Showing posts with label Blue-Orange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blue-Orange. Show all posts

Friday, September 5, 2025

#339 Rance Pless - Kansas City Athletics


Rance Pless
Kansas City Athletics
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  December 6, 1925, Greeneville, TN
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1956
Died:  November 11, 2017, Greeneville, TN (age 91)

Rance Pless played professionally over 14 seasons, primarily within the New York Giants' minor league system.  Playing mostly the outfield and third base, Pless won two minor league batting championships with the Double-A Nashville Volunteers in 1952 (.364) and the Triple-A Minneapolis Millers in 1955 (.337).  Seemingly blocked at the big league level in the Giants' system, Pless' contract was sold to the Athletics on October 7, 1955.  He spent most of the season in the majors with the Athletics, appearing in 48 games, but making only 17 starts.  Pless returned to the minors for four more seasons, playing within the Yankees, Cardinals and Tigers organizations between 1957 and 1960.  He batted .271 in the majors, but at least .303 in the minors, collecting a known 1,807 hits.

Building the Set
July 30, 1994 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #132
My Dad and I bought this card at the annual Ocean City baseball card show held within the famous Music Pier during the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college.  We spent $41 on six cards for our 1956 Topps set at this show, with the most expensive card being (for some reason) the Rip Repulski (#201) card for $9.  This Pless card was $5.

From the flyer (right), it looks as if The Eastern Pennsylvania Sports Collectors Club (EPSCC) had abandoned its sponsorship of this baseball card show by 1994.  Honestly after they pulled out, the show was never quite the same and the quality definitely suffered.  My Dad would have grumbled at the fact that comic books were now encroaching on the floor space of his beloved baseball card show.  1994 and 1995 were strange years for the baseball card hobby as the player's strike that prematurely ended the 1994 season chased a lot of fans away from the hobby, and some of them have never come back.

Johnny Callison was back signing autographs though, and the former Phillies player was ubiquitous at these events back in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Card / Athletics Team Set
This is Pless' first and last Topps card, and it's great that a player like Pless, who had spent nine seasons trying to work his way up the majors, received a card in the set.  The action shot would have been taken earlier in the season, as Pless did in fact wear #8 with the Athletics.  The back of the card highlights his successful 1955 season, when he won the batting title and was named the league's MVP.

1956 Season
Pless was with the Athletics every month of the season except most of July and all of August, and he appeared in 59 games for the Richmond Virginians, batting .298.  With the Athletics, and as mentioned above, he batted .271 (23 for 85) with three doubles and a triple.  Of his 17 starts, 12 were at first base and five were at third base.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #339
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1979 TCMA The 1950s #176

4 - Pless non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/1/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

Blog Update
I've been admittedly slow-walking my way to the end of this blog, as I'm not quite ready to walk away from it after nearly 10 years of off and on posting.  This Pless card and the Mickey McDermott (#340) card are the final two player posts, to be followed by posts on the two checklists.  I still have my sights on wrapping this thing up by the end of 2025.
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Friday, May 9, 2025

#332 Don Larsen - New York Yankees


Don James Larsen
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  215
Born:  August 7, 1929, Michigan City, IN
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Browns 1953; Baltimore Orioles 1954; New York Yankees 1955-59; Kansas City Athletics 1960-61; Chicago White Sox 1961; San Francisco Giants 1962-64; Houston Colt .45s 1964; Houston Astros 1965; Baltimore Orioles 1965; Chicago Cubs 1967
Died:  January 1, 2020, Hayden, ID (age 90)

Regardless of whatever he would do for the rest of his playing career, Don Larsen would forever be linked, and rightfully so, to the perfect game he threw in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.  That performance has earned its place as perhaps the greatest pitching performances in World Series history and it earned him World Series MVP honors.  It's the only perfect game to be thrown in the postseason and one of two solo no-hitters thrown in postseason history with the other coming from the Phillies' Roy Halladay in the 2010 NLDS.

Larsen never won more than 11 games in a season in the major leagues and his best seasons came during his rookie year with the Browns (7-12 with a 4.16 ERA and 7 complete games) his magical 1956 season with the Yankees (11-5, 3.26 ERA, 107 strikeouts) and with the Colt .45s in 1964 as a reliever (4-8 over 30 games with a 2.26 ERA).  It should be noted that at the plate during his rookie season, Larsen batted .284 with three home runs.  He followed that up with a 21-loss season in 1954 for the newly located Baltimore Orioles and he came to the Yankees in a massive 17-player trade in November 1954.

A popular player who enjoyed the New York City nightlife, Larsen spent five years with the Yankees winning World Series rings with the club in 1956 and 1958.  He retired after 14 seasons with a 81-91 record and a 3.78 ERA over 1,548 innings pitched and 412 appearances.

October 7, 2007 - Birthday celebration with family
Building the Set
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #311
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set.  Along with this Larsen card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bill Bruton (#185), Bob Feller (#200) and Don Newcombe (#235).  My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday.  

My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
This is Larsen's first Topps card, and his previous mainstream baseball card appearances came in the 1954 and 1955 Bowman sets.  Topps wisely decided to include him in this set's last series, given the heroics that were about to transpire in the World Series.  The middle cartoon panel touches on Larsen's 21 losses in 1954 and features one of the creepiest cartoon drawings in the set.

The card was first reprinted in the 2001 Topps Archives set, and it's been reprinted a few more times since then.

 

1956 Season
Larsen was arguably the fourth or fifth best starter in the Yankees' starting pitching rotation, behind Whitey Ford (#240), Johnny Kucks (#88), Tom Sturdivant and possibly Bob Hurley (#40).  He was fourth on the club in wins and he relieved in almost as many games (18) as he started (20).  Larsen threw six complete games and one shutout during the regular season, a four-hitter against the Orioles on September 3rd in which he also walked eight batters.  He started Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers, and was chased after just 1 2/3 innings, having allowed four unearned runs on a hit and four walks.

Larsen was the surprising choice to start Game 5 by manager Casey Stengel, given his struggles in Game 2 and with the series knotted at two games a piece.  Larsen mowed the Dodgers' line-up down throughout the game, with the Yankees scoring runs in the fourth and sixth innings.  In the ninth, he retired Carl Furillo (#190) and Roy Campanella (#101) for the first two outs, and pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell (#268) stepped to the plate as the 27th and final out needed.  Larsen struck Mitchell out looking, earning his baseball immortality.

1954 Bowman #101
1959 Topps #205
1961 Topps #402
1961 Topps #177
1965 Topps #389

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Bowman #101
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1956-65, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2024 Topps Update Autumn Tales #AT-16

391 - Larsen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/4/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, February 7, 2025

#319 Jack Crimian - Kansas City Athletics


John Melvin Crimian
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 17, 1926, Philadelphia, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1951-52; Kansas City Athletics 1956; Detroit Tigers 1957
Died:  February 11, 2019, Middletown, DE (age 92)

The Philadelphia Phillies signed local product Jack Crimian prior to the 1944 season, but the right-handed pitcher would never suit up for either of the two major league teams then playing in his hometown.  Crimian spent six seasons in the minors, with a year of playing time lost while he served in the U.S. Army during World War II.  He'd earn brief promotions in 1951 and 1952 with the Cardinals, pitching in 16 games, all in relief, but struggling with a 9.24 ERA over 25 1/3 innings pitched.  He'd be back in the minors for three more full seasons between 1953 and 1955, finding success with the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs.  Crimian's sole full year in the majors came in 1956 with the Athletics and he led the 102-loss team with 54 appearances, including seven starts.

Before the 1957 season, Crimian was part of an eight-player deal with Detroit, and he'd pitch in his final four big league games with the Tigers.  Crimian returned to Toronto for the 1958 and 1959 seasons before retiring from baseball.  In 74 big league games, he was 5-9 with a 6.36 ERA, collecting 69 strikeouts and 65 walks in 160 innings pitched.  Crimian was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

Building the Set
September 15, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #302
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 detested the 40 minute ride north to our house.  Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact that 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 begun failing 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, 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.

August 2007 - Dad with Jenna, Doug and me riding a merry-go-round
in Ocean City, NJ
This background is needed to better explain how this Crimian 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 handed me this Harshman card on September 15, 2007, along with a Jack Harshman (#29) card.

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.  Not to ruin the ending for this blog, but this is how we finished the 1956 Topps set.  Not with one last glorious purchase at a baseball card show, but with my Dad systematically and methodically checking off cards from our checklist through eBay purchases.

Together with my Mom, he'd deliver the last 29 cards we needed to complete the set as a Christmas present to me that year.

1957 Topps #297
The Card / Athletics Team Set
This is Crimian's rookie card, and he'd appear on one more Topps card in 1957.  His only other baseball card following 1957 came in the form on a reprint of his 1957 Topps card for the 2006 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set, which Crimian signed.  The back of this card highlights his MVP win in 1955 while pitching for the Maple Leafs.  It was by far his best professional season, leading directly to his spot in the Athletics' bullpen in 1956.  Crimian was 19-6 in 1955 with a 2.10 ERA in 40 appearances, including 21 starts.  He threw 16 complete games, with four of those shutouts.

1956 Season
As mentioned above, Crimian was frequently used throughout the season by manager Lou Boudreau, and over 80% of his major league output came during the 1956 season.  He was 4-8 with a 5.51 ERA in 129 innings pitched, converting three saves.  On December 5th, Crimian, Jim Finigan (#22), Bill Harrington and Eddie Robinson (#302) were traded to the Tigers for Wayne Belardi, Ned Garver (#189), Gene Host, Virgil Trucks (#117) and $20,000.

Phillies Connection
Crimian pitched for the Wilimington Blue Rocks and the Bradford Blue Wings, both low-level Phillies minor league teams, during the 1944 season.  He'd miss all of 1945 while in military service, and then return to the Blue Rocks in 1946.  On November 5, 1946, the Cardinals selected Crimian from the Phillies in the minor league draft. 

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #319
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1956-57
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JCR

5 - Crimian non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/26/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, January 31, 2025

#318 Fred Hatfield - Detroit Tigers


Fred James Hatfield
Detroit Tigers
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  171
Born:  March 18, 1925, Lanett, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1942 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1950-52; Detroit Tigers 1952-56; Chicago White Sox 1956-57; Cleveland Indians 1958; Cincinnati Redlegs 1958
Died:  May 22, 1998, Tallahassee, FL (age 73)

Signed when he was 17 by the Boston Red Sox in 1942, Fred Hatfield missed three years of playing time while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.  He'd return to baseball in 1946, and after 4 1/2 more years in the minors Hatfield finally earned a promotion to the Red Sox.  He'd play sparingly in Boston before a blockbuster nine-player deal sent him to Detroit in June 1952.  Hatfield would enjoy his best seasons with the Tigers in the mid-1950s.  As a frequently used infielder, Hatfield played in at least 100 games in four seasons between 1952 and 1956.  He led all American League third baseman in assists (276) and fielding percentage (.971) in 1952, and offensively his best season came in 1954 when he batted .294 for the Tigers.  In 722 major league games over nine seasons, he batted .242 with 493 hits, 25 home runs and 165 RBIs.

After retiring as a player, Hatfield was a collegiate and minor league manager between 1960 and 1986, and was the Tigers' third base coach for two seasons in 1977 and 1978.  He was the head coach for the Florida State Seminoles between 1964 and 1968, guiding the club to a 161-57 record.  Hatfield was posthumously inducted into the Florida State University Hall of Fame in 1999.

Winter 1994 - Dad inspecting the new construction
Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #140
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 Hatfield 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 1994-95 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.

The Card / Tigers Team Set
Hatfield was exclusive to Bowman in 1954 and 1955, and this card marks his return to Topps sets.  He wore #1 with the Tigers, so that's likely him hopping (in the grass?) in the action photo.  The cartoons on the back highlight his graduation from Alabama State Teachers College in 1950, his breaking up Early Wynn's (#187) no-hitter in 1955 and his "Scrap Iron" nickname.  His hit to break up Wynn's no-hitter wasn't as dramatic as depicted in the cartoon, and I don't think Wynn was nearly that wide.  Hatfield singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth for the Tigers' only hit against Wynn on May 22, 1955.

1956 Season
Hatfield lost the Tigers' regular third base job to Frank Bolling to start the 1956 season, and after appearing in just eight games for the Tigers, he was traded to the White Sox on May 15th.  Hatfield and Jim Delsing (#338) headed to Chicago with Jim Brideweser, Harry Byrd and Bob Kennedy (#38) moving to Detroit.  Hatfield took over the everyday third base duties for the White Sox, appearing in 106 games and batting .262 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs - a career high.

1952 Bowman #153
1953 Bowman Color #125
1953 Topps #163
1957 Topps #278
1958 Topps #339

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #153
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1952-53, 1956-58
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #163

18 - Hatfield non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/4/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, August 9, 2024

#303 Jim Dyck - Baltimore Orioles


James Robert Dyck
Baltimore Orioles
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  February 3, 1922, Omaha, NE
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1941 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Browns 1951-53; Cleveland Indians 1954; Baltimore Orioles 1955-56; Cincinnati Redlegs 1956
Died:  January 11, 1999, Cheney, WA (age 76)

Jim Dyck played professionally for 20 years, missing three full years while serving in the military during World War II, and spending parts of six seasons in the majors.  Dyck was originally signed by the Yankees in 1941, and it took him joining the Browns' organization in late 1949 to finally get a shot at the big leagues a few years later.  Dyck, a 30-year-old rookie in 1952, spent his first full season in the majors, appearing in a career-high 122 games and setting career-best marks in nearly every offensive category.  He batted .269 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs, as arguably the best offensive player for the seventh place Browns.  His numbers would slip in 1953, and he appeared in 112 games, batting .213.  Traded to the Indians in April 1954 for Bob Kennedy (#38), Dyck would appear in only two games for the eventual pennant winners, and he'd be sold back to the his former team, now the Orioles, in July 1955.

Dyck's final big league action came in 1956, playing in 49 games for the Orioles and Redlegs.  In 330 games, he batted .246 with 26 home runs and 114 RBIs.  He'd continue to play professionally through the 1961 season, last appearing in 29 games as a player-coach with the Vancouver Mounties in the Pacific Coast League.

January 28, 2006 - Celebrating Dad's 62nd birthday
Building the Set
December 3, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #276
This was a relatively late edition to our set and one of eight cards we purchased at the 93rd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  My notes say we purchased this Dyck card for a little less than $5.  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 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.  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.

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.

The Card / Orioles Team Set
This is Dyck's final mainstream baseball card appearance, and he had previously appeared in 1953 Topps set before being exclusive to Bowman in 1954 and without a baseball card appearance in 1955.  That could be Dyck sliding back into second base against the Yankees, as he wore #14 with the Orioles in 1955.  The cartoons on the back highlight his minor league accomplishments and his versatility in the field.  For his career, Dyck played 157 games at all three outfield positions, 147 games at third base and one game at first base.

This card is the final Orioles card in the set, making the Orioles team set the first to be completed.  A full gallery is linked above and all team sets are linked at this page.

1956 Season
Dyck began the year with the Orioles, and batted .217 (5 for 23) in 11 games, including a pair of pinch-hitting appearances.  Sold to Cincinnati on May 11th, Dyck played in 18 games for the Redlegs, batting .091 (1 for 11) with most of his appearances coming as a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner.  In late July, Dyck was demoted to the Triple-A Seattle Rainiers, where he'd bat .185 over 54 games.

1953 Bowman Color #111
1953 Topps #177
1954 Bowman #85

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Bowman Color #111
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1953, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #177

20 - Dyck non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/9/24.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, May 10, 2024

#290 Curt Simmons - Philadelphia Phillies


Curtis Thomas Simmons
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher


Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  May 19, 1929, Egypt, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1947-1950, 1952-1960; St. Louis Cardinals 1960-1966; Chicago Cubs 1966-1967; California Angels 1967
Died:  December 13, 2022, Ambler, PA (age 93)

Curt Simmons will forever be associated with the beloved Whiz Kids, the 1950 Phillies club that made it to the World Series for the first time since 1915.  Simmons was a 17-game winner for the Phillies in 1950 and formed a solid one-two punch atop their starting pitching rotation with Robin Roberts (#180).  He missed the 1950 World Series against the Yankees after being drafted to serve in the Korean War.  Simmons was a three-time All-Star with the Phillies in 1952, 1953 and 1957.  He won at least 12 games with the club in six different seasons.  Released by the Phillies in May 1960, Simmons signed with the Cardinals where he enjoyed a career resurgence.  His best seasons actually came during his time in St. Louis as he went 15-9 in 1963 with a 2.48 ERA and was 18-9 for the team in 1964 when they upset the Phillies in the final week of the season to advance to the World Series.  Simmons pitched well in his Game 3 and Game 6 starts, and while he was the losing pitcher in Game 6, he compiled a 2.51 ERA over 14 1/3 innings.  The Cardinals would win the series in seven games over the Yankees.

A competent fielder as well, Simmons had errorless seasons in 1950, 1952, 1957 and 1963.  Simmons would finish up his 20-year big league career with a few seasons with the Cubs and Angels, retiring in 1967.  At the time, along with Smoky Burgess (#192), he was the last person to retire who had played in the majors in the 1940s.  Simmons had a lifetime record of 193-183 with a 3.54 ERA over 569 games pitched.  His career strikeout total of 1,697 is currently 149th on the all-time list.  Henry Aaron (#31) named Simmons as one of the toughest pitchers he faced during his career.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #139
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 Simmons 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 / Phillies Team Set
This card marks Simmons' first Topps card since 1952, as he appeared exclusively in Bowman sets in 1953, 1954 and 1955.  The action shot shows part of the #28 he wore between 1948 and 1960 with the Phillies.  The first and last cartoon panels explain his abbreviated season in 1955 (due to an arm injury) and his lively fastball.  The middle cartoon panel highlights a game from May 16, 1953, when Simmons came close to a perfect game.  He allowed a lead-off single to Bill Bruton (#185) in the bottom of the first inning, and then retired the next 26 Braves batters in order.

1956 Season
Once again Simmons and Roberts sat atop the Phillies rotation, with Harvey Haddix (#77) joining the duo for his first of two seasons in Philadelphia.  Simmons was 15-10 with a 3.36 ERA in 33 games overall and 27 starts.  He threw 14 complete games and just missed the 200 inning plateau with 198 innings pitched.

Phillies Career
The Phillies signed Simmons as a bonus baby in 1947 for $65,000, one of the highest amounts received to date by an amateur player.  He made his debut on September 28th that season and he'd be a fixture in the Phillies' starting pitching rotation for the next decade.  He was the National League's starting pitcher in the 1952 All-Star Game, hosted at Shibe Park, and he pitched three shutout innings while striking out three.  With the Phillies entering a rebuilding phase, Simmons was released by the club on May 17, 1960.  He'd return briefly to the franchise in 1970 as a member of the Phillies' minor league instructional staff.

With the Phillies, he was 115-110 with a 3.66 ERA in 325 games.  Simmons was inducted onto the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1993, and he was by far the best left-handed pitcher in franchise history until Steve Carlton, Chris Short and Cole Hamels all came along.  Simmons still ranks in the top ten among all Phillies pitchers in games started (263), shutouts (18), wins (115), innings pitched (1,939 2/3), and strikeouts (1,052).

1949 Bowman #14
1952 Topps #203
1957 Topps #158
1963 Topps #22
1967 Topps #39

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #14
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1952, 1956-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CS

95 - Simmons non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/9/24.

 Sources:  
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Friday, February 16, 2024

#278 Chet Nichols - Milwaukee Braves


Chester Raymond Nichols
Milwaukee Braves
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  165
Born:  February 22, 1931, Pawtucket, RI
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent, December 23, 1948
Major League Teams:  Boston Braves 1951; Milwaukee Braves 1954-1956; Boston Red Sox 1960-1963; Cincinnati Reds 1964
Died:  March 27, 1995, Lincoln, RI (age 64)

Chet Nichols' father, Chet Nichols Sr., pitched six seasons in the majors between 1926 and 1932 with the Pirates, Giants and Phillies.  The younger Chet Nichols had three distinct stints in the majors between 1951 and 1964, with each stint interrupted by multiple years away from the big leagues.  His first season in 1951 with the Braves was his best.  Nichols led the league with a 2.88 ERA and was 11-8 in 33 games pitched, finishing as runner-up to Willie Mays (#130) in the Rookie of the Year voting.  He'd miss two full seasons while serving in the Army during the Korea War, and when he returned in 1954, the Braves had moved to Milwaukee.  Plagued with wildness, Nichols walked more than he struck out during his two-plus seasons back with the Braves, and he'd toil in the minor leagues for four seasons before returning to the majors with the Red Sox in 1960.  He spent all of 1958 as a bank teller back in his home state of Rhode Island.

In Boston, Nichols established himself as a reliable lefty reliever, appearing in 82 games over four seasons.  His last big league action came in three games with the Reds in 1964 before he was released a month into the season, ending his big league career.  Nichols was 34-36 lifetime with a 3.64 ERA.  He tallied 266 strikeouts and 280 walks in 603 1/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set
December 25, 2003 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #247
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 / Braves Team Set
That's a nasty scratch across Nichols' eye and if I were ever looking to upgrade some of the cards in our set, this would be a good candidate.  Like a lot of the players appearing in the set's fourth series, this card marks Nichols' return to Topps after a lengthy absence and he wouldn't appear in his next Topps set until 1961.  The first cartoon panel on the back features a cameo from his father, and the second cartoon panel highlights his ERA title from 1951.  The third panel showcases his statistics against the Giants in 1955.  He was 3-0 in five starts against the Giants with a 3.89 ERA.

1956 Season
Nichols appears to have made the Braves' opening day roster, but he pitched in just two games with the club before being put on waivers in May.  He was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in those two games.  Having cleared waivers, he was outrighted to the Triple-A Wichita Braves.  Baseball Reference's statistics aren't complete for Nichols' 1956 season, but they show him pitching in 16 minor league games, going 2-4 in 32 innings pitched.

1952 Bowman #120
1952 Topps #288
1955 Bowman #72
1961 Topps #301
1963 Topps #307

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #120
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1952, 1956, 1961-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Topps 1952 Reprint Series #288

23 - Nichols non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/24.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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