#318 Matty Alou

Ah yes, the Alous, the Molinas of the 1960s and 1970s. All three appear in the 1965 Topps set, and Matty is the first that I've posted on the blog.

Fun facts about Matty Alou:

-Born in Bajos de Haina in the Dominican Republic, Matty signed with the Giants in 1957.

-As mentioned above, he was the middle child of three brothers who were all major-league outfielders. His older brother was Felipe, and Jesus was the younger. They were teammates for the 1963 Giants. The family tree also includes cousin Jose Sosa, who pitched for the Astros in the mid-1970s, and nephews Moises Alou (outfielder from 1990-2008) and Mel Rojas (pitcher from 1990-1999)!

-After a cup of coffee with San Francisco in 1961, he made the club as a 22-year-old part-timer the following season and hit .310 in 200 at-bats.

-Matty's offensive output dwindled during his years with the Giants, and he was traded to the Pirates after the 1965 season.

-Paired with famed hitting instructor Harry "the Hat" Walker, Alou was rejuvenated in Pittsburgh. In his first year there he led the league with a .342 average, beating out brother Felipe by .015.

-In all, had four straight top-four finishes in the N.L. batting race, hitting .335 over that span. Swatted an impressive .332 in 1968 when the league hit .243 collectively and made the first of two straight All-Star teams. Paced the Senior Circuit with 41 doubles and 231 hits in 1969.

-He was largely a slap hitter; in his lone full season in St. Louis (1971), he set career highs with seven homers and 74 RBI. The home runs represented 22.5% of his career total, and there was only one other season in which he topped 50 RBI.

-Was a helpful pennant-drive addition for the 1972 A's, hitting .281 in 32 games and following up with a .381 average (8-for-21) and four doubles in the ALCS. He eked out just one hit in 24 World Series at-bats, but Oakland triumphed over the Reds anyway.

-Also spent time with the Yankees and Padres before finishing his career with three seasons in Japan as a Taiheiyo Club Lion. In parts of 15 major league seasons he batted .307 with 31 home runs and 427 RBI.

-In 2007, Matty was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame along with current-day shortstop and Venezuelan native Omar Vizquel.

#317 Don McMahon

Don McMahon should close his mouth before he swallows a fly. Unless that's his aim. I try not to judge other people's hobbies and/or dietary choices.

Fun facts about Don McMahon:

-Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Don signed with the Boston Braves in 1950.

-A relatively lengthy minor league apprenticeship (5.5 years) and a few years of military service delayed his major league debut until the summer of 1957, by which time he was 27 years old.

-Showing that he was no wet-behind-the-ears rookie, McMahon led the soon-to-be-World-Champion Braves with nine saves, pitching to a 1.54 ERA in 46.2 innings and surrendering no home runs. He added five scoreless innings in three World Series games to stymie the Yankees.

-In all, Don was a Brave for five-plus years, a tenure that included an All-Star selection in 1958 and an N.L. saves title in 1959 (15 SV, 2.57 ERA).

-Became something of a journeyman, logging time with Houston (1962-1963), Cleveland (1964-1966), Boston (1966-1967), the White Sox (1967-1968), Detroit (1968-1969), and San Francisco (1969-1974). Had sub-2.00 earned run averages in five full seasons, relying primarily on his plus fastball.

-Was noted for his durability, never making a trip to the disabled list in 18 seasons, pitching until the age of 44, and appearing in 874 games (all but two as a reliever). His games pitched total was the fourth-highest in history at the time of his retirement.

-Became the Giants' pitching coach in 1972, and retired as a player at the end of that year to become a full-time coach. However, he was reactivated in the second half of 1973 and May-June 1974 due to a lack of quality relievers in the San Fran bullpen. Teaching by example, he went 4-0 with six saves and a 1.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 31 appearances in that span!

-For his career he was 90-68 with 153 saves, a 2.96 ERA, 1,0003 strikeouts, and 7.2 hits per nine innings. His H/9 average is still 18th-best all-time.

-Held an impressive roster of Hall of Famers to a .149 batting average (28-for-188). The victims were Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Willie Stargell, Harmon Killebrew, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Bill Mazeroski, and Stan Musial.

-In addition to coaching for the Giants (1972-1975, 1980-1982), Don also served on the Twins staff from 1976-1978 and the Indians staff from 1983-1985. In 1987, he was working as a scout and instructor for the Dodgers when he suffered a fatal heart attack while throwing batting practice. He was 57 years old.

#316 Cincinnati Reds Team

Are there any Reds fans out there who can tell me who the husky fellow is in the back row, far left? While we're at it, why are the trainers wearing caps? (Not that I'm complaining. That's a great look.)

1964 was a rollercoaster of a year for the Reds, who overcame the midseason loss of manager Fred Hutchinson (he stepped aside on August 13, worn out by cancer treatments) and erased an 8.5 game deficit in twelve days in September before a final-week swoon left them a game short of the pennant. The Phillies' late-September collapse was touched off by a three-game sweep at the hands of those Reds, who won nine straight from September 20-27 to briefly claim first place. When they lost two of three to the Pirates and suffered a two-game mini-sweep to the Phils, St. Louis squeaked by and earned a trip to the World Series. Interim manager Dick Sisler would be retained for the following season on the basis of the late-season rally anyhow. Cincy placed seventh in the ten-team National League with a total attendance of 862,466 at Crosley Field, but did draw about 4,000 more fans than they had in 1963.

Cincinnati's hitters were in the middle of the pack in the N.L., ranking fifth with 660 runs scored, fourth with 130 homers, and seventh in each of the "average" categories (.249 AVG/.308 OBP/.372 SLG). Of course the cornerstone of the offense was right fielder Frank Robinson, who paced the club in nearly every offensive category (.306/.396/.548, 103 R, 38 2B, 29 HR, 96 RBI). The other power sources on the team were center fielder Vada Pinson (23 HR, 84 RBI) and first baseman Deron Johnson (21 HR, 79 RBI). Only two Reds made the All-Star team, both as reserves: catcher Johnny Edwards (.281 AVG) and shortstop Leo Cardenas (32 2B, 69 RBI).

While there were no Reds pitchers in the Midsummer Classic, it was on the mound that this team excelled. A 3.07 ERA and 54 complete games were each the second-best totals in the league, and Cincy permitted the fewest overall runs (566) and struck out the most hitters (1,122). The rotation was six-deep, led by Jim O'Toole (17-7, 2.66 ERA) and Jim Maloney (15-10, 2.71 ERA, 214 K). Bob Purkey (11-9, 3.04) and Joey Jay (11-11, 3.39) were also dependable. The fifth-and-sixth-best starters were more than serviceable - John Tsitouris (9-13) had a 3.80 ERA that hovered near league-average and was second on the team with 146 strikeouts, and Joe Nuxhall (9-8) kept the club in games with a 4.07 ERA. On the rare occasion that a reliever was needed, the club was in good hands - the top four bullpen arms each had earned run averages below 3.00, and fireman Sammy Ellis won ten games, saved 14, and posted a 2.57 ERA. What an embarrassment of riches!

Cincinnati dabbled in mediocrity for the rest of the decade before steamrolling the opposition in the 1970s. "The Big Red Machine" won six division titles, four N. L. pennants, and two World Series in those ten years. Not too shabby.

#314 Sterling Slaughter

Wow, Sterling Slaughter is an excellent name. You've got "Sterling", which denotes something of high quality, and "Slaughter", which is an intimidating and fierce surname. Plus the consonance of the double-s names rolls off of the tongue.

Fun facts about Sterling Slaughter:

-Born in Danville, IL, Sterling attended Arizona State University and was a first-team All-American in 1963.

-He signed with the Cubs in 1963, becoming the first Sun Devil to sign a pro contract. A few years later, fellow ASU players like Sal Bando and Reggie Jackson would follow in his footsteps.

-After winning ten games with a 3.00 ERA at AA Amarillo in his first pro season, he made it to the big leagues with the Cubs in 1964.

-Sterling made a few relief appearances before winning his first career start on May 30, blanking the Braves for seven innings on one hit (and five walks) in a 2-0 victory. He held future Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron hitless in six plate appearances, striking out each man once.

-In his very next start, Slaughter stymied the Braves again, going the distance in a 5-2 win. He allowed only one earned run on six hits and struck out a career-high eight. He also singled off of opposing pitcher Hank Fischer for his first and only career hit.

-Unfortunately he couldn't keep it up and was used sparingly as the season went on, ending up 2-4 with a 5.75 ERA in 20 games (six starts). Supposedly arm troubles hampered his performance.

-Back in the minors in 1965, Slaughter was second in the AA Texas League with 15 wins to go with a 3.00 ERA. He didn't fare as well in the following two seasons between AA and AAA, and his career was over in 1967 at age 25.

#311 Orlando Pena

So if Orlando Pena had been given an A-Rod type nickname, it probably would have been O-Pen. Thankfully, he wasn't.

Fun facts about Orlando Pena:

-Orlando is a native of Victoria de las Tunas in Cuba. He pitched for the independent Daytona Beach Islanders in 1955 and was dealt to the Reds the following year.

-He debuted with the Reds in 1958 at age 25 and won his major league debut, striking out three in two scoreless innings of relief. Frank Robinson's two-run homer in the ninth made the victory possible.

-From 1958 through 1962, Pena pitched primarily in the minor leagues, save for a full (and mediocre) 1959 season spent in the Cincinnati bullpen. He re-emerged with the Athletics in 1962 as a starting pitcher, winning 6 of 10 decisions and tossing his first career shutout.

-Though Orlando led the American League with 20 losses in 1963, he was a co-leader for the woeful A's with 12 wins and gave them 217 solid innings (3.69 ERA).

-He hit only .136 in his career with two home runs, the first of which was a grand slam on May 31, 1963 that boosted his lead over the Senators to 8-3. He went the distance that day, picking up a 9-3 win.

-From 1965-1967, the offspeed specialist pitched for three teams (A's, Tigers, Indians) despite returning to the bullpen and largely succeeding in that role (3.59 ERA, 19 saves).

-He seemed finished in the majors after spending 1968-1969 in the minors and beginning 1970 as a 36-year-old batting practice pitcher for the Royals. But Pittsburgh gave him a whirl that summer and he caught on with the Orioles in 1971, seeing action in five big league games in the latter season.

-Once again relegated to the minors by the O's for the entirety of 1972, Orlando made lemons out of lemonade by mowing down the opposition at class A Miami and AAA Rochester. Between the two stops, the 38-year-old went 22-3 with an absurd 1.25 ERA. He was actually better at AAA, going 7-0 with an 0.90 ERA in ten games there.

-Baltimore brought him back to the majors in 1973 and he turned in two-plus years of impressive relief work for the Orioles, Cardinals, and Angels (2.66 ERA in 172.1 innings, 10 wins, 11 saves). He retired at age 41, totaling 56 wins, 77 losses, 40 saves, and a 3.77 ERA in parts of 14 big league seasons. He also won 148 games with a 2.75 ERA in a dozen minor league seasons.

-Orlando spent several years scouting for the Tigers and at last check lived in Hialeah, FL.

#309 Steve Hamilton

So, any idea who the mystery Yankee is in the background of this photo? According to my crack research, Tony Kubek wore #10 and and Mel Stottlemyre was #30. Those are possibilities...

Fun facts about Steve Hamilton:

-Born in Columbia, KY, Steve was a two-sport athlete at Morehead State University. In 1958, he was drafted in the second round by the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers, and also signed a contract with the MLB's Indians.

-He played alongside Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor for two years in Minneapolis, averaging 4.5 points per game in 82 games total.

-Hamilton won a total of 52 minor league games over four years and debuted with Cleveland at age 25 in 1961. The following year he was traded to the Senators.

-Had a decent rookie season (3.77 ERA, 108 ERA+) for Washington, but received little support, as his 3-8 record attests. Was fortunate to be dealt to the Yankees in April 1963.

-Spent the better part of eight seasons alternating between the New York bullpen and rotation, posting a 34-20 record and a 2.78 ERA. Peaked in 1965 with a 3-1 mark and a 1.39 ERA.

-Tossed his only career shutout on August 5, 1966, a five-hit victory over the Indians.

-Late in his career, Steve began throwing a lob pitch that was known as the "folly floater". After Cleveland slugger Tony Horton fouled off the floater during a 1970 game, he urged Hamilton to throw him another. He complied, and Horton fouled out to catcher Thurman Munson. Humiliated, the batter crawled back into the dugout on all fours. You can actually see the video here!

-Hamilton spent a season each with the Giants and Cubs at the end of his career, retiring in 1972 with a 40-31 record and a 3.05 ERA over parts of 12 seasons. He also saved 42 games.

-In 1975, he coached for the Detroit Tigers. He spent the next couple of decades serving as head baseball coach and athletic director at his alma mater, MSU.

-Steve passed away after a battle with cancer in 1997. He was 62 years old.

#307 Barry Latman

Barry has a somewhat pained expression on his face. I actually like the fact that cards like this exist. It would be boring if all posed card photos featured players smiling brightly. Sometimes a guy just has to grimace, or glower, or just stare off into the distance.

Fun facts about Barry Latman:

-A Los Angeleno by birth, Barry attended the University of Southern California before signing with the White Sox in 1955.

-He debuted with Chicago in September 1957 at age 21 and earned his first career win on the 15th with two innings of scoreless relief against the Senators.

-Spent only the final two months of the 1958 season in the majors but turned heads, allowing four earned runs in 47.2 innings (0.76 ERA). Did not permit a run in his final 18 innings of work, including a three-hit, nine-strikeout shutout of the Athletics in his season finale.

-Was a swingman, never receiving more than 21 starts in a single year but starting in 39% of his total appearances.

-After an 8-5 record and 3.75 ERA in his first full season (1959), Barry was traded to the Indians for pitcher Herb Score.

-Was an All-Star in 1961, setting or tying career highs in wins (13-5 record), shutouts (two), and saves (five).

-Had a rocky three-year stretch from 1962-1964, posting a 21-35 record with a 4.32 ERA for Cleveland and the Angels.

-Actually wound up back in AAA during the 1965 season; despite a 2.84 ERA in 18 relief appearances for the Halos, he allowed baserunners at a career-worst 1.5 per inning rate.

-Finished his career with the Astros, pitching to a strong 2.71 ERA in 1966 before backsliding in his final year in the bigs. In parts of 11 seasons he was 59-68 with 16 saves and a 3.91 ERA.

-If Wikipedia is to be believed, Barry currently lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with his wife Patti.

#306 Bubba Phillips

There just haven't been enough Bubbas in MLB history - eight, according to Baseball-Reference. What's worse, the majors have been Bubba-less since Bubba Crosby played his last game with the Yankees in 2006. Simply unacceptable.

Fun facts about Bubba Phillips:

-Born in West Point, MS, Bubba was a Little All-American in baseball and captain of the football team (his position was running back) at Mississippi Southern College, which is now known as the University of Southern Mississippi.

-He began his pro baseball career with the unaffiliated Stroudsburg Poconos before being acquired by the Tigers in 1949.

-He seemed ready for the majors after hitting .291 with 14 homers at AAA Buffalo in 1952, but was delayed by two years of military service. He finally debuted with the Tigers in 1955 at age 27.

-After appearing in 95 games as a rookie, Phillips was traded to the White Sox for pitcher Virgil Trucks. In his first three years in Chicago, he hit .271 in part-time duty.

-Bubba was a contributor to the 1959 American League Champion Pale Hose, hitting .264 with a career-high 27 doubles while starting 86 games at third base and another 17 in the outfield. He appeared in three World Series games, going 3-for-10 with a double.

-A seven-player deal sent him to the Indians for the 1960 season. After a miserable first season with the Tribe (.207 AVG, .249 OBP, .299 SLG), he was rejuvenated in 1961: .264 with 23 doubles and career-highs of 18 homers and 72 RBI. He also swatted the only two grand slams of his career.

-Phillips' power numbers came back down to Earth over the next two years, and he bookended his big league career in 1964 with a 46-game return to Detroit. He caught on with the Milwaukee Braves the following year, but spent the whole season at AAA Atlanta.

-In parts of ten major league seasons, Bubba hit .255 with 62 homers and 356 RBI.

-Despite his relatively low career home run total, Phillips went deep twice in the same game on three occasions!

-He passed away in June 1993 at age 65, and is buried near his home in Mississippi.

#305 Rico Carty

Hey, Rookie Trophy! I wonder what Rico did to earn that. Guess you'll have to read the rest of the post...

Fun facts about Rico Carty:

-Born in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, Rico signed with the Braves in 1959. It's later claimed that the naive youngster was offered contracts by nine or ten different major league teams following his performance at the Pan-Am Games, and signed them all!

-After a two-game cup of coffee in 1963, he became the regular left fielder for Milwaukee the following year. The 24-year-old led the club with a .330 average (Roberto Clemente's .339 was the only better mark in the league) and .554 slugging percentage, drove in 88 runs, and hit 22 homers (third-best on the team, but trailing leader Hank Aaron by just two). Unfortunately, Philadelphia's Dick Allen was just as good as Carty but played thirty more games and won the Rookie of the Year Award going away.

-The Braves used him like a Swiss Army Knife in 1966. He logged 127 games in the outfield but also briefly filled in at first and third base, and even caught 17 games!

-In 1967, Rico batted under .300 for the first time in the majors, tumbling to .255 as he battled tuberculosis. Ultimately, the illness would sideline him for all of 1968.

-He came roaring back in 1969 with a .342 average in 104 games, but that was just the start. 1970 was a career year, as "Beeg Mon" (as he was sometimes called) captured the National League batting crown with a .366 mark and also paced the circuit with an obscene .454 on-base percentage. He also swatted 25 homers and drove in 101 runs, and made his only All-Star appearance.

-On May 31, 1970, Rico led a 9-1 rout of the Phillies with a 4-4 performance that included a walk, three home runs, and six runs driven in.

-A knee injury disappointingly cost Carty the entirety of the 1971 season, and he played only 234 games over the following three seasons. During that time he was moved around from Atlanta to Texas to the Cubs to Oakland to Cleveland.

-His career finally restabilized with the Indians, where the relatively new designated hitter position helped him stay on the field. He batted .303 for the Tribe in three-plus seasons, and led them in RBI in 1976 and 1977.

-At the age of 38, he attained a career-high in homers with 31 and drove in 99 runs for the Blue Jays and A's in 1978.

-Rico closed out his career in Toronto in 1979. In parts of 15 seasons he batted .299 with 204 home runs and 890 RBI.

#303 Johnny Orsino

Okay, patient readers, I'm back from my own All-Star Break of sorts, a week well-spent at the beach. Here to welcome me back is the "Horse", Johnny Orsino. I'm a fan of the batting cage in the background, as well as the close-up of the old Orioles road jersey. The placket piping and the classic bird on the sleeve really do tie it all together.

Fun facts about Johnny Orsino:

-A native of Teaneck, NJ, Johnny signed with the Giants as a teenager in 1957.

-He showed prodigious power in the minors, reaching 40 extra-base hits in each of his first four seasons.

-Played only 43 games over two seasons (1961-1962) for San Francisco, hitting .275 with four homers.

-Traded to the Orioles in the six-player deal that also landed Stu Miller for the Birds. Announced his presence with home runs in each of his first five at-bats in Spring Training.

-Playing a career-high 116 games in 1963, Orsino cranked out 19 homers and 18 doubles, drove in 56 runs, and batted .272. His 133 OPS+ was third among American League catchers, trailing only All-Stars Earl Battey and Elston Howard.

-Lost playing time over the next two seasons as he slumped to .227 with 17 home runs in 158 contests.

-Was dealt to the Senators after the 1965 season and ended his career with a whimper, collecting just four hits in 15 games over the following two years. Continued playing out the string in the minor leagues through the 1969 campaign.

-In parts of seven big league seasons, he hit .249 with 40 homers and 123 RBI.

-Managed briefly and unsuccessfully in the Indians' farm system, winning 103 games and losing 177 between AA Jersey City and AA Chattanooga in 1977 and 1978. Later in life, he became a golf pro and coached golf at Florida Atlantic University.

-On July 26, 1963, he hit a three-run homer off of a fellow two-sport athlete: White Sox pitcher (and future NBA Hall of Famer) Dave DeBusschere.