Showing posts with label New York Giants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Giants. Show all posts

Friday, March 21, 2025

#325 Don Liddle - New York Giants


Donald Eugene Liddle
New York Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  165
Born:  May 15, 1925, Mount Carmel, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1953; New York Giants 1954-56; St. Louis Cardinals 1956
Died:  June 5, 2000, Mount Carmel, IL (age 75)

Don Liddle pitched in four big league seasons, appearing in 117 games, but he was on the mound for one of the most historic moments in baseball history.  Originally signed by the Braves, Liddle was a swingman for the club in his rookie season of 1953, pitching to a 7-6 record and a 3.08 ERA in 31 games and 15 starts.  He was part of a blockbuster six-player deal with the Giants before the start of the 1954 season, and he'd have his best season that year with New York.  Liddle was 9-4 with a 3.06 ERA during the regular season, and when the Giants won the National League pennant, he'd make two memorable appearances in the World Series against the Indians.  Liddle was called upon in the eighth inning of Game 1 to face Vic Wertz (#300) with game tied 2-2.  Wertz launched a ball to deep center, artfully and memorably tracked down by Willie Mays (#130) with an overhead, back-to-the-field catch.  Liddle would start and win the decisive Game 4 agains the Indians, giving the Giants the World Championship.

He'd only pitch two more seasons int he majors, and was traded to Cardinals mid-way through the 1956 season.  Liddle was 28-18 lifetime, with a 3.75 ERA and one memorable pitch thrown during the 1954 World Series.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #222
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Giants Team Set
Liddle appears in two Topps flagship sets, with both of his cards using the same photo.  He returned to Topps in 1956 after only appearing in the Bowman set in 1955.  I'm not sure about Topps' assertion on the back that Liddle "is one of the best control pitchers in baseball."  He walked a ton of batters and finished his career with 203 walks, compared to 198 strikeouts.  I was also puzzled by how the cartoonist represented the Cardinals in the final cartoon panel.  The Braves and Pirates are represented by the stereotypes of the day, but the "Cards" are represented by a guy in a top hat holding a deck of cards?

1956 Season
Liddle started the season in the Giants' bullpen and had his first start on May 16th, a complete game victory over the Cubs.  On June 14th, Liddle, Al Dark (#148), Ray Katt, Whitey Lockman (#205) and cash were traded to the Cardinals for Jackie Brandt, Dick Littlefield, Bill Sarni (#247) and Red Schoendienst (#165), along with two players to be named later.  Liddle struggled with the Cardinals.  In 14 games, including a pair of starts, he was 1-2 with an 8.39 ERA in 24 2/3 innings pitched.  His final big league appearance came against the Dodgers on September 19th in a 17-2 blow-out loss.  Liddle allowed a home run to Don Demeter and an RBI-double to Randy Jackson (#223) before striking out Bob Aspromonte in his last appearance on a big league mound.

1953 Johnston Cookies
Milwaukee Braves #9
1954 Topps #225
 
1955 Bowman #146
 

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #225
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1954, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #225

15 - Liddle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/15/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, September 6, 2024

#307 Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants


James Hoyt Wilhelm
New York Giants
Pitcher


Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  July 26, 1922, Huntersville, NC
Acquired:  Purchased by the Boston Braves from Mooresville (North Carolina State), October 28, 1947
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1952-56; St. Louis Cardinals 1957; Cleveland Indians 1957-58; Baltimore Orioles 1958-62; Chicago White Sox 1963-68; California Angels 1969; Atlanta Braves 1969-70; Chicago Cubs 1970; Atlanta Braves 1971; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971-72
Hall of Fame Induction:  1985
Died:  August 23, 2002, Sarasota, FL (age 80)

Hoyt Wilhelm served during World War II, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge, before making his big league debut with the Giants in 1952 at the age of 29.  On the strength of his resiliency and his knuckle ball, he went on to have a Hall of Fame career over the next 21 seasons, pitching until he was nearly 50 years old.  His sole postseason action came in 1954 when his Giants swept the Indians in four games in the World Series.  Wilhelm was an eight-time All-Star and his league's ERA leader in 1952 with the Giants and in 1959 with the Orioles.  He threw a no-hitter with the Orioles in 1958 and 1959 was perhaps his best season as he appeared in 32 games and went 15-11 with a 2.19 ERA and a career-high 139 strikeouts.  He appeared with nine different teams, spending the most time with the White Sox.  Between 1963 and 1968 with the White Sox, Wilhelm went 41-33 with a 1.92 ERA and 99 saves.  He was the oldest player in the majors between 1966 and his retirement in 1972.

Wilhelm holds the major league record for wins in relief (124) and he was also the first pitcher in major league history to reach the 200 save plateau and to appear in 1,000 games.  For his career, Wilhelm was 143-122 in 1,070 games pitched (currently 6th all-time) with 228 saves (43rd) and 1,610 strikeouts.  Upon his retirement, he had the lowest career ERA (2.52) of any pitcher since 1927 (Walter Johnson) to have pitched in at least 2,000 innings.  He briefly managed in the minor leagues following his retirement, and then was a minor league pitching coach with the Yankees for 22 years.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2002.

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

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #41
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 seventh of ten cards to come from the final series four.  Wilhelm is one of eight Hall of Famers (or future Hall of Famers) from that Original 44 haul, along with Ed Mathews (#107), Yogi Berra (#110), Willie Mays (#130), Red Schoendienst (#165), Early Wynn (#187), Larry Doby (#250) and Bob Lemon (#255).

The Card / Giants Team Set
Wilhelm appeared exclusively in the 1955 Bowman set, and this card marks his return to Topps after that one-year absence.  The cartoons on the back focus on his knuckle ball, his workhorse reputation and his successful rookie campaign in 1952.

1956 Season
Wilhelm relieved in 64 games for the Giants in 1956, which was the second most appearances in the league behind Roy Face (#13), who made 68 appearances.  Wilhelm was 4-9 with a 3.83 ERA and eight saves in 89 1/3 innings pitched.

1952 Topps #392
1954 Topps #36
1959 Topps #349
1968 Topps #350
1972 Topps #777

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #392
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1952-54, 1956-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2023 Topps Archives 1969 Topps Team History Baseball Post Card Box Topper #H69-CHW

509 - Wilhelm non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/6/24.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, July 26, 2024

#301 Marv Grissom - New York Giants


Marvin Edward Grissom
New York Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
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).

September 15, 2007
Building the Set
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.

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
His manager Bill Rigney called Grissom "the best relief pitcher in the league," and Grissom was used 43 times throughout the 1956 season, making a pair of spot starts.  He was 1-1 with a 1.56 ERA in 80 2/3 innings pitched.  Sharing "closer" duties with Hoyt Wilhelm (#307) and Windy McCall (#44), Grissom recorded seven saves.

1955 Bowman #123
1957 Topps #216
1958 Topps #399
1959 Topps #243

Other Notable Baseball Cards
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
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Friday, February 9, 2024

#277 Daryl Spencer - New York Giants


Daryl Dean Spencer
New York Giants
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 13, 1928, Wichita, KS
Acquired:  Purchased by the New York Giants from the Pauls Valley Raiders (Sooner State League) before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1952-1953, 1956-1957; San Francisco Giants 1958-1959; St. Louis Cardinals 1960-1961; Los Angeles Dodgers 1961-1963; Cincinnati Reds 1963
Died:  January 2, 2017, Wichita, KS (age 88)

Daryl Spencer spent the late 1950s and early 1960s as an everyday shortstop and second baseman for the Giants and Cardinals, and would later find success in the late 1960s during a seven season stint playing in Japan.  Spencer made his debut with the Giants in 1952 and would miss two full season (1954 and 1955) while serving in the military.  He became a regular with the Giants in 1956 and was the team's opening day shortstop on April 15, 1958, the Giants' first game in San Francisco.  His home run in the fourth inning of that game, off Dodgers' pitcher Don Drysdale, was the first home run in San Francisco Giants' history.  Spencer batted .256 that season, attaining career highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (74).  His final year as an everyday player stateside came in 1960 with the Cardinals, and over his final three seasons with the Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds he'd serve as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter.  In 10 seasons, Spencer batted .244 with 105 home runs and 428 RBIs.

Spencer signed with the Hankyu Braves for the 1964 season, and he'd go on to be a star in Japan.  He connected for 36 home runs and 94 RBIs in 1964, topping that with 38 home runs in 1965 while batting .311.  Retired in 1969 and 1970, Spencer returned to Japan for two more seasons in 1971 and 1972 as a player-coach.  In 731 games for the Braves, he batted .275 with 152 home runs and 391 RBIs.

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #38
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 last month.  Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three.   This is the fourth of ten cards to come from the final series four.

The Card / Giants Team Set
This is Spencer's first Topps card, and his rookie card can be found in the 1954 Bowman set.  The photo used here looks suspiciously similar to the photo used on his Bowman rookie card.  That's Roy Campanella (#101) making a cameo appearance for the play the plate, as the future Hall of Fame catcher wore #39 during his career with the Dodgers.  The photo above was used at MLB.com at the top of Spencer's obituary in 2017, and the caption for the photo notes the play took place in 1953.  Unless Spencer had a habit of losing his hat whenever he slid into home plate when Campanella was catching, this photo is likely from the same play featured on Spencer's 1956 Topps card.

The cartoons on the back of the card explain Spencer's two-year absence from baseball, highlight his high batting average with the Minneapolis Millers in 1952, and demonstrate his ability to play all three infield positions.  He's one of six players in the set to have "Infield" as the listed position, along with teammate Bobby Hofman (#28), Freddie Marsh (#23), Harmon Killebrew (#164), Jerry Coleman (#316) and Rocky Bridges (#324).

1956 Season
Spencer returned from the Army in 1956, having missed all of the 1954 and 1955 seasons.  He was the Giants' opening day second baseman and switched to third base and eventually shortstop following the acquisition of Red Schoendienst (#165) on June 14th.  Spencer appeared in 146 games overall, batting .221 with 14 home runs and 42 RBIs, as the Giants finished in sixth place in the National League.

1954 Bowman #185
1957 Topps #49
1959 Topps #443
1961 Topps #357
1963 Topps #502

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Bowman #185
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 BBM Legendary Foreigners #4

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

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, December 29, 2023

#271 Foster Castleman - New York Giants


Foster Ephraim Castelman
New York Giants
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  January 1, 1931, Nashville, TN
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1954-1957; Baltimore Orioles 1958
Died:  November 9, 2020, The Villages, FL (age 89)

Foster Castleman played in parts of five big league seasons, only playing regularly with the Giants in 1956 and with the Orioles in 1958.  Casteleman worked his way through the Giants system between 1949 and mid-1954, missing two full seasons in 1951 and 1952 due to military service.  In his 13 games with the Giants in 1954, and his 15 games with the Giants in 1955, he was used almost entirely as a pinch-hitter.  But in 1956, he made the team out of spring training and took over regular third base duties from Hank Thompson (#199).  Castleman appeared in a career high 124 games, batting only .226, and he'd be back to limited use by the Giants in 1957.  In March 1958 he was sold to the Orioles, and he'd play in 98 games, making 64 starts at shortstop and a pair of starts at second base.  Again, his hitting was his weakness as he batted just .170 during his only season in Baltimore, and his final season in the majors.

Castleman played for two more seasons in the minors with the Orioles, Senators and White Sox organizations before retiring in 1960.  In 268 major league games, Castleman collected 136 hits and batted .205 with 20 home runs and 65 RBIs.

Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #333
The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory.  Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set.  Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning.  I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set.  And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards.

December 24, 2007 - Doug and Dad
Our son Doug had just turned one, and on Christmas morning 2007, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our families to our house to celebrate the day.  I've had a few rough Christmases, but this was one of the worst as my Dad ended up in the hospital that day and it was the beginning of his health struggles that would continue until he passed away in late 2011.  He was discharged from the hospital three days later, and it was only then we celebrated Christmas together, on December 28th, and I opened the package containing the last of the cards needed for our 1956 Topps set.

Dad was understandably distraught that Christmas, but not solely because of his own health issues.  Because of his unselfish nature, he was worried that he had ruined Christmas for everyone since we had spent the holidays in a hospital.  He was also upset that his surprise package containing those last 29 baseball cards sat in the back seat of his car for three days until he recovered enough to come home.  I was just happy to have him out of the hospital, but I do remember feeling confused and somewhat hopeless as we weren't quite sure yet what was wrong with him.

I don't have any pictures from December 28th, which is unusual for me.  I'm assuming I was just happy that Dad was out of the hospital and taking pictures never crossed my mind.  Among the "big" cards in that final haul were the cards of Roberto Clemente (#33), Monte Irvin (#194), Whitey Ford (#240), Pee Wee Reese (#260) and the Checklist covering Series 1 and 3.  I remember thinking I had never seen this Castleman card before, which was odd considering we had been collecting the set for over 20 years at this point.

The Card / Giants Team Set
This is Castleman's rookie card, and he'd appear in two more Topps flagship sets in 1957 and 1958.  If that's Castleman in the action shot, it looks as if he's wearing a uniform number ending in "2" so the picture could be from early in the 1956 season?  He wore #18 during his brief stints with the club in 1954 and 1955, switching to #18 in 1956.  He played two games at third base in August 1954 against the Braves and Pirates, and one more game at third base on April 28, 1955 against the Cardinals.  Since it appears to be a Cardinals' baserunner, I thought maybe the photo was from that April 28th game, but there doesn't appear to be any plays at third while Castleman was in the game.  His next action at third base against the Cardinals didn't come until early May in 1956.

(Another theory:  The third baseman is actually Joey Amalfitano, who wore #12 with the Giants in 1955.)

Topps misspells Castleman's middle name on the back of the card.  The three cartoon panels explain how he missed time in 1955 due to injuries, tout his ability to switch infield positions, and highlight his .302 average in 1955 (in 43 games) with the Minneapolis Millers.

1956 Season
Castleman batted just .226, but his 14 home runs were tied for third on the Giants behind Willie Mays (#130), who hit 36, and Bill White, who hit 22.  Shortstop Daryl Spencer (#277) also hit 14 home runs.  He made 97 starts at third base as manager Bill Rigney tried to find some offense for the Giants' line-up.

1957 Topps #237
1958 Topps #416

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #271
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1956-1958
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1979 TCMA The 1950s #225

7 - Castleman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/22/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, October 13, 2023

#264 Ray Monzant - New York Giants


Ramon Segundo Monzant
New York Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  160
Born:  January 4, 1933, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Acquired:  Sent from the Shelby Farmers (Western Carolina League) to the New York Giants in an unknown transaction before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1954-1957; San Francisco Giants 1958, 1960
Died:  August 10, 2001, Maracaibo, Venezuela (age 68)

Ramon Monzant pitched in parts of six seasons with the Giants, making the trip west with the team when they moved to San Francisco.  Professionally, his best season came in 1953 as a 20-year-old member of the Carolina League's Danville Leafs.  Monzant was 23-6 for the Leafs in 37 games pitched with a 2.73 ERA.  He'd make his debut with the Giants the following July, getting into just six games in 1954 with the big club.  Monzant pitched in 56 games for New York between 1955 and 1957, making 15 starts and throwing four complete games.  He'd see the most action of his big league career in 1958 and was one of the Giants' most called-upon relievers along with Stu Miller (#293) and Al Worthington.  Monzant appeared in 43 games overall that year, making 16 starts, and was 8-11 with a 4.72 ERA.  He'd leave the Giants following the 1958 season citing a sore arm and a desire to return to Venezuela.

Monzant made a brief comeback in 1960, appearing in one last game for the Giants and throwing in 40 games for the Triple-A Tacoma club.  In 106 major league games, Monzant was 16-21 with a 4.38 ERA over 316 2/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #220
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Giants Team Set
This is Monzant's rookie card, the first rookie card to appear in the set's fourth and final series.  By all indications, Monzant preferred his given first name of Ramon, but Topps shortens his name to Ray on his four Topps baseball card appearances.  The back of the card highlights his successful minor league career and makes mention of his swing role with the Giants in 1955.

1956 Season
Monzant pitched in only four games for the Giants in 1956, and in only three games for their farm team in Minneapolis.  On April 29th, in the second game of a double header against the Phillies, Monzant allowed a first inning single to Del Ennis (#220) and then did not allow another hit for the rest of the game.  I'm assuming he likely injured his arm in the long outing, accounting for his limited output during the season.

1958 Topps #447
1959 Topps #332
1960 Topps #338

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #264
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1956, 1958-1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1979 The 1950s #199

10 - Monzant non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/6/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, March 3, 2023

#241 Don Mueller - New York Giants


Donald Frederick Mueller
New York Giants
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  April 14, 1927, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1948-1957; Chicago White Sox 1958-1959
Died:  December 28, 2011, Chesterfield, MO (age 84)

Nicknamed "Mandrake the Magician" for his ability to collect seeing-eye singles through seemingly any defensive infield alignment, Don Mueller spent a decade with the Giants, helping his club to two National League pennants.  Mueller took over regular right field duties for the Giants in 1950, with Willie Mays (#130) most often playing to his right in center field.  He drove in a career-high 84 runs in 1950 and hit a career-high 16 home runs in 1951 as the Giants bested the Dodgers in a three-game playoff to advance to the World Series.  In the decisive Game 3 of that playoff series, and with the Giants trailing 4-1 in the ninth inning, Al Dark (#148) and Mueller singled to start the inning.  Whitey Lockman (#205) would double Dark home, and Mueller would need to leave the game after spraining his ankle sliding into third base.  Bobby Thomson (#257) would hit his Shot Heard 'Round the World, scoring Lockman and pinch-runner Clint Hartung to send the Giants to the World Series.

While Mueller missed the entire 1951 World Series with his ankle injury, he helped the Giants return to the series in 1954 - his best season.  He was named to his first of two All-Star teams in 1954, led the league with 212 hits and finished as runner-up to Mays in the batting race.  Mueller hit for the cycle on July 11, 1954 against the Pirates.  For the season, Mueller hit .342 and Mays squeaked by him with a .345 average to win the batting title.  In the World Series, Mueller batted .389 (7 for 18) as the Giants swept the Indians in four games.  Mueller batted .296 for his career with 1,292 hits, 499 runs scored, 65 home runs and 520 RBIs.  A fine fielder as well, he led all National League right fielders in fielding percentage in 1950, 1956 and 1957.

December 25, 2006
Building the Set
December 25, 2006 from Mays Landing, NJ - Card #285
I was officially given this card on Christmas Day in 2006, but my Dad had purchased it several weeks (months?) earlier at a baseball card show held at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, New Jersey.

This was one of nine cards I received that Christmas from my Dad, and he spent a total of $210 on all nine cards with the Hank Aaron (#31) card being the big ticket item at $150.  Like all his purchases, he was extremely proud of this card's condition and I'm sure there was a negotiation story that went along with the acquisition.

Our first son Doug was born a few weeks before Christmas that year and we brought him home just in time for the big day.  He obviously doesn't remember much from his first Christmas, but he spent the holidays being held and loved by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  The picture shown here is from Christmas Day 2006, shortly after I had added those nine cards to our (and one day Doug's) 1956 Topps set.  One of the great joys of my life was seeing how proud my Dad was to have a grandson.

The Card / Giants Team Set
Despite his key role for the Giants in 1954, Mueller was left out of both 1955 Bowman and Topps sets.  The main photo here is the same as used for his 1954 Topps card.  The cartoons on the back play up Mueller's ability to hit for average and his success against the Indians in the 1954 World Series.

At first I thought the other player in the action photo was a teammate, perhaps the on-deck batter imploring Mueller to slide into home for the play at the plate.  But the Giants didn't have anyone on their roster wearing #2 in the early 1950s.  Looking at the National League uniform numbers from 1954 and 1955, there are no catchers who wore #2 during those years.  Assuming the uniform number starts with a "2" and the second number is obscured, it could be Walker Cooper (#273) from the Cubs who wore #25 in 1955, but that seems like a stretch.  At second look, the second player appears to be leaning on a bat?  In that case, maybe it is a Giants teammate and it could be Mays, who wore #24, making a cameo here.

1956 Season
Again the regular right fielder for the Giants, Mueller played in 138 games, batting .269 with five home runs and 41 RBIs.  The Giants slumped to sixth place in the league with Mueller, Mays and Jackie Brandt as their most used outfielders.

1950 Bowman #221
1952 Topps #52
1954 Topps #42
1957 Topps #148
1959 Topps #368

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #221
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1952, 1954, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2003 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN4

57 - Mueller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/1/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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