#77 Doug Camilli - Los Angeles Dodgers

Douglas Joseph Camilli
Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  195
Born:  September 22, 1936, Philadelphia, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1960-1964; Washington Senators 1965-1967, 1969

Doug Camilli was born in Philadelphia, while his father Dolph Camilli was the regular first baseman for the Phillies.  The younger Camilli played in parts of nine seasons for the Dodgers and Senators and was a career .199 hitter.  His top season came in 1962 when he hit .284 in 45 games with career highs in home runs (4) and RBIs (22) while serving as the backup for John Roseboro (#405).  On June 4, 1964, Camilli caught the third of Sandy Koufax's (#300) four career no-hitters.  In that game, Koufax came within a walk of having a perfect game against the Phillies.

He appeared in a career high 75 games for the Senators in 1965.  He was the team's bullpen coach in 1968 and 1969 and was activated in September 1969 when rosters expanded.  He later served as bullpen coach for the Red Sox between 1970 and 1973.

Building the Set
February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #63
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

1936 National Chicle Pastels (R312)

This Camilli card was from an initial batch of 17 commons and semi-stars purchased from John's Sports Cards within the first hour of our arrival.  I didn't track each individual price of the cards purchased, but this card was from a half-price binder and the 17-card lot cost me $50 total.  John's table has been located in the back right of the showroom floor for as long as we've been going to these shows, and I know I've bought a bunch of vintage Topps cards from him in the past including cards needed for my 1971 Topps set.  He's one of those dealers who you can't help but remember, probably because he genuinely seems happy and to be enjoying what he's doing.  Doug and I would come back to him later in the show for a few major purchases for our set, and I'll eventually feature all cards added in upcoming posts.

The Card
That's a red #35 partially visible on Camilli's Dodgers jersey.  His father Dolph had worn #4 when he won N.L. MVP honors with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, but when Doug came up in 1960 that number was occupied by Duke Snider.  Camilli was already part of the Senators organization when this card went to press, and Topps dutifully points out that transaction.  The Dodgers had sold him to Washington on November 30, 1964.

Dodgers Team Set

1965 Season
With the Senators, and playing for manager Gil Hodges (#99), Camilli hit .192 over 75 games with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs.  The Senators routinely rotated among three different catchers throughout most of the season, calling on Mike Brumley (#523) for 58 starts, Camilli for 53 starts and Don Zimmer (#233) for 27 starts.  Hodges must have been desperate for any kind of production from his backstop as that trio combined to hit exactly .200 all season.  Paul Casanova arrived as the team's regular catcher in 1966 and Camilli was used even more sparingly.

Phillies Connection
Dolph Camilli was one of the top sluggers for the Phillies in the 1930s, playing for the team for four seasons between 1934 and 1937.  In 1936, the year Doug was born, he hit .315 with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs, and on the day Doug was born (September 22nd) he played in both ends of a double header against the Giants at the Baker Bowl.  He went 3 for 8 in both games with a home run off the Giants' Dick Coffman.

1962 Topps #594

1963 Topps #196

1966 Topps #593

1973 Topps #131

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #594
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1962-1967, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1973 Topps #131

26 - Camilli non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/4/20.

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

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:  #76 Sam McDowell - Cleveland Indians

Next Card:  #78 Dal Maxvill - St. Louis Cardinals