#387 Johnny Podres

With this card, we move from a parcel of cards from Max to...another parcel of cards from Max! This one is pretty star-studded; when a World Series hero is one of the lesser cards, you know you've got a special group. For about the 50th time, I offer my sincere thanks to Max.

Fun facts about Johnny Podres:

-Hailing from Witherbee, NY, Johnny signed with the Dodgers in 1951.

-Wasted no time in reaching the major leagues, putting up a 9-4 record as a rookie swingman in 1953. The 20-year-old even started Game Five in the World Series against the Yankees, but was knocked out in the third inning and took the loss.

-Became a household name during the 1955 World Series, going the distance in both of his starts and allowing just two earned runs to Yankee hitters. He twirled a Game 7 shutout to bring home Brooklyn's first world championship and was named Series MVP.

-Truly established himself in 1957 after missing the previous season for military service. That year, he led the National League with a 2.66 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and six shutouts despite a ho-hum 12-9 record.

-In a seven-year span from 1957-1963, Podres won at least a dozen games each year (peaking with an 18-5 mark in 1961) and was a three-time All-Star.

-Had a couple near-miss games, retiring the first 20 Phillies batters on July 2, 1962 before tiring in the seventh inning (he won 5-1) and pitching eight hitless innings against Houston on August 4, 1963 before Johnny Temple led off the ninth with a single (he won 4-0).

-Pitched for three World Series champion Dodger teams in all, also winning rings in 1959 and 1963 and picking up a win in each of those Fall Classics to run his career postseason record to 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA.

-Late in his career, he shifted back to a primary bullpen role with the Dodgers, Tigers, and (fittingly) Padres. Hung up his spikes in 1969, his fifteenth big league season. In all, he was 148-116 with a 3.68 ERA.

-Spent thirteen years as a pitching coach for the Padres, Red Sox, Twins, and Phillies. Curt Schilling credited Johnny with impacting his life both on and off the field.

-Podres settled in Glens Falls, NY after his baseball career ended. He died in early 2008 at age 75 after battling heart, leg, and kidney ailments.