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Marvin Edward Grissom
New York Giants
Pitcher
Born: March 31, 1918, Los Molinas, CA
Signed: Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1941 season
Major League Teams: New York Giants 1946; Detroit Tigers 1949; Chicago White Sox 1942; Boston Red Sox 1953; New York Giants 1953-57; San Francisco Giants 1958; St. Louis Cardinals 1959
Died: September 19, 2005, Red Bluff, CA (age 87)
Marv Grissom's pitching career took a circuitous route starting with the Giants in 1946, pitching for three different teams between 1949 and 1953, and finally finding success back with the Giants beginning in 1953. Grissom's professional pitching career began in 1941 and he'd miss four full seasons while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He made his debut with the Giants in 1946 as a 28-year-old rookie, appearing in four games. Mostly toiling in the minors between 1947 and 1951, Grissom's only big league action in those years came in 1949 when he appeared in 27 games for the Tigers. After stops with the White Sox and Red Sox, he was claimed off waivers by the Giants in July 1953 and he'd soon enjoy the best years of his career. Grissom was an All-Star in 1954, winning a career-high 10 games in 56 relief appearances. His 17 saves ranked third in the league as the Giants won the National League pennant.
Grissom pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series against the Indians, and he was the pitcher who surrendered the fly ball off the bat of Vic Wertz (#300) to Willie Mays (#130) in center field, forever immortalized as The Catch. Grissom was the winning pitcher when the Giants prevailed in 10 innings, and he'd not pitch again in the series. He was a key member of the Giants' bullpen for three more seasons, making 55 and 51 appearances, respectably in 1957 and 1958. His final big league action, at the age of 41, came in 1959 when he pitched in three games for the Cardinals. Grissom was 47-45 lifetime with a 3.41 ERA in 356 games pitched. He recorded 57 career saves. Following his playing days, Grissom was a long-time pitching coach, spending time with the Angels (1961-66, 1969, 1977-78), White Sox (1967-68), Twins (1970-71) and Cubs (1975-76).
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| September 15, 2007 |
September 19, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #303
Our first son Doug was born in December 2006, and this happy event led directly to my Dad visiting us on a more regular basis. Dad was living by himself at this point in Mays Landing, New Jersey and he didn't enjoy the 40 minute drive north to our house. Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact he absolutely seemed to loathe driving and that loathing increased exponentially if there was traffic or if it were dark. But he made the trips anyway, sometimes staying no more than an hour, because he was so incredibly anxious and excited to spend time with his grandson.
By the time his second grandson (Ben) was born in April 2010, my Dad's health had started to fail and whatever visits we had were pre-arranged or consisted of us visiting him. Which is why these visits during Doug's infancy and first few years are so special to me. My Dad would show up usually unannounced, ecstatic to see Doug, there would be some small talk and we'd complain about the Phillies, and then he'd leave. But on his way out, he'd always say he'd see us again in a few days and I'd look forward to these visits.
This background is needed to better explain how this Grissom card came into our set. In 2007, My Dad's days mostly consisted of an occasional round of golf, calls and visits to his kids - my sister and me, watching cable news, an afternoon nap and scouring eBay. Most (but not all) of his eBay purchases benefitted me in the form of 1956 Topps cards we needed for our set. He'd show up at our house for a visit with Doug and nonchalantly hand me one of his recent purchases. He brought this Grissom card, by itself, on September 19, 2007.
Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.
Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.
The Card / Giants Team Set
Grissom's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set, and this is his first Topps card. The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his successful role on the 1954 Giants team and his journeyman status before finding a home in New York in 1953.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #123
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1956-59
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #243
24 - Grissom non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/26/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #319 Jack Crimian - Kansas City Athletics / #315 Milt Bolling - Boston Red Sox
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