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Stuart Leonard Miller
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher
Born: December 26, 1927, Northampton, MA
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1952-1954, 1956; Philadelphia Phillies 1956; New York Giants 1957; San Francisco Giants 1958-1962; Baltimore Orioles 1963-1967; Atlanta Braves 1968
Died: January 4, 2015, Cameron Park, CA (age 87)
Primarily a reliever throughout his 16-year major league career, Stu Miller won the National League ERA title in 1958, was an All-Star in 1961 and led the league in saves twice. He'd rely on a slow curveball and a deceptive delivery to become one of the most effective relievers of his era. Miller began his career with the Cardinals, where he pitched in parts of four seasons, and he spent a brief time with the Phillies before his career took off with the Giants in 1958. His 2.47 ERA over 182 innings pitched was tops in the league that season and he earned a place in the All-Star Game a few years later in 1961. Miller is the pitcher who was memorably "blown" off the mound during the Mid-Summer Classic at Candlestick Park that year, resulting in a balk. He'd ultimately win the game, recording four strikeouts. As the Giants' closer in 1962, Miller helped the team win the National League pennant. He recorded over 20 saves in three different seasons, leading the league in 1961 with the Giants and in 1963 with his new club, the Orioles.
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Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #40
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walker Cooper (#273) post in January. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three. This is the sixth of ten cards to come from the final series four.
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walker Cooper (#273) post in January. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three. This is the sixth of ten cards to come from the final series four.
The Card / Cardinals Team Set
Miller appeared in both 1954 Bowman and Topps sets, and was omitted from both sets in 1955. The back of the card summarizes his promotion to the Cardinals, his heavy workload and his "honey" of a fastball. Given Miller's short time with the Phillies (see below) he never appeared on a Phillies baseball card. May years ago, I updated his 1956 Topps card (see above) to mark his season with the Phils.
Miller came to the Phillies from the Cardinals on May 11th with Ben Flowers and Harvey Haddix (#77) in exchange for Murry Dickson (#211) and Herm Wehmeier (#78). He was used by manager Mayo Smith (#60) as a swing-man throughout the rest of the season, making 24 appearances overall, including 15 starts.
Miller was 5-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 106 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 55. His Phillies' tenure was short-lived as he was traded again soon after the season ended, going to the Giants on October 11th for pitcher Jim Hearn (#202). In 27 games combined with the Cardinals and Phillies, Miller was 5-9 with a 4.50 ERA in 114 innings pitched.
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Topps #183
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1953-1954, 1956, 1958-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #164
62 - Miller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/20/24.
Sources:
1965 Topps Blog
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #286 Bill Wight - Baltimore Orioles / #307 Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants
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