#284 Ike Delock - Boston Red Sox

Ivan Martin Delock
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  November 11, 1929, Highland Park, MI

Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:   Boston Red Sox 1952-1953, 1955-1963; Baltimore Orioles 1963

Died:  February 28, 2022, Raleigh, NC (age 92)

Ike Delock was a mainstay on the Red Sox pitching staff through the 1950s and early 1960s, appearing in at least 20 games for the club every season between 1952 and 1961.  A swingman for most of his career, Delock had his best seasons working out of the bullpen for the Red Sox between 1956 and 1959.  During those four years he was a combined 47-29 with a 3.55 ERA in 156 games pitched, including 46 starts.  He also recorded 22 saves during that span.  Injuries curtailed Delock's career, and he retired in 1963 after seven appearances with the Orioles.  In 329 career games, Delock was 84-75 with a 4.03 ERA and 672 strikeouts over 1,238 innings pitched.

Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #137
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 Delock 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 / Red Sox Team Set
Delock appeared in the 1952 Bowman and Topps set, and then disappeared from baseball cards until the 1955 Bowman set.  This is his first Topps appearance since 1952.  There's a Red Sox player making a cameo behind Delock's action photo, and we'll likely never know the identity of the mystery player.  The photo of Delock was likely taken in 1952 or 1953, as that looks to be a #9 peaking through on his back and Delock wore #29 in his first two seasons in Boston.  The cartoon panels on the back detail Delock's progression and his return to the Red Sox in 1955 after a full year in 1954 in the minors.

1956 Season

Delock was one of the more effective relievers in the American League, and one of the most frequently used pitchers by Red Sox manager Pinky Higgins.  The de facto closer for the Red Sox, Delock recorded a team-leading nine saves while going 13-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 48 games pitched.  He also made eight starts, throwing a complete game on May 20th against the White Sox.  His successful campaign led to his winning the Unsung Hero award following the season, as presented by the Boston Baseball Writers.

1952 Topps #329

1957 Topps #63

1959 Topps #437

1961 Topps #268

1963 Topps #136

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #250
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1952, 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-ID

25 - Delock non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #283 Hal Smith - St. Louis Cardinals / #285 Eddie Miksis - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #262 Howie Pollet - Chicago White Sox / #289 Hal Jeffcoat - Cincinnati Redlegs

#283 Hal Smith - St. Louis Cardinals

Harold Raymond Smith
St. Louis Cardinals
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  186
Born:  June 1, 1931, Barling, AR
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1956-1961; Pittsburgh Pirates 1965

Died:  April 12, 2014, Fort Smith, AR (age 82)

Hal Smith was a three-time All-Star catcher for the Cardinals before a heart ailment prematurely ended his playing career.  Smith took over regular catching duties for the Cardinals in 1957, making his first All-Star team in the process.  He'd be named to both National League All-Star teams in 1959, which would prove to be his career year.  Smith appeared in a career-high 142 games that season, starting 128 games behind the plate.  He batted .270 with career bests in home runs (13) and RBIs (50).  Known most for his defense and strong throwing arm, Smith led all catchers in runners caught stealing in 1959 and 1960.  In June 1961 he was diagnosed with a coronary artery condition, immediately ending his big league career at the age of 30.  The Cardinals added him to their coaching staff, where he'd continue to mentor his eventual replacement, Tim McCarver.

Smith would make a brief return as a player in 1965.  Serving as the bullpen coach for the Pirates, Smith was activated and made emergency appearances in four games as the Pirates had lost all their catching depth to various injuries.  He'd coach in the majors with the Cardinals (1962), Pirates (1965-1967), Reds (1968-1969) and Brewers (1976-1977).  In 570 major league games, Smith batted .258 with 437 hits, 23 home runs and 172 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 19, 2000 in Raleigh, NC - Card #204
This Hal Smith shouldn't be confused with the other Hal Smith (#62) also in the 1956 Topps set.  Both were catchers, complicating things somewhat, but this Hal Smith is commonly shown as Hal R. Smith in checklists while the other Hal Smith shows up as Hal W. Smith.  I don't think I realized there were two Hal Smiths in the set until I alphabetized our checklist, which made it easier to check if we needed a card when a dealer's boxes were out of order.

Something that's perhaps only amusing to me is that I purchased both Hal Smith cards needed for our set at the same time from the same dealer at the Sports Card Show in Raleigh.  I decided I wanted to purchase both cards together, and if I found one in decent shape I waited until I had found the second in decent shape as well.  Having found both Hal Smith cards in an out-of-order box of 1956 Topps commons, I approached the dealer and asked him for a price for the pair.  He did somewhat of a double take when he realized both cards bore the name Hal Smith and he looked at me quizzically.

Without missing a beat, and without cracking a smile, I told him, "I collect only Hal Smith cards."  He continued his stare for a few more seconds and then said, "$15 for both of them."  And with that, both Hal Smith cards entered our 1956 Topps set.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
This is Smith's rookie card, and given he didn't make his debut until 1956 (see below) I'm assuming that's not Smith donning the catching gear in the action shot.  Smith would wear #18 with the Cardinals in his first three seasons with the team.  Outfielder Rip Repulski (#201) wore #8 with the Cardinals, so there's also an excellent chance the catcher shown is from an entirely different team.

Adding confusion to the multiple catching Hal Smith situation, Topps used the wrong Smith's facsimile autograph on the front of this card.  This is the same autograph that appears on the other Smith's card earlier in the set.

1956 Season

Smith earned a spot on the Cardinals' opening day roster and made his major league debut on May 2nd against the Pirates at Busch Stadium.  He pinch-hit for pitcher Lindy McDaniel in the fifth inning, connecting for an RBI double to left that scored Repulski.  A few batters later, Stan Musial would hit a grand slam, and Smith scored his first major league run.  On June 14th, regular catcher Bill Sarni (#247) was part of a massive ten-player deal with the Giants and Smith became the Cardinals' every day catcher.

He'd start 58 games overall behind the plate, and batted .282 in his rookie season with five home runs and 23 RBIs.

1957 Topps #111

1958 Topps #273

1959 Topps #497

1960 Topps #84

1961 Topps #549

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #283
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1956-1961
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #549

32 - Smith non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #282 Warren Hacker - Chicago Cubs / #284 Ike Delock - Boston Red Sox

Order Collected: #62 Hal Smith - Baltimore Orioles / #172 Frank Torre - Milwaukee Braves

#282 Warren Hacker - Chicago Cubs

Warren Louis Hacker
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  November 21, 1924, Marissa, IL
Acquired:  Sent from the Shreveport Sports (Texas League) to the Chicago Cubs in an unknown transaction, September 1948
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1948-1956; Cincinnati Reds 1957; Philadelphia Phillies 1957-1958; Chicago White Sox 1961

Died:  May 22, 2002, Lenzburg, IL (age 77)

Warren Hacker pitched for a dozen seasons in the majors, with his best seasons coming in the early 1950s with the Cubs.  Hacker made his debut with the Cubs in 1948, appeared in 30 games for the club in 1949, and then pitched sporadically over the next two seasons spending most of his time in the minor leagues.  He came up for good in 1952, winning a career-high 15 games in what was by far his career year.  Hacker was 15-9 with a 2.58 ERA in 33 games pitched, leading the league with a 0.946 WHIP and earning MVP votes following the season.  He'd struggle the following season, losing 19 games for the Cubs in 1953.  An excellent fielder, Hacker led all National League pitchers with a 1.000% fielding percentage in 1952, 1954 and 1956.

Hacker appeared in at least 30 games each season between 1952 and 1957, and he'd disappear from the majors for two seasons in 1959 and 1960 before returning with the White Sox in 1961.  In his final season in the majors, Hacker relieved in a career-high 42 games, pitching to a 3.77 ERA.  He'd spend five seasons between 1962 and 1966 pitching for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, which were some of the best professional seasons of his career.  In 306 career major league games, Hacker was 62-89 with a 4.21 ERA in 1,283 1/3 innings pitched.  Following his playing career, Hacker remained in the game as a minor league pitching coach in the Athletics and Padres organizations until the mid-1970s.

December 12, 2003 - My family at the Buena Tavern

Building the Set
December 25, 2003 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #249
My Dad/Santa brought me nine cards for our set for Christmas in 2003, with all but one of the cards coming from his dealer of choice, Kit Young Cards in San Diego.  The Brooklyn Dodgers team card (#166) was the lone non-Kit Young Cards addition, as that card came from TemDee in Turnersville, New Jersey.  It was a strange mix of commons from Kit Young Cards, with no semi-star or star card to balance out the lot.  We were admittedly in a lull collecting the set, with only 18 cards added during all of 2003 and only six cards added, as Christmas presents, in 2004.

Pictures from the Christmas of 2003 show us opening gifts at my Mom's house on December 26th, which has since become a tradition for us.  So while the official set records indicate these nine cards were added on December 25th, it was most likely a day later I opened the cards while in Millville.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
Hacker returns to Topps with this card, after having been exclusively in Bowman sets in 1953, 1954 and 1955.  The first cartoon panel on the back references his near no-hitter.  On May 21, 1955, Hacker was two outs away from a no-hitter against the Braves when George Crowe (#254) hit a solo home run to deep right field.  Hacker retired the next two batters and the Cubs would still win the game, 2-1.

1956 Season

In his final season with the Cubs, Hacker was 3-13 with a 4.66 ERA in 34 games, including 24 starts.  Cubs manager Stan Hack used a starting pitching rotation of Hacker, Bob Rush (#214), Sam Jones (#259) and Don Kaiser (#124) for most of the season.  Hacker threw four complete games and pitched 168 innings overall.

Phillies Career
The Phillies selected Hacker off waivers from the Redlegs on June 26, 1957.  In 20 games with the Phillies in 1957, including 10 starts, he was 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA.  He'd see much less time with the club in 1958, appearing in only nine games in May, June and early July.  With the Miami Marlins, then the Phillies' top farm team, he was 5-6 in 1958 with a 3.11 ERA.  Hacker last pitched for the Phillies on July 6, 1958 and he'd spend all of 1959 and 1960 pitching for their Triple-A team in Buffalo.  With the Bisons, and as one of their top starters, Hacker was 10-8 in 1959 and 9-11 in 1960.  His time with the Phillies came to an end on June 1, 1961 when he was sold to the White Sox.

A part of the organization for nearly four years, Hacker appeared in only 29 games for the Phillies, going 4-5 overall with a 5.04 ERA in 91 innings pitched.

1951 Bowman #318

1952 Topps #324

1954 Bowman #125

1957 Topps #370

1958 Topps #251

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #318
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1952, 1956-1958
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Topps 1952 Reprint Series #324

18 - Hacker non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #281 Art Houtteman - Cleveland Indians / #283 Hal Smith - St. Louis Cardinals

Order Collected: #281 Art Houtteman - Cleveland Indians / #297 Bob Skinner - Pittsburgh Pirates

#281 Art Houtteman - Cleveland Indians

Arthur Joseph Houtteman
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  August 7, 1927, Detroit, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1945 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1945-1950, 1952-1953; Cleveland Indians 1953-1957; Baltimore Orioles 1957

Died:  May 6, 2003, Rochester Hills, MI (age 75)

With major league rosters decimated by players serving during World War II, Art Houtteman was signed by the Tigers in early 1945 and made his debut with the club at the age of 17 on April 29th.  He was the youngest player in the majors in both 1945 and 1946.  Houtteman would soon become the ace of the Tigers' pitching staff, winning 15 games in 1949 and a career-best 19 games in 1950.  He'd pitch in that year's All-Star Game at Comiskey Park, allowing a home run to Ralph Kiner.  Houtteman missed the entire 1951 season while in military service and struggled somewhat upon his return in 1952.  He pitched a career-high 221 innings that season, but was 8-20 with a 4.36 ERA.

Dealt to the Indians in 1953, Houtteman was a member of the 1954 pennant-winning club and he pitched briefly in the 1954 World Series, lost to the Giants in four games.  Houtteman's output declined over the next few seasons and while his last major league action came in 1957, he pitched two more seasons in the Tigers and Athletics minor league systems before retiring in 1959.  In 325 career games, Houtteman was 87-91 with a 4.14 ERA, 78 complete games and 14 shutouts.

December 26, 2003 - Dad opening presents

Building the Set
December 25, 2003 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #248
My Dad/Santa brought me nine cards for our set for Christmas in 2003, with all but one of the cards coming from his dealer of choice, Kit Young Cards in San Diego.  The Brooklyn Dodgers team card (#166) was the lone non-Kit Young Cards addition, as that card came from TemDee in Turnersville, New Jersey.  It was a strange mix of commons from Kit Young Cards, with no semi-star or star card to balance out the lot.  We were admittedly in a lull collecting the set, with only 18 cards added during all of 2003 and only six cards added, as Christmas presents, in 2004.

Pictures from the Christmas of 2003 show us opening gifts at my Mom's house on December 26th, which has since become a tradition for us.  So while the official set records indicate these nine cards were added on December 25th, it was most likely a day later I opened the cards while in Millville.

The Card / Indians Team Set
Houtteman was exclusively with Bowman between 1953 and 1955, and this marks his first card in a Topps set since 1952.  The first cartoon panel on the back includes an uncorrected error as Houtteman made his debut with the Tigers at the age of 17.  The other cartoon panels include representations of Houtteman's teams with a tiger in uniform and a now-dated reference to the Indians.

1956 Season

Houtteman spent the entire season with the Indians, but was infrequently used by manager Al Lopez.  In 22 appearances overall, including four starts, Houtteman was 2-2 with a 6.56 ERA in 46 2/3 innings pitched.

1950 Bowman #42

1951 Bowman #45

1952 Topps #238

1955 Bowman #144

1957 Topps #385

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #42
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1952, 1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1985 TCMA 1949 Play Ball #29

27 - Houtteman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #280 Jim Gilliam - Brooklyn Dodgers / #282 Warren Hacker - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #278 Chet Nichols - Milwaukee Braves / #282 Warren Hacker - Chicago Cubs

#280 Jim Gilliam - Brooklyn Dodgers

James William Gilliam
Brooklyn Dodgers
Outfield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175
Born:  October 17, 1928, Nashville, TN
Acquired:  Purchased with Joe Black (#178) by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Baltimore Elite Giants (Negro League) for $11,000, before 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Elite Giants (1946-1948); Brooklyn Dodgers 1953-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1966

Died:  October 8, 1978, Inglewood, CA (age 49)

After his first three seasons in professional baseball with the Baltimore Elite Giants, Jim "Junior" Gilliam joined the Dodgers organization in 1951 and he'd serve as a player and popular coach with the club until his untimely death in 1978.  Gilliam made his debut with the Dodgers in 1953 as their opening day second baseman, sharing an infield with Gil Hodges (#145) at first base, Pee Wee Reese (#260) at shortstop and Jackie Robinson (#30) at third base.  He'd win Rookie of the Year honors that year, while batting .278 with 21 stolen bases and leading the league with 17 triples.  As a player, Gilliam was a member of seven pennant-winning Dodgers teams, with his club winning World Championships in 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965.  He was a four-time All-Star.  Gilliam retired with a .265 average, 1,889 hits and 203 stolen bases.

He joined the Dodgers' coaching staff in 1965 while still an active player, switching over to a full-time coaching role in 1967.  With the Dodgers through the 1978 season, Gilliam was a part of three more pennant winning teams in 1974, 1977 and 1978.  He passed away at the end of the 1978 season following a massive brain hemorrhage and Gilliam's #19 was retired prior to Game 1 of the 1978 World Series.

Building the Set
August 16, 1987 from Cooperstown, NY - Card #48
This was one of the first four cards we purchased in the summer of 1987, officially marking the beginning of us collecting the 1956 Topps set.  As told now frequently in our set's origin story, and most recently with the post for the Walker Cooper (#273) card, I was essentially gifted with a shoebox of vintage Topps baseball cards in the summer of 1983 or 1984.  Within the spoils were 44 cards from the 1956 Topps set – by far the most cards from any one set.  I studied them, I sorted them, and I pretty much memorized every detail of those 44 cards.

A few years later, in the summer of 1987 while on a family vacation, I was giddy with excitement when we came across a few 1956 Topps cards in the Walker Gallery on the main drag in Cooperstown, New York.  It was our first trip to Cooperstown, and details from that family vacation still make up several of my most important core memories from my childhood.  My Dad and I studied the cards for sale and he casually asked me the question, “Why don’t we try to put together the whole set?” We bought four cards that day for $9.25, including this Gilliam card which was all of $3.25.  Those cards, along with the 44 from the magic shoebox, became the basis for our 1956 Topps set.

That small but incredibly meaningful purchase meant so much to me that I tacked a Walker Gallery business card to my bulletin board in my bedroom on 12th Street, where it hung for years.  I also felt compelled to clip the price tags from the rigid plastic sleeves in which each of these cards were originally purchased.  I knew then I wanted to remember everything about the purchase, and these are included at the back of our 1956 Topps binder, along with other ephemera from baseball card shows, stores and special occasions when cards were added to our set.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Gilliam is the rare example of a player appearing in all four Bowman and Topps sets from 1954 and 1955.  The head shot photo from his 1955 Topps card is reused here, and the action photo could very well be a Yankees baserunner sliding into second base during the 1953 or 1955 World Series.  The cartoons on the back focus on his career highlights to date.  Gilliam scored at least 100 runs each season between 1953 and 1956.  The second cartoon panel has an uncorrected error, as Gilliam starred in the 1953 World Series, and not 1952.

Topps reprinted the card as part of its 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.

1956 Season

This was Gilliam's best season statistically as he batted an even .300 over 153 games with 102 runs scored, 23 doubles, eight triples and 43 RBIs.  His 21 stolen bases were second in the league behind Willie Mays (#130), who had 40.  He walked 95 times and had a career-best OBP of .399.  Gilliam was one of the top offensive players on the team, trailing only center fielder Duke Snider (#150) in bWAR for the Dodgers.  As a testament to his versatility, Gilliam started 152 games - 98 at second base, 49 in left field and five in right field.

1953 Topps #258

1955 Topps #5

1959 Topps #306

1962 Topps #486

1974 Topps #144

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #258
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1953-1964, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2023 Donruss #208

152 - Gilliam non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/30/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #279 Johnny Groth - Kansas City Athletics / #281 Art Houtteman - Cleveland Indians

Order Collected: #253 Irv Noren - New York Yankees / #60 Mayo Smith MG - Philadelphia Phillies