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Glen Eugene Stephens
Boston Red Sox
Outfield
Born: January 20, 1933, Gravette, AR
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1952-53, 1955-60; Baltimore Orioles 1960-61; Kansas City Athletics 1961-62; Chicago White Sox 1963-64
Died: April 27, 2019, Granbury, TX (age 86)
Gene Stephens enjoyed a 12-year big league career serving mostly as a back-up outfielder for four American League teams. His only time as a true starter came when he was the regular left fielder for the Red Sox in the late 1950s. He enjoyed his best seasons in 1955 (career high .293 average) and 1959 (career high 39 RBIs) and led all American League left fielders with assists in both those seasons as well. He entered the record books on June 18, 1953 when he became the first player in the modern era to collect three hits in one inning. Stephens, seeing regular playing time while Ted Williams (#5) was serving with the Marines, had a double and two singles off three different Tigers pitchers in a 23-3 Red Sox rout. His record has since been tied by Johnny Damon, also of the Red Sox, who collected three hits in an inning on June 27, 2003.
For his career, Stephens hit .240 with 37 home runs and 207 RBIs over 964 games. Although he appeared in his last Major League game in 1964, he continued to play in the minor league systems of the Braves, Yankees, Pirates and Cubs through 1967. He appeared in 109 games in 1966 for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japan Central League, batting .224.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #42
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 eighth 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 eighth of ten cards to come from the final series four.
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Topps gave Stephens his first card in its 1953 set, passed him over for two years, and added him back into the checklist for its 1956 set. Stephens had spent all of 1954 in the minor leagues, but appeared in 109 games for the Red Sox in 1955. He wore #38 during most of his time in Boston, and the "3" is visible on the back of his uniform in the action photo. The cartoons on the back highlight his three hits in an inning feat, his strong minor league performance in 1954, and his role as a defensive back-up.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Topps #248
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1953, 1956-62, 1964-65
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1991 Topps Archives 1953 #248
43 - Stephens non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/17/24.
Sources:
1965 Topps Blog
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Set Order: #312 Andy Pafko - Milwaukee Braves / #314 Hobie Landrith - Chicago Cubs
Order Collected: #307 Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants / #323 Willard Schmidt - St. Louis Cardinals
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