996.  My records show this Shantz card cost us $10.

I have mostly wonderful memories of my early college years, as I was in that sweet spot between leaving behind high school and figuring out what I would do next.  Majors hadn't yet been declared and while there was plenty of studying, I also recall having my share of fun too.  My family visited for my birthday in early October 1993, and this card was purchased shortly after their visit.

The Card / Athletics Team Set
Shantz returned to a Topps set after a one-year absence.  This is the first card of the fourth and final series in the set, and Topps used a star of the day to kick off each of its second, third and fourth series of cards.  Roy Campanella (#101) was the first card of the second, while Billy Martin (#181) was the first card of the third series.  The back of the card highlights his 1952 MVP win, but also mentions Shantz was frequently injured.  Over three seasons between 1953 and 1955, Shantz was limited to just 41 games due primarily to a lingering shoulder injury.  His excellent fielding skills are highlighted in the final cartoon panel, foreshadowing his eight Gold Glove wins beginning in 1957.

1956 Season
In his final season with the Athletics, Shantz was used mainly as a reliever and occasional closer.  He was 2-7 with a 4.35 ERA in 45 games, recording nine saves.  That mark led the team, as the Athletics won only 52 games to 102 losses in 1956.  Only Jack Crimian (#319), with 47 relief appearances was used more than Shantz, as Shantz came in to relieve 43 times.  Shantz made two starts all season, including a game on April 19th when he threw a complete game, allowing just a run against the Tigers.

Phillies Career
Shantz began the 1964 season, his last in the majors, with the Cardinals and was dealt to the Cubs on June 15th as part of the Lou Brock deal.  Two months later, on August 15th, the Cubs sold Shantz to the Phillies, as the Phillies were desperate for pitching reinforcements as they attempted to win the National League pennant.  Shantz pitched fairly well in his big league swan song, appearing in 14 games and earning a 1-1 record with a 2.25 ERA over 32 innings pitched.  He had one last stellar performance, pitching seven shutout innings of relief against the Dodgers on September 19th, in a game lost by the Phillies, 3-1.

The Phillies asked Shantz to return for the 1965 season, but the veteran pitcher opted to retire.

1950 Bowman #234
1952 Topps #219
1954 Topps #21
1958 Topps #419
1964 Topps #278

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #234
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1952-1954, 1956-1964, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BS

137 - Shantz non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/10/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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