1960s IN-ACTION: 1964 RON SANTO

Good day all!

On the blog today we showcase my 1964 "In-Action" card for Hall of Fame third baseman Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs:

Always a fun set to create, imagining if Topps began using in-game action shots during the 1960s rather than beginning in 1971.

Ron Santo was no slouch at the hot corner: nine All-Star games, five Gold Gloves, 342 lifetime homers and 1331 runs batted in in a somewhat short 15-year career, mainly for the North Side Chicago Cubs (he played his last year for the South Side Chicago White Sox) in 1974.

Just take a look at his career, and see the solid numbers year after year, about as consistent a player you could ever ask for.

Between 1963 and 1973 Santo was selected for nine All-Star games, received five Gold Gloves for his defensive work, and four-time finished Top-10 in the National League MVP race, with a high of fourth in 1967.
Post-playing career, Santo moved on to broadcasting, where he was a beloved color commentator over the years, working with guys like Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman and Steve Stone.

He was about as beloved a Cub as there ever was, and finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Veteran's Committee selection, even though tragically it was two years after he passed away.

"DEDICATED ROOKIE"- 1964 TONY OLIVA

Let's dip into the 1960's for another sweet "dedicated rookie" card, this one for Hall of Fame hitter Tony Oliva and a 1964 edition:

Now, interestingly, Oliva's actual FIRST Topps card was on a 1963 multi-player rookie card, before appearing on a 1964 multi-player card again, so for now I chose to create a '64 version with a '63 coming soon.

He burst onto the Major League scene in 1964 when he easily won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
In that year, all he did was lead the league in batting, hitting .323, while slamming 32 homers with 94 runs batted in. 
He also lead the league in runs scored with 109, hits with 217, doubles with 43 and total bases with 374!
Those numbers also got him a fourth place finish in M.V.P. voting as well.
The following year there was no sign of a sophomore jinx, as he once again led the lead in batting, this time hitting .321, with 16 homers, 98 R.B.I.'s, 40 doubles and 107 runs scored.
He also led the league in total hits again, this time with 185.
All told in his career, Oliva would win three batting titles (the third coming in 1971 when he hit .337), and would lead the league in hits five times, slugging once (1971), get named to eight straight all-star teams, and have two second-place finishes for M.V.P., in 1965 and 1970.
I wouldn't say his final numbers "definitely" warranted a Hall of Fame spot for Oliva. But I'll admit that you can argue a good point for it with the career he left us with, and come 2022 he would be selected for a spot in Cooperstown, which is just fine with me!
When you really take a look, he only had 11 full seasons in the Majors, with the half-season in 1976 and three pretty much non-existent years in 1962, 1963 and 1972. 
So his numbers carry a bit more weight in that light.
And wow, what a great hitting combo he and Rod Carew made for the Twins, huh?!
Nice 1-2 punch right there.

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- MISSING IN ACTION: 1964 JOE MORGAN

Today's blog post has my "not really missing" 1964 card for all-time second baseman Joe Morgan, who made his Major League debut for the Houston Colt .45's in 1963:

Morgan appeared in eight games for the Colt .45's that season, hitting .240 with the first six hits of his illustrious career over 25 at-bats, also stealing a base and scoring five runs.

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, still with his original team before eventually helping to build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1972 season in a blockbuster trade.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- 1964 REDO FOR GIL HODGES

Today on the blog we spotlight another card from my recent custom set, "The Whole Nine: Series 2", this one my 1964 redo for Hall of Famer Gil Hodges:

Topps originally issued a card showing Hodges as the manager for the Washington Senators for the upcoming 1964 season, thus ending a Hall-worthy career as an elite slugger mainly for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

I created an alternate New York Mets card to cap-off his playing career, which was understated and stellar, finishing up at the time as one of the game's greatest sluggers of all-time.

I still cannot figure out why it took so long for him to get into the Hall, as he was a MAJOR part of those "Bum" Dodger teams, slamming 370 career homers, driving in 100+ runs seven years in a row between 1949-1955, and topping 30+ homers six times.

Later on he went on to a managerial career that includes one of the all-time great surprises in Major League ball, leading the "Miracle Mets" over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 1969, an incredible turnaround that saw the Mets as World Champs just a few short years after perennial last place finishes, including their all-time futile 1962 season which saw them lose 120 games.

One of baseball's Hall of Fame snubs that thankfully finally got "fixed" with his election in 2022, 50 years after his sudden and shocking death from a heart attack at the young age of 47.

One of the era's best players finally getting his place in Cooperstown, and rightly so!

 

1960's IN-ACTION SPECIAL: 1964 MICKEY MANTLE

Good day all!

Today on the blog, we come to my 1964 "In-Action" card for all-timer Mickey mantle, from my latest custom set released a couple months back:

Really would have been fun if Topps started using In-Action photos earlier than the 1971 set, though I do understand the limitations at the time.

Mantle is one of those guys I really don't think we need to get into as far as his accomplishments on the baseball diamond. It'd be kind of like a joke to start writing about his career since it would take up a book's worth.

But alas, 500+ homers, a bushel of World Championships, three Most Valuable Player Awards, and the hearts of more fans than we can even imagine to this day.

"The Mick" in all his glory, enshrined in his rightful place in Cooperstown, along with his longtime buddy Whitey Ford in the same HOF class.

Not too bad a Hollywood script...

 

JAPANESE SPECIAL: 1964 MASAICHI KANEDA

Super fun card to create and post to the blog today, a 1964 special Japanese Edition of Hall of Fame pitcher Masaichi Kaneda, who put together a monster baseball career:

The man was an absolute beast on the mound, as evidenced by his 14 consecutive 20-win seasons, all for the Kokutetsu Swallows in the Central League.

Among those 14 20-win campaigns, he also reached 30+ wins twice, with 31 in 1958 and 30 in 1963.

In 1955 the man tossed 400 innings when he appeared in 62 games, 37 of them starts, completing 34 while finishing up 21 in relief.

Incredible numbers that remind me of Robin Roberts or Warren Spahn, though for a longer amount of time.

To top it off, in that run of 14 straight 20-win seasons, he also topped 200+ strikeouts each and every year, including five 300+ K campaigns between 1955 and 1959, while also posting seven seasons of a sub-2.00 earned run average, with a ridiculous 1.30 mark in 1958 when he threw 332.1 innings!

Just incredible!

By the time he retired after the 1969 season, he finished with 400 wins, a 2.34 ERA and 4490 strikeouts over 944 games, 569 of them starts, with 82 shutouts.

Legend!

Look for this card to be printed in an upcoming set for sure!

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1964 RICHIE ALLEN

On the blog this fine day, we spotlight my 1964 "dedicated rookie" for the great Richie (Dick) Allen, who put together what I feel is a Hall of Fame career, beginning with the Philadelphia Phillies:

The man was a beast at the plate, putting up numbers that were consistently up in the league-leaders year after year.

His rookie year was phenomenal, as he'd score 125 runs, collect 201 hits, lead the league with 13 triples, while collecting 38 doubles, hit 29 homers and drive in 91 runs, and hit .318, finishing seventh for the MVP Award.

Needless to say, he took home the Rookie of the Year in 1964, and in 1972 would take home the MVP trophy while with the White Sox when he paced the American League with 37 homers and 113 RBI's, while just missing out on the Triple Crown, batting .308, just ten points off the league-leading mark by perennial winner Rod Carew.

By the time he left the game at the age of 35, Allen hit over 350 homers, batted .292 and scored 1099 runs with 1119 RBI's.

The seven-time all-star also led his league in triples once, walks once, on-base-percentage twice and slugging three times.

I'm not saying the man is a lock-tight Hall of Fame candidate, but I do think in light of some of the guys already in, HE should also be in there.

The fact that the most support he got was an 18.9% showing in 1996 seems like a joke to me.

What do you all think?

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIES: 1964 PHIL NIEKRO

On the blog today, from my 1960's "Dedicated Rookies" set released a couple of years ago, my 1964 card for Hall of Famer Phil Niekro:

Though getting a spot on a multi-player rookie card in the 1964 Topps set, he was yet to make his Big League debut until that very season as a 25 year-old.

Incredibly, though getting a bit of a "late-start" in his career, the man would end up putting in 24 years in the Majors, pitching his knuckler until the age of 48 in 1987.

It is astonishing to think Niekro didn’t have a full season on Big League duty until 1967 at the age of 28, yet still went on to pitch those 24 seasons, winning 318 games with a very nice 3.35 ERA along with 45 shutouts and 3342 strikeouts before he was done at the age of 48!
I always thought it amazing that at the age of 44 in 1983, he took home the last of his five Gold Gloves, ALL of which were garnered beginning his age 39 season in 1978.

Just an amazing talent!

CAREER-CAPPER: 1964 STAN MUSIAL

Today's blog post has a 1964 "career-capper" for all-time great Stan Musial, from my "1960's Capper" pack released a couple years back:

For Musial, his MLB numbers are just absurd: seven batting titles, two R.B.I. titles, five triples titles and eight doubles titles, with career numbers of 475 home runs, 1951 runs batted in and a .331 career average. Throw in his 725 doubles, 177 triples and 3630 hits along with 1949 runs scored and the numbers are staggering. 

And don't forget that Musial also lost a year to military duty, easily putting him over 500 homers, close to 3900 hits and around 2100 runs batted in if he played in 1945.

Along with the great Frank Robinson I always felt Stan Musial was often overlooked in the decades since his playing days ended.

When talk of "Greatest Living Player" came up it was always Williams, DiMaggio, Mays or even Aaron that would come up. But Stan Musial would always kind of be that after-thought.

Criminal.

Three Most Valuable Player Awards, FOUR second-place finishes, including three in a row between 1949-1951, and twenty consecutive all-star appearances, Musial definitely is a member of that rarified stratosphere of baseball royalty along with the likes of Ruth, Cobb, Mays and Wagner, among others.

1960'S CAREER-CAPPERS: 1964 EARLY WYNN

Up on the blog today, from my "1960's Career-Cappers" set released in 2021, a 1964 capper for 300-game winner Early Wynn, who wrapped up a Hall of Fame career in 1963:

Wynn's Major League romp towards 300 career wins didn't really pick up steam until he was 30-years old and a member of the Cleveland Indians in 1950, as he posted an 18-8 record with a league-leading 3.20 earned run average.

From then on he was hovering around 20-wins every year for the next ten years, topping the mark five times.

In 1959, now a member of the "Go-Go" Chicago White Sox, Wynn anchored the staff that led the team to a World Series appearance against the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, by posting a 22-10 record, leading the league in wins and copping a Cy Young Award at the age of 39.

However, the struggle to get that elusive 300th win is now well-documented, as he hung on for the next four years until he got that final victory in 1963 at the age of 43, thus joining the exclusive club and pretty much sealing his Cooperstown induction in his fourth year of eligibility, getting 76% of the BBWA vote.

All told, Wynn finished his 23-year career with a 300-244 record, with a 3.54 E.R.A., 49 shutouts and 2334 strikeouts in 691 games, 611 of which were starts, and was named to seven all-star teams.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: KEN JOHNSON FIRST TO LOSE A CG NO-HITTER

Imagine reaching one of the heights of pitching magic in the Major Leagues and yet LOSING the game?
Today we look back at the first pitcher to LOSE an official no-hitter that he pitched, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45’s:

On April 23, 1964, Johnson took the mound for the then-known Colt .45’s against the Cincinnati Reds.
With the score at 0-0 into the ninth-inning, Pete Rose reached second base on an error by Ken Johnson himself, went to third on a ground-out, then scored on another error, this one committed by future Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox on a Vada Pinson grounder.
After opposing pitcher Joe Nuxhall retired the side in the bottom of the ninth, Johnson became the first pitcher to ever lose a complete-game no-hitter.
By the time Johnson retired after the 1970 season with the Montreal Expos, he left with a 91-106 record, primarily with losing teams, along with a 3.46 earned run average and 1042 strikeouts over 1737.1 innings and 334 appearances, 231 of them starts.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK- BERT CAMPANERIS HITS 2 HOMERS IN MLB DEBUT

Here’s a card celebrating the awesome Major League debut of former Kansas City/Oakland A’s star Bert Campaneris, who hit two home runs off of Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim Kaat on July 23rd, 1964:

Campy became just the second player in history at the time to accomplish the feat, joining Bob Nieman who accomplished the feat in 1951, and joined since then by three others.
Considering the guy would stick around for 19 years and play another 2327 games before he was through, the fact that he’d only hit another 76 homers makes his debut that much more special.
Of course slugging notwithstanding, Campaneris would go on the become an all-star shortstop in the 1970’s as part of the three-time World Champion Oakland A’s teams that also featured guys like Reggie Jackson, Gene Tenace and Joe Rudi.
I’ve always dug the odd season of 1970 when he slugged 22 homers, the only season in his career that he even hit double-digits, let alone 20+! With his second highest total would be the eight homers he hit in 1972.
By the time he retired after the 1983 season after 60 games with the New York Yankees, he finished with over 2000 hits, 1000 runs scored and 649 stolen bases, leading the American League six times with a high of 62 in 1968 and 1969, and was named to six all-star teams.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: 1964- JIM BUNNING TOSSES A PERFECT GAME!

Next up in my series of “Turn Back the Clock” cards is one that celebrates Jim Bunning and his Father’s Day perfect game in 1964, which also made him one of the few Major League pitchers who tossed a no-hitter in both leagues, this one against the New York Mets:

Bunning, who pitched a no-hitter while with the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox in 1958, bettered himself with a spotless perfect game on June 21st of 1963, which was Father’s Day, appropriate for a guy who had seven children of his own!
He would finish the game with 10 strikeouts against the hapless Mets, and was helped in the game by a Johnny Callison home run, two runs batted in by his catcher Gus Triandos, as well as two RBI’s of his own on a double.
It would be the first perfect game in baseball during the regular season since Charlie Robertson of the Chicago White Sox in 1922.
Though surely one of the high-points of his career, he put together what would be a Hall of Fame tenure in the Majors, winning over 200 games, which consisted of more than 100 in each league, another rarity at the time.
Post career, as we all know, Bunning would go into politics, serving his home state of Kentucky for decades in various capacities, ultimately leading to a Senator’s seat after serving as a State Assemblyman.

1975 "CY YOUNG AWARD" SUB-SET: WHAT IF? 1964

Next up on my imagined 1975 Cy Young sub-set s the 1964 season and we are now fully entrenched in the Koufax-era, even though he didn't take home the award that season because of limited playing time.

The actual winner of the award was Angels pitcher Dean Chance, who had his peak season that year, while Koufax would have won the award had there been a selection for both leagues at the time.

First up, my card design:

As I mentioned yesterday for my "all-decade" card featuring Chance, 1964 was the culmination of his relatively short 11-year career, going 20-9 with a fantastic 1.65 earned run average largely based on his 11 shutouts in 35 starts. He even appeared in another 11 games, earning four saves in the process.

The rest of his numbers were good ones: a league-leading 15 complete games and 278.1 innings pitched, 207 strikeouts, a .690 winning percentage, and he only gave up 7 homers and 51 earned runs all season long.

So when Cy Young voting came around, writers easily picked him over Chicago Cub hurler Larry Jackson and Koufax, garnering 17 of 20 first place votes.

He'd go on to have a few more good seasons with the Angels and Twins, but would be out of the game by 1971 at the young age of 30.

Ironically, the player the folks at SABR picked to be the "assumed" winner of the National League Cy Young Award was another guy who was out of the Majors by the age of 30, Koufax.

It's incredible to think that during his run of dominance in the game from 1963 to 1966, this season would be his "down" year.

Ha! A year that saw him go 19-5 with a 1.74 E.R.A., a .792 winning percentage, seven shutouts and 223 strikeouts, all but the K's being league-leading numbers.

Problem was that Koufax's season was cut short after a start in August because of what was diagnosed as "traumatic arthritis", so missing out on the last month and a half of the season EASILY cost him a Cy Young, which would have made four in a row to close out his career, and adding to the legend of one of the most fantastic runs of success on the mound the game has ever seen before or since.

It IS amazing to realize that of the three pitching "Triple Crown" categories: wins, E.R.A., and strikeouts, between 1963-1966, Koufax lead the league 10 of twelve times!

Only his wins and strikeouts from 1964 would prevent a clean sweep.

The man was almost unstoppable.

Next up on this thread: 1965, and low-and-behold, another Sandy Koufax appearance, taking the award home for the second time, with the American League's Jim Grant getting picked by SABR as the pitcher most likely to have won if today's voting process was in place then.

Stay tuned…