Monday, September 21, 2020

#573 Red Sox Rookie Stars - Lonborg / Moses / Ryan / Schlesinger


James Reynold Lonborg
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  200
Born:  April 16, 1942, Santa Maria, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, August 14, 1963
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1965-1971; Milwaukee Brewers 1972; Philadelphia Phillies 1973-1979




Michael James Ryan
Boston Red Sox
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  205
Born:  November 25, 1941, Haverhill, MA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, October 15, 1960
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1964-1967; Philadelphia Phillies 1968-1973; Pittsburgh Pirates 1974
Died:  July 7, 2020, Wolfeboro, NH (age 78)

Gerald Braheen Moses
Boston Red Sox
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  210
Born:  August 9, 1946, Yazoo City, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, June 1964
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1965, 1968-1970; California Angels 1971; Cleveland Indians 1972; New York Yankees 1973; Detroit Tigers 1974; San Diego Padres 1975; Chicago White Sox 1975
Died:  March 26, 2018, Haverhill, MA (age 71)

William Cordes Schlesinger
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  175
Born:  November 15, 1941, Cincinnati, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, October 1963
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1965

1995 Phillies Team Issue #9
A veteran of 15 big league seasons, Jim Lonborg enjoyed his best season in 1967, making the A.L. All Stars, winning 22 games and helping to pitch the Red Sox to the pennant.  Lonborg started three of the seven games in the World Series eventually lost to the Cardinals and he was awarded the Cy Young Award for his amazing season.  He'd never win 20 games in the Majors again, but he'd come close by winning 17 in 1974 and 18 in 1976, both with the Phillies.  For his career, he compiled a 157-137 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1,475 strikeouts.  Lonborg was elected into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jerry Moses provided catching and pinch-hitting services for the Red Sox and six other teams for nine seasons.  His best season came in 1970 when he was named to the A.L. All-Star team and ended up hitting .263 with career highs in home runs (6) and RBIs (35).  In 386 career games, Moses hit .251 with 25 home runs and 109 RBIs.

Mike Ryan was primarily a back-up catcher during his 11 seasons with the Red Sox, Phillies and Pirates.  He had his best season in 1969 as the Phillies' regular catcher, hitting .204 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs.  He made his mark as a long-time and popular Phillies coach following his playing days.  Ryan was a coach for the club between 1980 and 1995, and that tenure is second only in length to his long-time friend and teammate John Vukovich.  Ryan is the only coach in Phillies franchise history to coach for the club in three World Series appearances - 1980, 1983 and 1993.

Bill "Rudy" Schlesinger had one big league at-bat in a professional career that spanned four franchises and seven minor league seasons.  He tallied 732 minor league games within the Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs and Phillies organizations, hitting .270 with 127 home runs.

Building the Set
July 15, 2020 from Richmond, VA - Card #123
Upon learning of the passing of former Phillies player and coach Ryan, I specifically sought out his rookie card on eBay - no offense to the other three guys on the card.  I immediately found this card from seller kardman11 and clicked on the Buy It Now price of $8.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
There are 55 multi-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, and this is one of five cards to feature four different players.  It's funny what I notice first when inspecting old baseball cards for the first time, and once again my attention was drawn to the fact that Lonborg and Moses get much bigger spaces for their mug shots than Ryan and Schlesinger do.  I'm not sure why Topps designed these four-player cards that way as all four subjects could have easily had the same space dedicated to each of them.  I'd say all four photos were taken on the same day in the same space given the identical sky blue backgrounds.

Ryan is the only one of the four with prior year Major League experience, having debuted with the Red Sox in 1964, yet only his minor league batting record is presented on the back.  In a rarity, all four would go on to appear on additional Topps baseball cards.

A version of this card, featuring Lonborg only, was reprinted in the 2001 Topps Archives set.  Lonborg signed versions of the card for inclusions in an 2001 Topps Archives Autographs set as well.

1965 Season - Lonborg
Lonborg made his debut on April 23rd against the Orioles and opposing starting pitcher Robin Roberts (#15).  He stuck in the Red Sox pitching rotation, behind Earl Wilson (#42), Bill Monbouquette (#142) and Dave Morehead (#434), for the rest of the season.  He appeared in 32 games (31 starts) and went 9-17 with a 4.46 ERA for a Red Sox team that lost 100 games.

Phillies Career - Lonborg
The Phillies acquired Lonborg from the Brewers on October 31, 1972 with Ken Brett, Ken Sanders and Earl Stephenson for Bill Champion, Don Money and John Vukovich.  Lonborg immediately solidified a shaky Phillies pitching rotation, and he'd serve as one of the club's top starters throughout the rest of the decade.  Second only behind Steve Carlton (#477) for most of his time in the Phillies' rotation, Lonborg helped the team reach the postseason in three straight seasons between 1976 to 1978.

He was released on June 16, 1979, ending his playing days.  With the Phillies, Lonborg appeared in 188 games, pitching more innings than he had during his seven seasons in Boston.  He went 75-60 with a 3.98 ERA and 548 strikeouts.
1965 Season - Moses
A bonus baby, Moses appeared in only four games for the Red Sox in 1965.  He became the youngest player in franchise history to hit a home run when he homered (for his first hit) off Mudcat Grant (#432) on May 25th.

Moses played with both Pittsfield and Winston-Salem during the season, appearing in 65 games and hitting .221.
1966 Topps #93
1967 Topps #371
1971 Topps #577
1975 Topps #94
1979 Topps #446
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Lonborg
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #573
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1965-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #69

137 - Lonborg non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/17/20.

Sources - Lonborg:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Moses
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #573
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965, 1969-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1975 Topps #271

27 - Moses non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/17/20.

Sources - Moses:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

1969 Topps #476
1970 Topps #104
1972 Topps #356
1974 Topps #19
1975 Topps #271
1965 Season - Ryan
Ryan made the Red Sox opening day roster, but didn't see any game action until May 2nd.  He ended up splitting the season between Boston and the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs.  In the Majors, Ryan appeared in 33 games, hitting .159 with three home runs.  He  started 30 games overall behind the plate and finished the year as the team's primary catcher.

Phillies Career - Ryan
Ryan was traded to the Phillies with cash on December 15, 1967 for Dick Ellsworth (#165) and Gene Oliver (#106).  He split catching duties with Clay Dalrymple (#372) in 1968 but assumed more work as the regular backstop in 1969.  With the arrival of Tim McCarver (#294) in 1970, Ryan was once again relegated to back-up duties and he'd serve in that role through the 1973 season.  On January 31, 1974, he was traded to the Pirates for Jackie Hernandez.

Ryan was brought back to the Phillies organization in 1977, serving as the team's minor league catching instructor.  Mid-way through the 1977 season, he filled in as manager of their Triple-A team in Oklahoma City.  Ryan joined the big club in 1980 as their bullpen coach and he'd serve in that position for the next 15 seasons.  One of the most popular coaches of that era, Ryan retired following the 1995 season.
1965 Season - Schlesinger
Schlesinger's first and last game came on May 4th when he pinch-hit for pitcher Morehead to lead off the top of the sixth.  Facing the Angels' Marcelino Lopez (#537), Schlesinger grounded back to the pitcher who threw him out at first and his big league career was over.

Demoted soon thereafter, he was selected off waivers by the Athletics on May 7th.  He spend the rest of the season playing for two teams in the Athletics' minor league system, hitting .232 over 98 games.

Phillies Connection - Schlesinger
Schlesinger was on his fourth stint with the Red Sox when the team traded him to the Phillies on May 5, 1969 for Don Lock (#445).  He played for two seasons with the Eugene Emeralds in 1969 and 1970, appearing in 127 games and hitting .244.

1968 Topps #258


Other Notable Baseball Cards - Ryan
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #573
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1965-1974, 1988
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1988 Topps #669

50 - Ryan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/17/20.

Sources - Ryan:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Schlesinger
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #573
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965, 1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #258

4 - Schlesinger non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/17/20.

Sources - Schlesinger:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
1966 Topps #419
1970 Topps #591
1972 Topps #324
1974 Topps #564
1988 Topps #669
Previous Card:  #572 Baltimore Orioles Team Card

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