TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1952: BILLY MARTIN SAVES THE SERIES FOR THE YANKEES

Today’s “Turn Back the Clock” card is a 20th Anniversary card for the 1972 Topps set celebrating Billy Martin and his World Series (and World Championship) saving grab in the seventh game of the 1952 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Check it out:

The Yankees were gunning for their fourth straight championship, and incredibly, this was their FIRST to go seven games in the run.
On October 7th, 1952, with the Yanks nursing a two-run lead and the bases loaded with Dodgers, Jackie Robinson came to the plate in the seventh with two out and popped up in the infield.
What should have been a simple pop-out turned into a circus as first baseman Joe Collins lost sight of the ball in the sun, forcing second baseman Billy Martin to come dashing in at full speed, barely snatching the ball before it hit the ground.
That play allowed the Yanks to get out of the inning with their slim lead still intact.
If you want a good read on the specifics of the moment, check out the following link, they did a great job:
http://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-7-1952-billy-martin-saves-series
The Yankees would go on to win the series, their fourth of an incredible FIVE championships in a row.
This was also the beginning of a historical run that would see them win four more championships by 1962, for a total of TEN World Series wins between 1947 and 1962.
Amazing stuff...

TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1952: WALT DROPO COLLECTS HIT IN 12 CONSECUTIVE AT-BATS

Here’s a “Turn Back The Clock” card celebrating Walt Dropo’s 12 consecutive hits in 12 at-bats back in 1952 as a member of the Detroit Tigers:

After getting traded to the Tigers from the Boston Red Sox, Dropo went on to have a streak for the ages beginning on July 14th against the New York Yankees when he went 5-for-5.
The next day, during the first game of a double-header against the Washington Senators he proceeded to go 4-for-4, giving him nine straight hits going into the nightcap.
Wouldn’t you know it, he’d then go on to get a hit in his first three at-bats, matching the Major League record set by Pinky Higgins of the Boston Red Sox back in 1938.
After popping out in his fourth at-bat of the game he’d collect yet another hit, giving him 16 knocks in three games, matching the American League record.
I remember thinking of Dropo back in 2012 when Mike Trout was having his amazing rookie season.
I always felt that Trout, while an incredible talent, was a bit over-hyped with his rookie season numbers, especially when people kept saying it was the greatest rookie season of all-time.
Right off the bat I kept thinking of a few that I felt were better, including Dropo’s unreal rookie year that saw him hit .322 with 34 homers, 144 runs batted in and 101 runs scored, with a .583 slugging percentage and 326 total bases.
Now I’m not saying it’s THE best rookie year, but it IS a season I felt was on par, if not better than Trout’s.
Anyone have another rookie season they feel was “the best”?
I think of two that “technically” weren’t rookie years, but should be: Joe Jackson’s 1911 season and Alex Rodriguez’ 1996 season.
Why ISN’T Jackson’s 1911 season considered a rookie season anyway?

TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1952: VIRGIL TRUCKS SPINS TWO NO-HITTERS

Here’s an interesting card to make up: a “Turn Back The Clock” card for one of the most unlikely “highlights” to ever occur, Virgil Trucks and his two no-hitters in 1952.
First, let’s take a look at the card I designed, following the 1972 template for a 20th anniversary:

Now, for those who do not know, why is it so unlikely that Trucks threw these two no-hitters? Well, if you look at his 1952 season you won’t even believe it. The man posted a 5-19 record, with a 3.97 earned run average over 29 starts and 35 appearances.
Granted, he was a much better pitcher than this over his career, but that 1952 season was one for the ages.
On May 15th he beat the Washington Senators 1-0, and then on August 25th he topped himself by spinning his second no-hitter of the year, beating the eventual (and reigning) World Champion New York Yankees by the very same score, 1-0.
At the time he was only the third pitcher to accomplish this feat, joining Johnny Vander Meer, who spun two consecutive no-no’s in 1938, and Allie Reynolds, who’s feat was featured here just about a week ago, as he pitched two no-hitters the year before Trucks in 1951.
Trucks would go on to pitch a very nice 17-year career in the Majors, winning 177 games with a 3.39 ERA and 1534 strikeouts.
He’d post a 20-win season in 1953, and would lead the American League in shutouts twice, with 6 in 1949 and five in 1954, while leading the league in K’s with 153 in ‘49 as well.
And speaking of K’s, in 1938 with the Andalusia team at D-Level, he posted a 25-6 record with a sparkling 1.25 ERA and an eye-popping 418 strikeouts!
Gotta love those Minor League whacky stats!