#463 Manny Mota

"Now batting for Pedro Borbon...Manny Mota...Mota."

Fun facts about Manny Mota:

-A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Manny was 19 when he signed with the Giants in 1957.

-He never batted lower than .289 in a minor league season, and made it to the majors in 1962 with San Francisco. He appeared in 47 games, batting .176 before returning to the minors at the end of July.

-Mota was traded twice in the following offseason, going from San Francisco to Houston to Pittsburgh. He would stay with the Pirates for seven seasons, though.

-He broke out in 1966 with career highs of .332 AVG/.383 OBP/.472 SLG.

-Manny developed a reputation as a player who could lash line-drive singles with regularity; his batting average topped .300 in seven seasons (minimum 100 AB).

-After a two-month stint in Montreal, he was dealt to the Dodgers; he would spend the rest of his career there, encompassing 13 seasons. In L.A. he became a pinch-hit specialist, breaking Smoky Burgess' record for career pinch hits when notching #146 in 1979. Fellow longtime Dodger Lenny Harris passed Mota in 2001.

-He made his lone All-Star team in 1973, when he batted .351 in the first half at age 35.

-Manny joined the Dodgers' coaching staff in 1980, and remained the team's batting instructor for ten seasons. The club even activated him briefly during the 1980 and 1982 seasons!

-In parts of 20 big league seasons, he batted .304 with 31 home runs and 438 RBI.

-Four sons played professional baseball, with two making it to the majors; Andy played in 27 games for the Astros in 1991, and Jose played briefly for the Padres (1991) and Royals (1995).

#431 Cardinals Rookie Stars: Nelson Briles and Wayne Spiezio

Hey, wouldja lookit that? In Nellie Briles, we have yet another ballplayer who shares my birthday. As happenstance goes, Night Owl just wrote about Nelson in his 1975 Topps blog. Small world, eh?

Fun facts about Nelson Briles:

-Nelson was born in Dorris, CA and attended Santa Clara University before signing with the Cardinals in 1963.

-He went from college to AA to the majors in the span of two years, going north with the Redbirds in 1965 at age 21. He put up a 3.50 ERA while working out of the Cards bullpen in his rookie year.

-The righthander took his lumps as a sophomore, going 4-15 with 6 saves despite a fine 3.21 ERA. Notably, he had drastically different results home vs. road. In 21 games at Busch Stadium, he was 4-5 with a 1.79 ERA. Compare that to an 0-10 mark with a 5.55 ERA in 28 road games!

-When Bob Gibson broke his leg in 1967, Briles took his place in the St. Louis rotation and picked up the slack. He won his final nine decisions of the season, pitching to a 1.49 ERA in that span. Overall he was 14-5 with 6 saves and a scant 2.43 ERA. His .737 winning percentage topped the National League.

-Beginning in 1967, he established himself as a strong postseason pitcher, earning a complete-game win in the third game of the World Series by holding Boston to two runs on seven hits. In six career postseason games encompassing 37.1 innings, he compiled a 2.65 ERA. It's also worth mentioning that he sang the National Anthem before a game in the 1973 Fall Classic!

-1968 represented Nellie's first full season as a starting pitcher, and he set career highs with 19 wins, 13 complete games, and 4 shutouts.

-He spent three seasons with the Pirates (1971-1973) following a trade from the Cardinals, and amassed a 36-28 record and a 2.98 ERA in Pittsburgh. His most notable game as a Pirate came in Game Five of the 1971 World Series, as he shut out the Orioles on two hits to give the Bucs a 3-2 series lead.

-Briles spent the last five years of his career in the American League with the Royals, Rangers, and Orioles, finishing up in Baltimore in 1978. In parts of 14 seasons, he was 129-112 with a 3.44 ERA.

-Nellie worked in the Pirates' organization as a broadcaster, a sales director, and the director of the annual fantasy camp. He also did some broadcasting work for the Mariners.

-Sadly, he suffered a fatal heart attack during the Pirates' annual alumni golf tournament in Orlando in February 2005. He was 61 years old.

Fun facts about Wayne Spiezio:

-You probably know him better as Ed Spiezio (Wayne was his middle name). He was born in Joliet, IL and attended the University of Illinois as well as Lewis University (Romeoville, IL) before inking a deal with the Cardinals in 1963.

-He was 22 years old when he debuted with St. Louis in July 1964. He collected 4 hits in 12 big-league at-bats that year, including a single off of Lew Burdette for his first career hit on August 4.

-In parts of five seasons with the Cards, Ed played sparingly, topping out at 55 games and 113 plate appearances in 1967. He hit only .210 that year.

-He was traded to the fledgling Padres prior to the 1969 season, and was the club's primary third baseman for their first three years of existence. In his initial season in San Diego, he batted just .234 but set career highs with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. He also finished first in the National League in range factor at his position.

-On April 8, 1969, he had the first hit, home run, and run scored in Padres history. All three came on a fifth-inning solo home run against the Astros' Don Wilson.

-Another notable home run came on August 6, 1969. He led off the bottom of the ninth with a tie-breaking shot off of Steve Carlton, allowing San Diego to walk off a winner.

-In 1970, Ed hit a personal-best .285 and paced the Pods with a .373 on-base percentage.

-His career ended abruptly in 1972 when he was 30 years old. He split that season between the Padres and White Sox, hitting .229 with only two home runs.

-In parts of 9 seasons, Spiezio batted .238 with 39 home runs and 174 RBI.

-His son Scott was an infielder for the Athletics, Angels, Mariners, and Cardinals, 1996-2007.

#421 Twins Rookie Stars: Gary Dotter and Jay Ward

MORE Twins rookies? What is this madness?

Fun facts about Gary Dotter:

-Gary was born in St. Louis, MO and signed with the hometown Cardinals in 1960. He was 17 at the time.

-After his first pro season, he was claimed by the Twins in the minor league draft.

-The youngster went 14-8 with a 3.08 ERA at Class B Wilson in 1961.

-Dotter got a September callup from the Twins and was the fourth-youngest player in the American League in 1961. He was hit hard (6 ER in 4 IP) in a mop-up relief appearance in his debut, but turned in a couple of scoreless innings in his second try.

-He returned to the minors for the next two years and had strong numbers at Class A Charlotte (9-13, 2.95 ERA) and AAA Dallas-Fort Worth (9-7, 3.58).

-In another cup of coffee with Minnesota in September 1963, he added two more scoreless innings of relief to his resume.

-The Twins summoned him for the third and final time in September 1964, and he appeared in three more games, allowing a single run in four and one-third innings pitched.

-In parts of three big league seasons he did not factor in any decisions. His lifetime ERA was 5.11 in 12.1 total innings, and he walked 7 batters and struck out 10.

-Gary continued to pitch in the minors through 1967, finishing with a 55-40 record and a 3.33 ERA in parts of seven seasons.

Fun facts about Jay Ward:

-A native of Brookfield, MO, Jay signed with the Yankees at age 17 in 1956.

-Much like Dotter, Ward changed teams via the first-year minor league draft, going from the Yankee organization to the Athletics.

-After jumping from Class C to AA in 1959, he showed decent power; in three different seasons he achieved a personal best of 22 home runs. However, he did not hit for high averages and didn't walk frequently in most years.

-He continued moving, via a 1961 trade to the Dodgers and another swap in 1962 to the Twins.

-Minnesota promoted Jay to the majors in May 1963. He was apparently overmatched, as a two-run double on May 10 was his only hit in 15 at-bats that year.

-He performed a bit better in a September 1964 trial, batting .226 (7-for-31) with a .351 on-base percentage. But most of that production came in his first two games, when he reached base six times in eight trips to the plate against the Orioles.

-Ward spent the 1966 season in Japan playing for the Chunichi Dragons.

-He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and played out the string with a five-year tour of AAA ballparks. In parts of 15 minor league seasons he batted .259 with 241 home runs and 741 RBI.

-Jay did have a final glimpse of the bigs in May 1970, when he appeared in six games and went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks for the Reds.

-In parts of three big league seasons he batted .163 with a .293 on-base percentage and 4 RBI.

#287 Gary Kolb

This card is a doozy, and is in the running alongside Bob Gibson as the most battered, well-worn card in my 1965 set. I wonder if it was someone's lucky card, and sat inside that person's wallet for years. Or maybe it was used as a bookmark in dozens upon dozens of books.

Fun facts about Gary Kolb:

-A native of Rock Falls, IL, Gary attended the University of Illinois before signing with the Cardinals in 1960.

-After playing only 84 minor league games, and none above Class B, the 20-year-old got a Septemeber callup in his first pro season. He appeared in nine games, mostly as a pinch runner, and went hitless in three at-bats.

-Gary went 5-for-14 in another late-season trial in 1962, and appeared in 75 games with St. Louis the following year. In his capacity as the club's fifth outfielder, he batted .271 with a .403 on-base percentage in 119 trips to the plate. He totaled 5 triples, 3 home runs, and 10 RBI.

-On July 13, 1963, he went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored in a losing effort; the Braves bested the Cards 7-5.

-At the beginning of the 1964 season, he had the distinct honor of being traded (along with Jim Coker) to the Braves for Bob Uecker. Kolb didn't fare too well in Milwaukee, batting .188 in 36 games. He split the 1965 season between the Braves and the Mets, and in 64 games total he matched that lowly .188 mark of the previous year.

-He spent the entirety of 1966 and 1967 at AAA for the Mets and Pirates, resurfacing in the National League with Pittsburgh in 1968. His .218 average in 119 at-bats was no great shakes, but it was a slight improvement over his recent performance.

-Gary's final shot at the majors came with the Bucs in 1969; he was just 3-for-37 at the plate (.081) to leave his final career average at .209. He totaled 6 home runs and 29 RBI in parts of 7 big league seasons.

-Kolb played wherever he was needed, making appearances at every position except pitcher and shortstop in the majors. He actually did play all nine positions in the minor leagues, and had a 4.20 ERA in 41 games pitched (75 IP).

-He played for Pittsburgh's AAA clubs in Columbus and Charleston from 1970-1973 before retiring with a .260 average in parts of 11 minor league seasons.

-His cousin is Danny Kolb, who was a reliever for the Rangers, Brewers, Braves, and Pirates from 1999-2007.

#201 Twins Rookie Stars: Sandy Valdespino and Cesar Tovar

Wow, somebody went overboard in airbrushing Sandy Valdespino's pitcure.

Fun facts about Sandy Valdespino:

-A native of San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba, Sandy signed with the Senators in 1957.

-The diminutive outfielder stood just 5'8" tall and weighed 170 pounds. He got his nickname (he was born Hilario Valdespino) from a minor-league manager, who likened him to the similarly-small ex-Dodger Sandy Amoros.

-He finally got the attention of the big league club in his eighth pro season, when he batted .337 with 51 extra-base hits for the AAA Atlanta Crackers in 1964.

-Sandy reached the big leagues in 1965 at age 26. Each of his first 13 appearances with the Twins came in a pinch-hit capacity, and he reached base in his first four plate appearance. His first start came on May 19, 1965; he went 3-for-6 with a double and scored one of Minnesota's two 12th-inning runs in a 3-1 win over the Angels.

-The rookie appeared in a career-high 108 games for the American League champs, compiling a .261 average and driving in 22 runs. He appeared in five of their seven World Series games, going 3-for-11 at the plate with a single and a double against Don Drysdale and a pinch single off of Sandy Koufax.

-Both his playing time and his performance waned after that debut season, but teammates later recalled an excellent defensive play he made on June 18, 1967. Jim Kaat took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Indians chased him with a pair of run-scoring singles. With two outs and the bases loaded, skipper Cal Ermer pulled a double-switch, inserting Ron Kline to pitch and sending Valdespino to left field. Batter Larry Brown crushed a drive to left, and Sandy sprinted to the fence with his back to the field. He leapt (still not facing the field), dug his spikes into the wall, and snagged the ball over his shoulder in midair to quell the Cleveland rally. Kline closed the game out with a perfect ninth inning.

-The Braves claimed him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1967 season, and he moved frequently for the rest of his career, spending small portions of the following four seasons with the Braves, the Astros and Pilots, the Brewers, and the Royals.

-His final big league exposure was with Kansas City, where he hit .317 in 18 games in 1971. In parts of 7 seasons he batted .230 with 7 home runs and 67 RBI.

-Sandy's final big league home run, on September 13, 1971, tied a game with the Athletics at 1-1 in the fourth inning and spoiled a shutout bid by Catfish Hunter. The future Hall of Famer would have to pitch 10 innings that day to earn his 20th win of the season by a 2-1 margin.

-At last check, the now-72-year-old Valdespino was living in Las Vegas, NV.

Fun facts about Cesar Tovar:

-Cesar was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and signed with Cincinnati as a teenager in 1959. He would later become the ninth Venezuelan to debut in MLB.

-Though he hit for average and power and drew walks in the minors, he was blocked at the major-league level by several talented young Reds. A December 1964 trade to the Twins for pitcher Gerry Arrigo was his big break.

-He had a few brief trials in Minnesota in 1965, and became a super-utility player the following year, batting .260 in 134 games and seeing significant time at second base, shortstop, and center field, with an occasional appearance in left field. The following year he set a big league record by playing in all 164 Twins games (including two ties), and batted .267 with 32 doubles, a team-best 19 steals, and 98 runs scored. He denied A.L. Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski a unanimous MVP vote, as Minneapolis sports writer Max Nichols cast a lone first-place vote for the versatile Tovar.

-Cesar gained notoriety by becoming the second player to ever log time at each of the nine defensive positions in a single game. He performed the feat on September 22, 1968, in a 2-1 win over the A's. He pitched the first inning, and coincidentally faced Bert Campaneris (his predecessor in the 9-in-1 club) to lead off the game. He retired Campy on a foul popup, and followed with a strikeout of Reggie Jackson. He pitched a scoreless inning, working around a walk to Danny Cater. At bat, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, a steal, and a run scored. Check out the box score to see all of the manuevering done by Cal Ermer, including appearances by Rod Carew at shortstop and Graig Nettles in center field!

-May 18, 1969 saw Tovar and Carew set a major league record with five stolen bases in a single inning. Tovar led off the bottom of the third by drawing a walk from Mickey Lolich, distracting him sufficiently to take second on a balk, and then stealing third and home. Carew walked, took second as part of a double-steal on the Tovar swipe of home, and then stole third and home with Harmon Killebrew at the plate. Lolich and Tigers catcher Bill Freehan got the last laugh, keeping Minnesota off the scoreboard for the rest of the game and winning 8-2.

-His career year was 1970, when he led the American League with 36 doubles and 13 triples and batted .300. He paced the Twins with 30 steals and 120 runs scored, and also set career highs with a .356 on-base percentage and .442 slugging.

-Cesar built upon his successes by topping the A.L. with 204 hits in 1971, accumulating a .311 average.

-He showed a flair for the dramatic on September 19, 1972. Batting in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, a runner on first, and the game tied at three, he needed a home run for the cycle. Tovar deposited a Paul Lindblad pitch into the seats for a walkoff two-run homer! Only four other players have hit a game-ending home run to complete the cycle: Ken Boyer, George Brett, Dwight Evans, and Carlos Gonzalez.

-At the tail end of his career, he spent time with the Phillies, Rangers, Athletics, and Yankees. New York released him in 1976, capping his big league numbers at a .278 average, 46 home runs, 435 RBI, and 226 steals in parts of 12 seasons.

-Cesar returned to Venezuela after his retirement and later managed his home country in 1990's Baseball World Cup, but they lost seven of their eight games in the tournament. He died of pancreatic cancer at age 54 in 1994, and was posthumously inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

#198 Smoky Burgess

The contest is over. I'm officially declaring Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess to be the oldest-looking player in this set! Heck, if it weren't for Bill Rigney and Casey Stengel, ol' Smoky might be the oldest-looking person in the entire set. Assuming this photo was taken during the previous year, he would have been a spry 37. Compare him to Harold Reynolds, who was 47 when this photo was taken and looks no different today at age 50!

Fun facts about Smoky Burgess:

-Smoky was born in Caroleen, NC, and signed with the Cubs as a teenager in 1944.

-After winning batting titles at Class B Fayetteville in 1947 (.387) and AA Nashville the following year (.386), he spent most of the 1949 season in the majors as a pinch hitter, batting .268 with a home run.

-A trade sent him to the Phillies for the 1952 season, where he hit .316 with a .393 on-base percentage in three-plus seasons as part of a catching platoon with Stan Lopata.

-Burgess made his first All-Star team in 1954, as he had a career-high .368 average and .432 on-base percentage. As he played in just 108 games, he was not eligible for the league lead in those categories.

-After being traded to the Reds in early 1955, he found his power stroke and reached personal bests with totals of 21 homers and 78 RBI while batting .301. He made his second straight All-Star Game.

-On July 29, 1955, he punished the Pirates with three home runs and nine RBI as Cincinnati romped to a 16-5 win.

-Smoky was dealt to the Pirates prior to the 1959 season. He made the All-Star team in each of his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, compiling a .298 average in that span. He started five games at catcher in the 1960 World Series, batting .333 (6-for-18) with three multi-hit games as the Pirates squeaked by the Yankees.

-He was acquired by the White Sox late in the 1964 campaign and spent the last three-plus years of his career as a pinch hitter for them. He set a major league record with 145 career pinch hits, later broken by Manny Mota in 1979.

-Burgess retired after the 1967 season as a career .295 hitter in parts of 18 seasons. He totaled 126 home runs and 673 RBI, and he and pitcher Curt Simmons were the last two players active in the 1940s to retire.

-He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1975 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. Smoky spent several years as a scout and instructor in the Braves organization. He was 64 years old when he passed away in 1991.

#122 Bill Pleis

Say, did you know that Bill Pleis was born on August 5? He has excellent taste in birthdays. (NOTE: A certain card blogger shares this birthdate.)

Fun facts about Bill Pleis:

-A native St. Louisian, Bill pitched with the independent Orlando Seratomas in 1956, going 11-12 with a 2.75 ERA at age 18.

-Late that season, he was dealt to the Senators for two unnamed players and $250.

-He earned a win in his big league debut on April 16, 1961. The Twins (in their first season in Minnesota after leaving D.C.) coughed up a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth to the host Orioles, but Pleis relieved Ray Moore and stranded inherited runners on the corners. He then retired the O's 1-2-3 in the 10th, and a solo home run by Zolio Versalles in the 11th gave him the victory. Chuck Stobbs picked up the save.

-Six days later, he picked up the team's first home win in Minneapolis under similar circumstances, entering in the ninth inning of a 4-4 contest against the Senators and tossing two scoreless frames. Versalles won it again, this time with a sac fly to score Earl Battey in the home half of the 10th.

-Bill endured some bumps in his rookie year, going 4-2 with a couple of saves and a 4.95 ERA in 56.1 innings of relief. He walked 34 and struck out only 32.

-Though he totaled just 281 major league innings, Pleis did participate in 1964's All-Star Game. Back then, active pitchers were often chosen to throw batting practice before the game, and he was selected to do the honors.

-After four so-so seasons in the Twins' bullpen, he made a fine contribution to the 1965 American League champs. Appearing in 41 games, he was 4-4 with 4 saves and a 2.98 ERA and allowed only 3 homers in 51.1 innings.

-The lefty last pitched in the majors in 1966, allowing a pair of earned runs in 9.1 innings. He spent the rest of the year at AAA Denver, and continued playing in the minors through 1968.

-In parts of 6 MLB seasons, Bill was 21-16 with 13 saves and a 4.07 ERA.

-He spent a few years working as a scout for the Dodgers.

#80 Turk Farrell

Ah, here's a sight for sore eyes: a player in an un-airbrushed Houston Colt .45s hat on a 1965 Topps card.

Fun facts about Turk Farrell:

-Turk was born in Boston and signed with the Phillies in 1953 after completing high school.

-After losing in his major league debut in September 1956, he spent the entire 1957 season with the Phils and served as the bullpen ace. He led the club with 10 saves and a 2.38 ERA, and went 10-2 in relief.

-Farrell made his first All-Star team in 1958 and placed third in the National League with 11 saves.

-He had a forgettable 1961, putting up a career-worst 5.20 ERA and changing teams twice. Philly traded him to the Dodgers that May, and after an ineffective season he was unprotected and chosen by Houston in the expansion draft.

-The Colts used Turk in the rotation, giving him 29 starts among his 43 appearances in their inaugural season. He was an All-Star and one of the best pitchers in the N.L., ranking second with a 1.097 WHIP and seventh with a 3.02 ERA. He struck out 203 batters, the fourth-most in the senior circuit. Unfortunately he also placed second with 20 losses against just 10 wins.

-He had better luck in 1963, scraping together a 14-13 record while matching the previous year's 3.02 ERA and completing a personal-best 12 games.

-Farrell added two more All-Star seasons to his resume in 1964 and 1965, and had a cumulative ERA of 3.20 in his first four seasons in Houston.

-The Phillies reacquired him in May of 1967 and returned him to the bullpen. He gave them 92 innings with a 2.05 ERA and collected 9 wins and 12 saves.

-After being released by the Phillies at the end of the 1969 season, Turk caught on with the Braves but was cut without ever throwing a pitch for them in the regular season. In parts of 14 big league seasons, he was 106-111 with a 3.45 ERA and 83 saves.

-He reportedly emigrated to Great Britain and worked on an offshore oil rig in the North Sea after he was finished in baseball. He was killed in an automobile accident in Yarmouth, England in June 1977 and was 43 at the time of his death.

#72 Tony Gonzalez

There's a lot more crowd action in the background of Tony Gonzalez's photo than you usually see on 1960s cards. If you're reading this and you recognize yourself as one of those blurry faces, pipe up and leave a comment.

Fun facts about Tony Gonzalez:

-A native of Central Cunagua, Cuba, Tony signed with the Reds (then known as the Redlegs) in 1957.

-After hitting 55 home runs in 3 minor league seasons, he made the major leagues at the outset of the 1960 season. In his April 12 debut, the 23-year-old helped Cincinnati erase a 4-0 deficit and win 9-4. He singled off of Robin Roberts in his first at-bat and scored on a Jerry Lynch double, and later added a two-run home run off of Roberts.

-Despite his initial success, Gonzalez fell into a slump and was traded to the Phillies in mid-June with a .212 average. He got acclimated quickly, hitting .299 in 78 games with a .485 slugging percentage. Overall, he hit .274 as a rookie.

-His performance was one of the few bright spots for the 1961 Phils, who lost 107 games. He led the team's regulars with a .795 OPS and 15 steals, and only Don Demeter topped his 58 RBI.

-Tony slammed a career-high 20 home runs in 1962 and boosted his average to .302 while playing errorless ball in center field.

-He ranked in the top ten in hit-by-pitch in eight different seasons, and is credited as the first major leaguer to wear a helmet with a molded earflap.

-Gonzalez's best overall season was 1967, when he ranked second in the National League with a .339 average and fifth with a .396 on-base percentage.

-After being chosen in the expansion draft, he began the 1969 season with the Padres but was traded to the Braves in June. He hit .294 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 89 games to help Atlanta win the first N.L. West title, and then batted .357 (5-for-14) in a losing effort in the NLCS. In Game 1, he homered, doubled, and drove in two runs against Tom Seaver.

-Tony's final major league season was 1971 with the Angels. In parts of 12 seasons he batted .286 with 103 home runs and 615 RBI.

-He played in Japan for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1972 and returned to the Philly organization in 1973, batting .345 in 45 games for AA Reading before finally hanging up his spikes.

#53 Dick McAuliffe

And so we jump from one care package from Max to the next! Today's card (and the next 10 as well) were sent in June of 2009. In return, he was rewarded handsomely with some various Mets and what have you.

Fun facts about Dick McAuliffe:

-Dick was born in Hartford, CT and signed with the Tigers out of high school in 1957.

-Detroit promoted him to the big leagues in September 1960. He debuted as a pinch hitter on September 17, and got his first start on September 20. In the latter game he went 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI, with all three hits coming against Indians starter Jim Perry.

-Dick had an unusual batting stance. Per Bill James: "[H]e tucked his right wrist under his chin and held his bat over his head, so it looked as if he were dodging the sword of Damocles in mid-descent. He pointed his left knee at the catcher and his right knee at the pitcher and spread the two as far apart as humanly possible, his right foot balanced on the toes, so that to have lowered his heel two inches would have pulled his knee inward by a foot. He whipped the bat in a sort of violent pinwheel which produced line drives, strikeouts, and fly balls, few ground balls, and not a lot of pop outs."


-He made three straight All-Star teams, 1965-1967. His best all-around year was 1966, when he batted .274 with a .373 on-base percentage, 23 home runs, and 56 RBI.

-McAuliffe was a top-ten player in the American League in several categories in 1967: Wins Above Replacement (4.8 - 9th), OBP (.364 - 9th), runs scored (92 - 5th), triples (7 - 3rd), home runs (22 - 8th), walks (105 - 3rd), and hit by pitch (7 - 9th). He was among the league leaders in triples eight times in a nine-year span.

-In the Tigers' championship season of 1968, Dick led the American League with 95 runs scored and also reached career highs of 24 doubles and 10 triples. As the everyday second baseman, he committed only nine errors. Incredibly, he did not hit into a single double play the whole year. In Game Two of the World Series, his two-run single off of Steve Carlton gave Detroit a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning.

-He infamously incurred a five-day suspension late in the 1968 campaign. On August 22, White Sox pitcher Tommy John buzzed the infielder with two high pitches in the same at-bat. After the second incident, McAuliffe charged the mound and drove his knee into John's shoulder, separating it and putting the pitcher out of commission for the year.

-Prior to the 1974 season, he was traded to the Red Sox for Ben Oglivie. After batting just .210/.310/.320 in 100 games, he accepted a managerial post with Boston's AA Bristol team for the 1975 season. The club went 81-57 under his guidance, and in late August, the Red Sox added the 35-year-old to the major league roster. Appearing in seven games, he went only 2-for-15 at bat and made three errors at third base. The Sox soon deactivated McAuliffe, and released him after the World Series to bring an end to his career.

-In parts of 16 seasons he batted .247 with a .343 on-base percentage, 197 home runs, and 697 RBI.

-After retiring, Dick operated some baseball schools. He also owned a business that installed and repaired coin-operated washing machines and dryers.