#300 Vic Wertz - Cleveland Indians

Victor Woodrow Wertz
Cleveland Indians
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  186
Born:  February 9, 1925, York, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1942 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1947-52; St. Louis Browns 1952-53; Baltimore Orioles 1954; Cleveland Indians 1954-58; Boston Red Sox 1959-61; Detroit Tigers 1961-63; Minnesota Twins 1963

Died:  July 7, 1983, Detroit, MI (age 58)

Vic Wertz was a four-time All-Star during a career that spanned 17 seasons in the American League, and his name is most associated as being the victim of "The Catch" made by Willie Mays (#130) in the 1954 World Series.  Wertz had his best seasons with the Tigers in the late 1940s and early 1950s, driving in 133 and 123 runs respectively during the 1949 and 1950 seasons.  He was an All-Star with the Tigers in 1949, 1951 and 1952, and later with the Indians in 1957.  Wertz began the 1954 season with the newly relocated Orioles, and was the right fielder for Baltimore's opening day line-up.  Dealt to the Indians that June 1st, Wertz would help Cleveland win the pennant and advance to the World Series against the Giants.  Mays made his historic catch in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the series, preserving a 2-2 tie.  The Giants would win the game in extra innings and ultimately sweep the Indians in four games.

Wertz spent the final years of his long career as a back-up first baseman and pinch-hitter, last playing for the Twins in 1963.  He drove in over 100 runs in five different seasons, and hit at least 20 home runs in six different seasons.  Wertz retired having played in 1,862 games, collecting 1,692 hits and batting .277 with 266 home runs and 1,178 RBIs.

Building the Set
September 25, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #269
This was a late edition to our set and one of 11 cards we purchased at the 92nd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  My records show we paid $5 for this card, which is surprising given I'd consider Wertz at least a semi-star. With the Ocean City baseball card shows long gone by now, our only options for local baseball card shows were the "Philly Shows" held in Ft. Washington at the time or the occasional mall baseball card show.

My Dad didn't like the drive to Ft. Washington, and this would have been one of only a few shows we attended together in this location.  Our next show together was a few months later in December, also in Ft. Washington.  Looking at my records of when and where we purchased our cards, a full year would go by before we'd add any more cards to the set after that December show.

The year-long hiatus in collecting the set came at a time my wife and I were expecting our first son and as we moved into our first real house, so we had a pretty good excuse not to be purchasing baseball cards at the time.  Amazingly enough, while composing this post, I remembered our son Doug had once played a game at Vic Wertz Field in Leesport, Pennsylvania.  Here are a few pictures from that weekend in October 2019, showing Doug up at bat and with his grandmother before one of the games, standing in front of Vic Wertz Field.

The Card / Indians Team Set
Exclusive to Bowman sets in 1954 and 1955, this marks Wertz's return to Topps.  Wertz wore #23 with the Indians, so that's likely him sliding back into second base.  I'm assuming the opposing infielder has either been painted out or is hiding behind Wertz's portrait.  The back of the card comments on his return from a bout with polio (see below), and his successful 1954 World Series.  There's no mention of "The Catch" on Wertz's card.

1956 Season

Wertz was the regular first baseman for the Indians, having moved in from the outfield a few years prior.  He had overcome a serious bout of polio which cut short his 1955 season, and resulted in manager Al Lopez frequently resting him during 1956.  Still, Wertz hit a career-high 32 home runs in 136 games, batting .264 with 106 RBIs.  He led the team by far in both power categories, as Al Smith (#105) was second on the club with 71 RBIs and Rocky Colavito was runner-up with 21 home runs.

1949 Bowman #164

1952 Topps #244

1954 Bowman #21

1957 Topps #78

1963 Topps #348

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #164
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1951-53, 1956-63
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #142

88 - Wertz non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/21/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #299 Charley Neal - Brooklyn Dodgers / #301 Marv Grissom - New York Giants

Order Collected: #267 Bob Nieman - Chicago White Sox / #18 Dick Donovan - Chicago White Sox