So what do you think? Did Carl Warwick catch this imaginary ball? I hope it was imaginary, anyway. If not, he could be distracted by the click of the photographer's shutter, and then he might get bonked in the head. Nobody wants that.
Fun facts about Carl Warwick:
-A native of Dallas, TX, Carl attended Texas Christian University before signing with the Dodgers in 1957.
-In 1959, he was MVP of the AA Texas League in his second pro season. Warwick hit .331 with a .434 on-base percentage (99 walks!), 129 runs scored, 27 doubles, 35 home runs, and 94 RBI for the Victoria Rosebuds.
-He made his big league debut at age 24 in 1961, but had just two hits in 13 at-bats before being traded to the Cardinals. St. Louis sent him to the minors in the middle of the summer, and he hit .250 in 55 games with them.
-Despite a hot start the following season (.348 in 13 games), the young outfielder was dealt again, this time to the expansion club in Houston. He was one of their top hitters with 17 doubles, 16 homers, and 60 RBI to go with a .260 average.
-Carl's production leveled off in 1963, and he returned to St. Louis in 1964 as a reserve player. He hit .259 with just three home runs in 158 at-bats, and was 11-for-43 (.256) as a pinch hitter.
-The final home run of his career came on May 8, 1964. With two on, two out and the Redbirds trailing the Mets by two, he batted for pitcher Lew Burdette and delivered a game-tying three-run shot off of Jack Fisher. However, New York pulled out a win in the bottom of the ninth.
-Appearing exclusively in a pinch-hit capacity in the 1964 World Series, he went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored as the Cards downed the Yankees in seven games. His pinch single in the sixth inning of Game One drove in the go-ahead run. Another pinch single to lead off the sixth inning of Game Four sparked a rally that culminated with Ken Boyer's go-ahead grand slam.
-1965 was a miserable year for Warwick; he totaled 12 hits in 98 at-bats (.132) for the Cardinals and Orioles.
-The following year Carl's baseball career came to an end. He saw action in 22 games with the Cubs and also logged time with their AA and AAA teams. In parts of six major league seasons he was a .248 hitter with 31 home runs and 149 RBI.
-For his career, Warwick held his own against Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, collecting 9 hits in 27 at-bats (.333) with two doubles, a homer, and five RBI. He struck out only twice in their meetings.
I remember getting the Carl Warwick Orioles card in 1966 as a nine year old and wondering "Who is this guy?" He is there in an Orioles uniform at Yankees stadium. Back when you did not have every game on TV, I did not remember that he came over late in '65 but was unable to get one hit in more than a month with the team (Mike Anderson was just about as bad later in 77 or 78). But we did get Vic Roznovsky for him in 4/66 so he contributed in his own way towards the 66 sucess.
ReplyDeleteAnon - In this day and age, when rookies, starting pitchers, closers, and starting position players get all the attention even in base sets, it's hard to imagine a guy like Warwick (0-for-14 in 17 G) getting an Orioles card. As a completist, I'm glad he has it.
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