#273 Neil Chrisley

 

Neil Chrisley  Detroit Tigers

Career: Neil Chrisley was a left-handed bat off the bench and a spare outfielder for the Senators, Tigers, and (very briefly) the Braves over five seasons from 1957 through 1961. He signed in 1950 with the Red Sox out of Newberry College in 1950. He was an impressive minor league hitter but it took him several years, several organizations, and some military time before he made the Senators club in '57. 

1958 and 1960 (with Detroit) were his two busiest years. He appeared in about 100 games and had about 250 at-bats in each. He hit .210 for his career with 16 homers. Chrisley finished with the Braves in 1961 by getting a handful of pinch-hitting chances. He was done with the majors, but not pro ball. He spent another three seasons playing at the AAA level for three different clubs.

After baseball he went into the insurance business.

In 1960: This was his best season. He hit .255 in 96 games.

Off The Charts: Chrisley had the only hit (a first inning double) when the Tigers fell to the Red Sox' Bill Monbouquette's one-hitter in May of 1960. Exactly a week later he had his only 2 homer games. He hit both of Johnny Kucks of the Athletics.

His given name is Barbra O'Neil Chrisley. 

#271 Julio Becquer

 

 

Julio Becquer   Washington Senators

Career: First-baseman Julio Becquer was another in a long line of players scouted and signed by Joe Cambria. Cambria worked for the senators for many years and had and eye for talent which he uncovered in Cuba and in the Negro Leagues. 

Becquer, renowned for his glove-work at first, began in the Senators organization in 1952. There are gaps in his record at Baseball-Reference but he did make the Senators in 1955 and appeared in 10 games. He spent '56 at AAA and returned to D.C. for the '57 season and played for the Nats as a pinch-hitter and backup at first through 1959. His only year even approaching full time starting status was 1960.

He was taken by the Angels in the expansion draft, was quickly sold to the Phils and then back to his original team which was by then the Twins. Back to the minors went Becquer for '62 and he made one pinch-running appearance for the Twins in 1963 and then was out of baseball.

In 1960: He played in about half the games for the Senators, starting 61 at first. He hit .252, drove in 35 runs and even pitched an inning.

Off The Charts: He got the call to the mound in the second game of an August doubleheader in Kansas City. He game up a two-out homer to Dick Williams in an 8-3 loss. He got another shot at pitching the next season, again in Kansas City, again in a doubleheader. This time he was summoned in the seventh inning of the first game and he poured gas on the 6-1 fire by allowing two singles followed by two doubles as five runs came across. He got out of it by getting Deron Johnson to ground out. Sam Mele brought him back out for the eighth and he only allowed a walk.

He was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

#245 Eddie Yost

Eddie Yost  Detroit Tigers

Career: Eddie Yost was known as 'The Walking Man", and for good reason. He led the AL in bases on balls six times and was in the Top 10 twelve times. The Brooklyn native signed with Washington in 1944 and debuted as a 17-year-old that year. He spent a year in the service and returned to the majors never having played a game in the minors.

Yost was an institution at third in Washington playing 14 seasons with the Senators. He made the 1952 AL All-Star team but didn't play in the game. He received some scattered MVP votes, even playing on some terrible clubs.

He was traded to the Tigers and was their starting third-baseman in 1959/60. He finished his playing career as a part-timer and player/coach with the Angels. Yost spent 23 seasons as a coach for the Senators, Mets, and Red Sox. He was on the staff of the Mets' NL title clubs in 1969 and 1973. He got his ring in '69.

He ranks eleventh on the all-time walks list. 

In 1960: This was Yost's final season as an everyday player. He led the AL in walks (again) and in .OBP for the second straight year. He hit a respectable .260 for the Tigers. They nonetheless left him unprotected in the expansion draft and he was taken 25th by the Angels.

Off The Charts: This is from a bio of Yost on DC Baseball History blog I stumbled across:

The Boston Red Sox invited Yost to work out with the team in Boston in 1943. They liked what they saw. But when the Sox sent a scout to his Brooklyn home to sign him, they learned, from his mother, that Eddie was in St. Louis with the Washington club. Yost signed with Washington before the 1944 season. Boston Manager and former Nats shortstop Joe Cronin told Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich at the time, “Any right handed hitter who would sign with Washington when he had a chance to shoot for our left field fence deserves no sympathy.” But the Nats had finished 2^nd in 1943. Boston finished 7^th.

Yost was the first Los Angeles Angel to appear in a game when he led off in the fledgling club's opener in Baltimore on April 11, 1961.

Yost earned a Masters in Physical education at NYU during the off-seasons in the early 50s. He had played baseball and basketball there as an undergrad before he joined the Senators.

The Card: Pencil scribbles on the reverse don't bug me much. I might dig up a better one when we get back to having card shows.

#244 Hal Griggs

Hal Griggs   Washington Senators

Career: Hal Griggs pitched three full seasons in the majors, all with Washington. He began in the low minors in 1952 after a tryout with Hickory of the NC State League. His numbers were not good but he impressed with his 'live' arm. He was sold to the Senators and progressed up their chain and put together some fine minor league seasons. He made the '56 Senators without having pitched at the AAA level.

Griggs spent the majority of four-year tenure (spent most of 1957 in the minors) splitting time between the bullpen and a starter's role. After his days with the Nats he spent about four more years pitching winter ball and in the minors for a couple of organizations. He retired after the '63 season. He then turned to golf.

In 1960: Griggs was done with the majors, his last appearance coming the previous September on the final weekend of the '59 season. He split 1960 between three different minor league teams, at three different levels, for two organizations (Nats and Phils). His numbers were not particularly good with any of them.

Off The Charts: His given name is Harold Lloyd Griggs. Yes, he is named for the famous silent film star Harold Lloyd.

SABR sez: At the 23rd Annual National Baseball Players’ Golf Tournament, held at Miami Springs Golf Course, Griggs competed against big-league talent including Sandy Koufax, Duke Snider, and Maury Wills. The erstwhile Senator was only a shot off the lead after day one of the two-day February 1963 event. He finished with a respectable 36-hole 160, 12 shots behind tourney winner Virgil Trucks.

The Card: Cartoon reference to his on-the-field wedding. His SABR bio adds to it with this:

"Before his team’s game on June 20, 1952, Hal married Betty Robinson on the pitcher’s mound in Hickory. Regarding the site chosen for his nuptials, Griggs responded, “I couldn’t hit, so there was no sense getting married at home plate.”

The same bio reports:

According to one publication, he “kept the club’s spirits high with his sense of humor.”8 Griggs’s travel roommate and fellow pitcher Russ Kemmerer concurred. “He was a fun guy to be around,” said the hurler, “A prankster.” Another Washington pitcher, Dick Hyde, described Hal as a “good easy going southern boy….[who] liked his night life.” In the dugout, the nocturnally-active Griggs proclaimed his carefree philosophy: “I’m only going to be here once on this earth, and I’m really going to live it up.”

#241 Albie Pearson

Albie Pearson  Baltimore Orioles

Career: Pearson, one of baseball's most interesting characters, signed with the Red Sox in 1953. He had originally signed (for a song) as a pitcher but the Class C San Jose club was short on position players and Pearson was given a spot in the outfield. He was very successful in the Sox' chain but never was able to break through to the majors.

Boston traded Pearson to the Senators in January of 1958 and he became the Nats' starting centerfielder. He hit .275 and excelled in the field. He won the RoY award over Ryne Duren and Gary Bell. 

It can't be very often that a player comes off a Rookie of the Year season and finds himself dealt off within a few months. That's what happened to Pearson in 1959. He was hurt and his bat failed him and the Senators traded him to the Orioles in May.

The Angels drafted him from the Orioles in the '61 expansion draft and he played the rest of his career with the Halos. He had his best overall season in 1963 and made the All-Star starting lineup, getting a couple of hits in the game. He played into the 1966 season and then retired to devote his life to his Christian ministries. That work continues today.

In 1960: Pearson split the year between the Orioles and their Miami AAA club hitting .244 in 48 games as the Orioles fourth outfielder. 

Off the Charts: From my post of his 1959 Topps cards over on that blog...

Since his retirement, Pearson has served as an ordained minister and he and his wife established Father's Heart Ranch in Desert Hot Springs, California, a home for abused, neglected and abandoned boys. His foundation feeds Zambian youth who have lost their family to AIDS.

Pearson is a Renaissance man of sorts. He dabbled as a recording artist, actor, golfer, and disc jockey.

This 1963 article in Sports Illustrated is a fun read. It mentions how Pearson wrote letters to both the Red Sox and Angels trying to persuade them to take a chance on a 5' 5" ballplayer. And it recalls the advice he got from Ted Williams.

Ok, this is cool....Jackie Robinson hosted a series of short (<4 minutes) radio interviews in the late 50s, and one of his guests was Albie Pearson. Enjoy.

And here are a few shots of Albie and Marilyn Monroe taken as he escorted her onto the field for a 1962 pregame something at Dodger Stadium. Because why the hell not?

The Card: One of my favorites here. Albie's '59 card was in the first pack of Topps cards I ever opened, the only one I remember. So I have casually picked up more of his cards thru the years.

That's Orioles pitcher Arnie Portacerrero to Pearson's right with his back to the camera. Portacerrero will have a card coming up here soon. I believe (but wouldn't gamble on) that Griffith Stadium is where this was taken. Comisky also had those types of windows behind the home plate sections but these just seem different. They seem to be wider than those in the old Chicago place. If I could see just a bit more of the upper set of windows I'd know for sure. Comiskey's were very distinctive. They looked like silhouettes of the Astrodome.

#231 Hal Naragon

Hal Naragon  Washington Senators

Career: Hal Naragon signed with his home state Indians in 1947 and made it to the majors in 1952. He was unique in that his numbers got better as he climbed up through the Cleveland system. He also had a two-year detour as he served with the US Marines.

Over his ten-year big league career, playing for the Indians and Senators/Twins, he was never a primary catcher. His busiest season was 1959 when he got into 85 games that bracketed a May trade to the Senators for another long-time reserve backstop, Ed Fitz Gerald.

Naragon hit a respectable .266 for his career which included playing for the 111-win '54 AL Champ Indians. He caught three Hall of Fame pitchers for that club (Wynn, Feller, and Lemon) and made a defensive appearance in Game Three of the Series that year.

He spent many years as a coach after his playing days and was on the staff of the 1965 Twins team that won the AL crown and the '68 Tigers where he earned a World Series ring that he wore proudly until his passing at the age of 90 almost exactly one year ago.

In 1960: He struggled for playing time with the Nats and was only in 33 games, the fewest of his career up to that point. His .207 average was below his career norm. Game logs for that season show some fairly big gaps between appearances so injuries may have played a part in all this.

Off The Charts: Naragon's school, Barberton (Ohio) High, recognizes star baseball players with the Hal Naragon Award and the school’s baseball field is named in his honor.

#210 Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew  Washington Senators

Career: Harmon Killebrew, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, was the face of the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise beginning with his first full season in 1959 and continuing through to the early 1970s. He is one of 30 Idaho natives to make the majors, and the only Hall of Famer.

From Baseball Reference's Bullpen page...

Notable Achievements

• 11-time AL All-Star (1959, 1961 & 1963-1971)
• AL MVP (1969)
• AL On-Base Percentage Leader (1969)
• AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1963)
• 6-time AL Home Runs Leader (1959, 1962-1964, 1967 & 1969)
• 3-time AL RBI Leader (1962, 1969 & 1971)
• 4-time AL Bases on Balls Leader (1966, 1967, 1969 & 1971)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 13 (1959-1967 & 1969-1972)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 10 (1959-1964, 1966, 1967, 1969 & 1970)
• 40-Home Run Seasons: 8 (1959, 1961-1964, 1967, 1969 & 1970)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 9 (1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967 & 1969-1971)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1967 & 1969)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1984

In 1960: After his first All-Star season in 1959, Killebrew's numbers fell off a bit in 1960. While he raised his average over 30 points his homers and RBI totals were down. He didn't receive any MVP votes or make the All-Star squad, a situation that didn't occur again until the end of the decade.

Off The Charts: Killebrew led all of MLB with 393 homers in the 1960s, topping 40 six times during the decade – in which he also led the AL in homers six times.  In 1965, Killebrew was elected to start at first base for AL All-Star team, becoming the first player elected to an All-Star Team at three positions (Killebrew had previously been elected to start at 3B and LF).

#193 Dick Hyde

Dick Hyde  Washington Senators

Career: Signed in 1949, Dick Hyde spent six seasons in the Senators' system with a couple of years off in the service of Uncle Sam. He got his shot in 1957 as a middle reliever and did well enough to earn the stopper's role in '58. That year he led the AL with 19 saves. Bear in mind that came on a 61-win team. His 1.75 ERA was matched by a 1.134 WHIP and a 10-3 record. It all earned him enough MVP votes to finish 12th in the balloting.

He only had six other saves in a career that lasted through 1961. His '58 year was really lightning-in-a-bottle.

In 1960: Hyde had been roughed up just a bit through the end of May (0-1, 4.15 in 9 appearances) and was soon sold to the Orioles. He spent the rest of the season with the Os' top farm team in Miami. There he posted an 0-5 record with an inflated ERA over 34 innings of relief. 


Off The Charts: Hyde passed away just a few months ago, in April 2020, at the age of 91. In 1959, Hyde was included in deal-gone-bad between Washington and the Red Sox. On June 11, Hyde and Herb Plews were sent to Boston for Murray Wall and Billy Consolo. When the Sox found that Hyde had a sore arm, he and Wall were returned to their original teams.

The Card: The cartoon and the blurb on the back of the card refer to his career-topping 1958 season.

Yes, this card really is this miscut.

#136 Jim Kaat Sport Rookie Star

Jim Kaat  Washington Senators

Career: Contrary to popular belief, Jim Kaat did NOT pitch to Babe Ruth AND Mike Trout. It only feels like that. He actually began his pro career in 1957 after playing for Hope College. He spent a few seasons in the Senator's system before getting a quick look in 1959, making the team (for a while) in 1960, and breaking through with the Twins in 1961. Over the span of four decades* Kaat won 283 games, won 16 Gold Gloves, made three All-Star squads, and was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2015 by one of the Vet committees. As was pointed out in the comments...he is not a HoFamer. I must have been dreaming that.

He made three starts for the Twins in the 1965 Series, winning one and losing two. He did get a WS ring, though. He claimed it in 1982 with the Cardinals when he was working out of their pen, a year from retirement.

Following his active playing days, he was a color commentator for numerous organizations including the Yankees (WPIX, YES/MSG), NBC, CBS, ESPN, and the MLB Network.

In 1960: Kaat began the season in the Nats' rotation and had a good start in April including his first career win with a 7-inning, three-hit performance at Yankee Stadium on the 27th. Then things went bad for the rookie, and he lost five of his next seven starts. He was sent to the bullpen and then to AAA where he wasn't very impressive but was good enough to get a September recall to the majors.

Off The Charts: OK, this is nuts. If you're a golfer you understand the significance of 'shooting your age'. It's a feat that only players who maintain their skills into their retirement years accomplish. Kaat has reached that links milestone...left-handed AND right-handed. Color me impressed.




*=I played intramural softball in four decades at the University of Houston. I'm in the UH IM Hall of Fame. Other than that I have nothing in common with Jim Kaat.

#175 Pedro Ramos

Pedro Ramos  Washington Senators

Career: Ramos was known as the 'Cuban Cowboy' for his habit of wearing a 10-gallon hat and boots. (During his time with the Yankees my father called him 'Pistol Pete' for some reason…ironic given Ramos' later life). He had a long, much-traveled career which was largely spent with the Senators/Twins and Indians as a starting pitcher in the late 50s/early 60s. He led the league in losses for four consecutive seasons which was probably a product of his being durable and playing with the AL's cellar-dwellers.

An All-Star selection in 1959, he was also a pretty solid hitter with 15 career homers and a .155 lifetime average. 

Ramos became a huge hit in New York late in 1964 when he was nabbed by the Yankees in a trade with the Indians. He appeared in relief (he'd become a bullpen guy by then) in 13 games and racked up 8 saves with 21 K's and no walks in 21 innings. But he wasn't eligible for the World Series because the trade had been made after the deadline.

In 1960: He was 11-18 while leading the league in starts and batters faced. His stats reflect a much better year than his W-L. This was also the year he was involved in baseball only All Cuban Triple Play. SABR tells the tale better than I:

[A pitch to] Whitey Herzog resulted in a delectable tidbit of 1960s trivia — an all-Cuban triple play. The setting was Washington’s Griffith Stadium, the teams involved were the hometown Senators and the visiting Kansas City Athletics, and the date was July 23, 1960. In the top of the third inning, with Washington holding a 3-1 lead and Kansas City threatening to cut the gap, outfielder Herzog stood at the plate with a full count, Jerry Lumpe rested on first, and Bill Tuttle was the baserunner at second. Herzog lined the next pitch straight into the glove of pitcher Ramos (one out); Ramos whirled and heaved to first baseman Julio Becquer (doubling up Lumpe for out number two); Becquer then tossed down to second where shortstop José Valdivielso tripled up the slow-footed Tuttle. Presto, a big-league feat never before or since duplicated, an all-Cuban triple play.

Off The Charts: He's one of the players whose 'off the Charts" section could easily run long enough for a book. His SABR bio paints a picture of a 'colorful' but troubled soul. He was convicted on gun and drug violations on more than one occasion during his post-career days. He was finally sent to prison after his third strike (pun sort of intended).

Here's a sample from his bio:

The fateful pitch to Mickey Mantle resulted in one of the most memorable blasts among the considerable list of Mantle tape-measure shots. The setting was the first game of a May 30, 1956, Yankee Stadium twin bill in which Mantle faced and terrorized two of his favorite victims, Ramos (12 career homers) and Camilo Pascual (11 lifetime blasts).1 Struck by an errant Ramos fastball in his first trip, Mantle stepped up a second time with the Yankees on the short end of a 1-0 score. He quickly knotted the count with a shot that came within approximately 18 inches of being the first ball ever to exit the cavernous ballpark on the fly.

I also enjoyed this tidbit from a site called the Cuba News:

Ted Williams makes a swing at the ball, but cannot find it. It is the third strike and while the best batter in history walks to the dig-out, the man who just dominated him, Pedro Ramos, amidst the excitement, asks the batboy to tell Ted to sign the ball for him.
The fearsome Boston slugger, was pleased, but won’t forget the insult. The night is young and a couple of innings later he takes revenge with a homerun by a mile
As he does a lap of the square, after passing third base, he shouts to the pitcher: “hey, Pedro, find that, I’ll sign it too.”

#131 Ed Hobaugh Sport Rookie Star

Ed Hobaugh  Chicago White Sox

Career: Hobaugh was a hard-throwing Michigan State pitching star who signed with the White Sox in 1956 and pitched a no-hitter for his Class B minor league team three weeks later. He served two years in the Army and then pitched for the Sox at AA for a couple of years. He had some success but never got a shot at their big league roster. He was taken by the Senators in the expansion draft and pitched in parts of three seasons in Washington from 1961 to 1963. Hobaugh hung around the minors for most of the decade after that, mainly in the Pirates chain, and then managed in the low minors. He finished with a 7-9 career record in just over 200 innings for the Nats.

In 1960: Pitching for the Sox' AAA club in San Diego, Hobaugh saw his numbers dip from previous seasons which is likely why he was left available in the expansion draft.

Off The Charts: At Michigan State his teammates included major leaguer Ron Perranoski and professional football legend Earl Morrall on a club that finished third in the CWS in 1956.

After baseball Hobaugh became a physical-education teacher and assistant baseball coach (yeah!) – serving under his eldest son, Bradley, the head coach – in the Armstrong (Pa.) School District.

#139 Carl Mathias Sport Rookie Star

Carl Mathias   Cleveland Indians

Career: After four fair-to-middling years in the lower minors, Carl Mathias found his game with the Indians' AA Mobile club in 1959. That, and a nice start to the 1960 season in AAA, earned him a look in the Cleveland pen mid-year. He was taken that winter by the Senators in the expansion draft and got generally lit up in four appearances in 1961. That was it for his big league career.

In 1960: He made it into seven games between July 31 and the end of the season. Hard to say if he was up and down between the Indians and AAA or just not used too often. He actually held his own in those seven appearances, 15 innings, 14 hits, and a 3.52 ERA. The rest of the year was split between the Indians and Phillies AAA clubs. How he got involved with the Phils isn't clear. His final tally in the majors showed him losing both of his decisions.

Off The Charts: Mathis was so very close to a big-league win in 1961. It was his first start for the Senators and came in Boston on June 18. He started and was staked to a 7-5 lead going into the ninth. The Nats put what seemed like icing on his cake with five in the top of the inning. Mathias took the mound in the bottom of the ninth leading 12-5. Let's let the game unfold from there courtesy of Baseball-Reference:

If you can't read that I'll tick off the ugly details...

Mathias gets Vic Wertz to groundout to first. Don Buddin singles. Billy Harrell pinch hits for the pitcher and whiffs. So Mathis is an out away from his first (and what would have become only) major league win. A seven-run lead, two outs and a man on. What could go wrong?

A hell of a lot.

Chuck Shilling singles and so does Carroll Hardy.  A run scores but the lead is still 12-6 and we only need an out. But Mathias walks Gary Geiger to load the bases. You'd think this was still a good spot for the Senators. Force anywhere, play back because you're not really worried about having to throw home. Just get a damn out and we can play Game Two for the day. But, no.

Nats' manager Mickey Vernon, watching Mathias in real action for the first time, has seen enough. He brings in his closer, Dave Sisler. Sisler knows how to pitch in Fenway, he had been with the Red Sox for many years. He's got seven saves on the year. Mathias still has to be feeling good. I bet he stayed in the dugout to watch and get the backslaps on his win.

But Sisler walks Jackie Jensen. it's 12-7. Then he walks Frank Malzone, it's 12-8. Up steps Jim Paglaroni, a .230ish hitter who was 0-4 at this point. He has eight career homers.

Make it nine. Pags launched one over the Green Monster and, son-of-a-bitch, we are tied, 12-12. No win for Mathis (who is probably in shock). Vernon is understandably too stupified to make it to the mound for a pitching change and Vic Wertz, who started the inning, walks.

Vernon finally makes a move and brings in Marty Kutyna, but at this point, it doesn't matter. Mathias can't get a win and is probably already having a few beers in the clubhouse. Anyway, Kutyna gives up hits to Don Buddin and pinch-hitter Russ Nixon and that scores Pete Runnels who was running for Wertz. The Red Sox have a 13-12 win. Unbelievable.

BTW...the Red Sox won the second game of the doubleheader in 13 innings. Mickey Vernon did not jump off the roof of the hotel that night. But only because the Nats had a train to catch.

#123 Dan Dobbek Sport Rookie Star

Dan Dobbek  Washington Senators

Career: He was a highly touted power-hitting outfield prospect when he signed with the Senators in 1955. He was a three-sport star in his hometown on Michigan's Upper Peninsula and attended Western Michigan before turning pro. He didn't disappoint the Nats when he hit 23 homers in each of his two full seasons in the minors and got a September call-up in 1959.

His career was seriously affected by an injury to his shoulder when he ran into an outfield fence in K.C. in 1961. He hung on for a couple more seasons in the minors and then was out of the game.

In 1960: This was his only complete major league year and he served as the Senator's fourth outfielder and #1 pinch-hitter. He played in over 100 games and had nearly 300 plate appearances while hitting .218 and banging out 10 homers.

Off The Charts: From Baseball Reference's Bullpen page for Dobbek..."The Boston Red Sox didn't want to pitch to Dan on April 22, 1960, as he tied a major league record when he received three intentional bases-on-balls in one game."

He moved along with the Senators when they became the Twins in 1961, and he hit the first Grand Slam in the team's history.

The Card: This is his second 'rookie star' card. He had one in the 1959 set.

#114 Ken Aspromonte

Ken Aspromonte  Washington Senators

Career: Aspromonte spent eight years banging around with six different clubs. He spent most of his career as a utility infielder and had experience at all four spots. Only in 1960 did he play in an everyday role. He briefly returned to the minors and then went to play in Japan when his days in MLB were over. He played three seasons there.

He managed the Indians from 1972 thru 1974 with his clubs finishing fifth, sixth, and fourth.

In 1960: He had his best season with a slash of 10/48/.288. All were easily his best totals. But the bulk of it didn't come in a Senators' uni. In May Washington (these were the original Senators) traded Aspromonte to the Indians. In December the 'new' Senators (the expansion version) drafted him from the Indians and that same day traded him to the Angels. Bottom line...he was with two separate Washington Senator franchises in one calendar year.

Off The Charts: Only in three of his eight big league seasons did he end the year in the same uni he started it in.

His brother Bob played 13 years in the NL, primarily with the Colts/Astros, and is a member of the Astros Hall of Fame.

#106 Billy Gardner

Billy Gardner  Baltimore Orioles

Career: Gardner played 19 seasons in the bigs, five as a regular and four of those with the Orioles thru the late 1950s. He had a career .237 average and his best season came in 1957 when he led the AL with 36 doubles (as well as in at-bats and plate appearances). He played with two Series-winning clubs, the Giants in 1954 (his rookie year) and the 1961 Yankees. He did not appear in the '54 Series but he made the box score in the '61 Series with one AB. 

He later spent five seasons managing the Twins and a short stint as a replacement for Dick Howser in Kansas City when Howser had to undergo cancer treatment.


In 1960: He was traded to the Senators early in April and hit .257  with a career-high 56 RBIs in what would be his last season as a regular.

Off The Charts: His son, Billy Gardner Jr, has been involved in baseball as well and is, at last look, working as the roving coordinator for the Nationals.

The Card: There's that yellow, orange, black and white pattern again. Looks as good with the Orioles as it does with the Pirates.

#99 Lenny Green

Lenny Green Washington Senators

Career: After a few years of honing his skills playing ball against and with many big league stars in the Army, Green played for five clubs over twelve seasons, all in the American League. He was described as a 'steady, graceful, line-drive hitting outfielder.' His last season as a regular on a big league club was with the '65 Red Sox. His best shot at postseason play came in his last season, 1968. He spent a few weeks with the Tigers but was in the minors for most of the season. Detroit went on to win the Series that year. He retired after that and worked for Ford in the Detroit area, his hometown. He passed away earlier in 2019 on his 86th birthday.

In 1960: This was the busiest season yet in his career. Not quite a fulltime outfielder, he was about to take over the centerfield spot when the Nats moved to Minnesota. His .294 batting average was a career high.

Off The Charts: In Washington, during the late 50s, he had a daily sports radio program on WUST. Later in his career, according to SABR 'He was also one of four Twins players named to an in-house committee to study the problem of planning for racially integrated housing arrangements at their Orlando spring training locale.'

The Card: Outside the batting cage shots are nice. That's 1959 Rookie of the Year Bobby Allison in the background.

#87 John Romanowski

John Romonosky  Washington Senators

Career: Romonosky pitched in 32 major league games, debuting with two starts in 1953 for the Cardinals. After two years in the service, he re-emerged with the Senators in 1958 and pitched in parts of that season and the next. He had a career mark of 3-4 in just over 100 innings. He finished his career in the minors in 1961.

In 1960: He was released by the Senators in April. about the time this card was being found in packs. He spent 1960 in the Yankees organization at the AAA and then AA levels.

Off The Charts: There is (was?) a high school pitching award named for him given out by a Central Ohio baseball booster organization.

The Card: This is one of two Topps card he had, the other being his 'rookie' card in the 1959 set. Another Yankee Stadium photo, this time with some early arriving fans (or reporters) populating the background. A pleasant color combo on this one.

#76 Bill Fischer

Bill Fischer  Washington Senators

Career: (In a weird coincidence Fischer popped up in the rotation here the same day I posted his card on my 1958 blog. Crazy!) As noted in my other set blog, Fischer was a lifelong baseball guy who pitched for 20 years in pro ball and then turned to every other job in the game after thet. He was an occasional starter in the bigs for four AL clubs, none of which ever got him a post-season shot.

In 1960: He struggled during the first half of the season for the Senators but a late July trade to the Tigers (his second go-round in Detroit) changed his luck and he improved his numbers. He finished 8-8 in 40 games, 20 with each team.

Off The Charts: When he passed away last year at the age of 88 he had just completed his 71st year in pro baseball in a career that began in 1948 as a 17-year old in the White Sox organization.

The Card: That's the old Comiskey behind him. And seeing that Nats logo reminds me of how much I always liked it.

#56 Steve Korcheck

Steve Korcheck   Washington Senators

Career: After playing football and baseball at George Washington University he played in 58 games for the Senators over parts of four seasons which bracketed a two year Army service stint. He hit .159 for his career.

In 1960: This was Korcheck's last season as a pro and he spent it with the Nats' AAA affiliate in Charlotte. In a three-way platoon, he hit .230 with five homers. 

Off The Charts: From his obituary..."[He] was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers but chose to play baseball with the Washington Senators. And for most of his life, Steve was an avid golfer, satisfying his competitive fires while greatly enjoying the camaraderie of friends.'

'After his baseball career, Steve returned to George Washington [University] and earned Master’s and Doctoral degrees while managing the baseball team."

Personal note..he was playing at GWU when my father was a student there.


The Card: I normally like cards that have pink elements but the pink/red/yellow doesn't do much for me. That's the old Comiskey in the background.

Senators Team Trio #43, #221 & #470

The Team: The 1960 Senators were the last edition of the original franchise in the nation's capital. In 1961 they were the Twins and an expansion Senators team was playing in D.C.

This club had the nucleus of the better Twins' clubs of the mid-60s including Harmon Killebrew,  Zolio Versalles, Earl Battey, Bob Allison, and Camilo Pascual. They were 5th in the AL in the standings and last in attendance.

The back of the card is a marked checklist.

The Manager: Cookie Lavagetto had a ten-year big league career as an infielder with the Pirates and Dodgers. In the middle of his playing days, he served four years in the military during WWII. He was a full-time starter in Brooklyn for the five seasons leading up to his military service and was an NL All-Star for four of them. He managed the Senators through their transition to Minnesota. The '60 finish, fifth place, was his best. I commented on this card, and posted some links to Lavagetto's 1947 World Series notable moment, over on my regular blog. It's near the bottom of that post. Ignore the Facebook stuff, I'm gone from there.

The cartoons on the backs of these manager cards are great as the artists had room to stretch out a bit.

The Coaches: Sam Mele stands out in this group. He had a solid, if unspectacular, ten-year career as a member of the Red Sox and several other AL clubs in the 40s and 50s. He took over for Lavagetto as Twins manager in 1961 and was in the dugout for the 1965 AL pennant.  Bob Swift was a bench player for several clubs for 14 seasons in the 40s and early 50s. He managed the Tigers for two short stints in 1965 and '66. Ellis Clary was a long-time minor league infielder who made the majors for a few seasons during WWII. He spent nearly three decades as a coach and scout for the Nats, Twins, White Sox and  Blue Jays.