CAREER-CAPPER: 1969 BILL VIRDON

On the blog today, we step away from the 1970s and give Major League "lifer" Bill Virdon a career-capping 1969 card to celebrate his very nice Big League tenure:

Virdon appeared in six games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1968 after last seeing action in 1965, collecting one hit over three at-bats, the hit being a home run while picking up two RBIs.

That would be it for Bill Virdon the "player", before beginning a great managerial career in the Majors beginning in 1972, when he guided the Pirates to a 96-win season and a first place finish before losing to the upstart Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. Playoffs.

As a player, Virdon was an excellent center fielder for 12 years, winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1955 with the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .281 with 150 hits, 17 homers and 68 RBIs before getting traded to the Pirates the following season, where he would spend the rest of his playing days.

By the time he retired as a player, he hit .267 with 1596 hits over 5980 at-bats, scoring 735 runs, driving in 502, and even picking up a Gold Glove in 1962.

All told as a Major League manager, Virdon finished with a record of 995 and 921, with two first place finishes as well as a first place finish in the second half of the 1981 strike season debacle, managing the Pirates, New York Yankees,Houston Astros and Montreal Expos between 1972 and 1984.

DEDICATED MANAGER- 1975 BILL VIRDON

On the blog today, a 1975 dedicated manager card for Bill Virdon, who came in and led the New York Yankees to a second place finish in 1974:

 

Virdon replaced Ralph Houk as manager of the Yankees and led them to a 89-73 record, just two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the A.L. East.

Of course we all know now that this was the beginning of the Yankee resurgence, which would eventually lead to them taking home the championship in both 1977 and 1978, after a World Series berth in 1976 that saw them lose to the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds.

For Virdon, he would be let go in 1975 after 104 games with a record of 53-51, giving way to Billy Martin's first term as Yankee manager, while Virdon would be immediately hired by the Houston Astros, where he'd go 17-17 the rest of the way.

He'd manage the Astros another eight seasons before moving on to the Montreal Expos in 1983 and 1984, managing a total of 13 seasons, winning 995 games against 921 losses.

As a player he was equally as solid, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1955 when he hit .281 with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in for the St. Louis Cardinals, while picking up a Gold Glove in 1962 for his defensive work out in centerfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Over his 12 year playing career spanning 1955 to 1968, Virdon hit .267 with 1596 hits in 5980 at-bats over 1583 games, scoring 735 runs while driving in 502.

DEDICATED MANAGER- 1977 BILL VIRDON

Today's blog post has a fun 1977 "Dedicated Manager" card for Bill Virdon, somewhat of a forgotten figure over the years as both a solid player and manager over a long MLB career:

 

Virdon was about to start his second full season as skipper of the Houston Astros in 1977, coming off a third place finish in 1976 with a record of 80-82.

He'd do one game better in 1977, finishing 81-81, good for another third place finish in the National League West.

He would eventually spend eight years as manager of the Astros, having his best season in 1980 when the Astros finished 93-70, finishing in first place before losing to the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Phillies in the N.L. playoffs.

Previous to the Astros gig, he managed both the New York Yankees (1974 and 1975) as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1972 and 1973), having good years for both teams but being let go nevertheless.

After the 1982 season he moved on to the Montreal Expos, where he managed them in 1982 and 1983 before being let go mid-season after a 64-67 start.

All told as a manager, Virdon finished with a record of 995 and 921, with two first place finishes as well as a first place finish in the second half of the 1981 strike season debacle.

As a player he was equally as solid, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1955 when he hit .281 with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in for the St. Louis Cardinals, while picking up a Gold Glove in 1962 for his defensive work out in centerfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Over his 12 year playing career spanning 1955 to 1968, Virdon hit .267 with 1596 hits in 5980 at-bats over 1583 games, scoring 735 runs while driving in 502.