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Harold Joseph Woodeshick
Houston Astros
Pitcher
Born: August 24, 1932, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1956; Cleveland Indians 1958; Washington Senators 1959-1960; Washington Senators 1961; Detroit Tigers 1961; Houston Colt .45s 1962-1964; Houston Astros 1965; St. Louis Cardinals 1965-1967
Died: June 14, 2009, Houston, TX (age 76)
Hal Woodeshick appeared in 11 Major League seasons with eight different teams, finding his most success as the original closer for the expansion Colt .45s/Astros franchise. His early years found him moving frequently, with a very brief stint in the Phillies organization before pitching in a few independent leagues and eventually ending up in the Giants' system. After a 2-year stint in the Army, Woodeshick continued his nomadic ways with the Tigers, Indians, both the old and new Senators franchises, and then back to the Tigers.
He finally settled down with the Colt .45s, appearing in 174 games with the club between 1962 and 1965, and earning an All-Star Game appearance in 1963. He led the league in saves with 23 in 1964, and followed that up with 18 saves for the Astros and Cardinals in 1965. One of the Cardinals' top relievers in 1966 (2-1, 1.92 ERA), Woodeshick helped the club to a World Series title in 1967. His final professional game was in Game 6 of the World Series, pitching a scoreless inning against the Red Sox. For his career, Woodeshick pitched in 427 games with a 44-62 record, a 3.56 ERA and 61 saves.
Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #153
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards. We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show. The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6. I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series. With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set. We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day. This Woodeshick card was $1.
The Card / Astros Team Set
Woodeshick is not messing around with that flat top, as you could comfortably balance an egg on top of his head. On the back, his All-Star Game appearance is highlighted. Woodeshick faced seven batters in the 7th and 8th innings, helping the National League to a 5-3 win. He struck out Joe Pepitone (#245), Bob Allison (#180) and Harmon Killebrew (#400).
1965 Season
Woodeshick was the winning pitcher in the first ever (exhibition) game played at the Astrodome against the Yankees. He was off to a great start with the Astros, and was 3-4 with a 3.06 ERA and 3 saves when the team swapped him to the Cardinals. On June 15th, Woodeshick and Chuck Taylor went to St. Louis in return for Mike Cuellar (#337) and Ron Taylor (#568). His success continued with the Cardinals, where he appeared in 51 games and had a 1.81 ERA with 15 saves.
Phillies Connection
Woodeshick was originally signed by the Phillies, for whom he threw only one inning in 1950 with their Class D Carbondale Pioneers club. Baseball Reference indicates he was sent from the Phillies to Duluth (in the Northern League) in an unknown transaction prior to the 1951 season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #106
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1959-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #123
35 - Woodeshick non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/7/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #178 Dalton Jones - Boston Red Sox
Next Card: #180 Bob Allison - Minnesota Twins
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