Wednesday, December 11, 2019

#203 Dallas Green - Philadelphia Phillies


George Dallas Green
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  210
Born:  August 4, 1934, Newport, DE
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1955 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1964; Washington Senators 1965; New York Mets 1966; Philadelphia Phillies 1967
As a Manager:  Philadelphia Phillies 1979-1981; New York Yankees 1989; New York Mets 1993-1996
Died:  March 22, 2017, Philadelphia, PA (age 82)

In parts of eight big league seasons, Dallas Green compiled an unimpressive record of 20-22 with a 4.26 ERA.  A swingman for the Phillies in the early 1960s, Green threw over 120 innings in three different seasons enjoying his best year in 1962 when he went 6-6 with a 3.83 ERA.

Green's baseball legacy was cemented following his playing days when he became the first manager in Phillies franchise history to lead the team to a World Series title in 1980.  He'd later also manage the Yankees and Mets, joining Casey Stengel (#187), Yogi Berra (#470) and Joe Torre (#200) as the only four men to have managed both New York franchises.  He was the general manager for the Cubs from 1981 to 1987, leading the team to its first playoff berth in 1984 after a 39-year absence and stealing future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg from his former club in a lopsided 1982 deal.  He was elected into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2006, and upon his death in 2017, the Phillies wore a memorial patch on their jerseys to honor the former player and manager.

Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #4
This was one of five Phillies cards purchased from a dealer at the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held inside the Valley Forge Casino on the bottom floor.  I had told the dealer I was looking for a few hard to find Phillies high numbers from older Topps sets, and he helped me find the 1962 Topps Jack Hamilton Rookie Parade card and the 1972 Topps Tommy Hutton Rookie Stars card.  Both those cards together totalled $50.  I then waited for Doug to find his way over to me and I pointed out the dealer's binder of Topps Phillies cards from the 1960s.  I told Doug to pick a few Phillies cards to mark the official start to our set, and we were off.

Green was the second card selected by Doug along with cards for players he had heard of before - Tony Taylor (#296), Rick Wise (#322), Johnny Callison (#310) and Cookie Rojas (#474).  "How many cards do you guys need for your 1965 Topps set?" the dealer asked.  I told him these would be the fist five cards added.  "In that case," he said, "I'll take five dollars for those five cards and good luck with your set!"  What was probably close to $20 or $25 in cards were ours for a $1 a piece.  I'll take a look at the other four Phillies cards purchased in upcoming posts.

The Card
2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards
As noted below, Green didn't actually pitch for the Phillies in 1965, spending the first month of the season with the Senators and the rest of the season in the minors.  This is his last baseball card appearance as an active player.  His stellar 1956 season with the C Level Salt Lake City Bees is referenced twice on the back of the card.

1965 Season
On April 11th, the day before the 1965 season opened, Green was sold to the expansion Washington Senators.  He appeared in only six games for the Senators, earning a 3.14 ERA over 14 1/3 innings, before the Senators returned Green to the Phillies on May 11th.  The Phillies sent him down to their top farm team, the Arkanas Travelers, where he led the pitching staff with 12 wins.  He also served as a mentor to Phillies pitching prospects Grant Jackson, Fergie Jenkins and Wise.

Phillies Career
Green had two different stints as a player with the Phillies, the first coming between 1960 and 1964, and the second coming in Green's final season in the majors in 1967.  Combined, he appeared in 175 games for the Phillies, starting 44 times.  He owned a 4.28 ERA and struck out 261 over 543 innings.  He was finally released by the Phillies on September 22, 1967, and he started his managing career in 1968 with the Class-A short season Huron Phillies.  Green helped oversee a blossoming farm system throughout the 1970s for the Phillies and he was named to manage the team on August 31, 1979 following the dismissal of Danny Ozark.

As Phillies manager, Green had a record of 169-130 between 1979 and 1981.  He left the franchise following the 1981 season to assume the GM duties of the Cubs.  He returned to the Phillies in 1998 as a senior advisor to general manager Ed Wade, and he served in the club's front office until his death in 2017.

1960 Topps #366
1962 Topps #111
1964 Topps #464
1980 Burger King Phillies #1
1989 Topps #104
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #366
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1960-1965, 1980-1981, 1989, 1993
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Phillies National Baseball Card Day SGA #13

48 - Green non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/7/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Prior Card:  #202 Leo Burke - Chicago Cubs

1 comment:

  1. Looking after a favorite son, the Phillies kept Green on the roster in 1967 just long enough for him to qualify for his pension.

    He was rarely used that season, just 8 games over 5 months as I recall. And he was released in September, when the roster would have been large enough to keep him for a team not going to the post-season. (The Cardinals clinched the pennant more than a week before Green was released.)

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