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Gary Merle Geiger
Boston Red Sox
Outfield
Born: April 4, 1937, Sand Ridge, IL
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1958; Boston Red Sox 1959-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966-1967; Houston Astros 1969-1970
Died: April 24, 1996, Murphysboro, IL (age 59)
Gary Geiger battled through injuries and other ailments to play parts of 12 seasons in the major leagues, reaching the 100-game plateau four times. His disabled list visits were frequent and included stints for a violent collision with teammate Don Buddin in spring training in 1959, a collapsed lung in 1960, injuries sustained while running at full speed into the Fenway Park center field wall in 1962, a bleeding ulcer in 1964 and a triple fracture of his left hand in 1965. Terrified of flying, he'd cope by taking a few drinks which led to a life-long battle with alcoholism.
Geiger was a career .246 batter with 77 home runs and 283 RBIs. Known more for his speed and his defense in center field than his bat, he led the American League in assists in both 1961 and 1962. After retiring as a player, Geiger managed the Cedar Rapids Cardinals in the Midwest League during the 1972 season. Sadly, his alcoholism took a toll and Geiger passed away from cirrhosis at the young age of 59.
Building the Set
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
I'm guessing the photo used here is from 1962 as shots from the same photo session were used for Geiger's 1963 and 1964 Topps cards. We get our fourth outtake from this session in 1966 when Topps needed a Braves card for Geiger and featured a hatless pose. As a pitcher, Geiger went 20-7 with the Hamilton Cardinals in 1955's PONY League. His SABR biography notes the Cardinals felt they had enough pitching depth to move Geiger to the outfield, where they needed his glove and his speed more.
1965 Season
Geiger had announced his retirement from baseball in May 1964 as a result of his bleeding ulcers, a drastic weight loss and his fear of flying. He changed his mind however in the spring of 1965 and reported to Red Sox spring training, ultimately making the team. He began the year on the bench with Lenny Green (#588) now as the team's regular center fielder. He received a few starts but was used primarily as a pinch-hitter. The left hand fracture mentioned above happened on June 7th as Geiger was chasing down a double hit by Tom McCraw (#586), and the injury would cost him the rest of the season. He appeared in only 24 games, batting .200 (9 for 45). Left unprotected following the season, the Braves selected him in the annual rule 5 draft.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #462
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1958-1967, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #278
48 - Geiger non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/23/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card: #451 Jim Owens - Houston Astros
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #164
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 Geiger card was $2.
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 Geiger card was $2.
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
I'm guessing the photo used here is from 1962 as shots from the same photo session were used for Geiger's 1963 and 1964 Topps cards. We get our fourth outtake from this session in 1966 when Topps needed a Braves card for Geiger and featured a hatless pose. As a pitcher, Geiger went 20-7 with the Hamilton Cardinals in 1955's PONY League. His SABR biography notes the Cardinals felt they had enough pitching depth to move Geiger to the outfield, where they needed his glove and his speed more.
1965 Season
Geiger had announced his retirement from baseball in May 1964 as a result of his bleeding ulcers, a drastic weight loss and his fear of flying. He changed his mind however in the spring of 1965 and reported to Red Sox spring training, ultimately making the team. He began the year on the bench with Lenny Green (#588) now as the team's regular center fielder. He received a few starts but was used primarily as a pinch-hitter. The left hand fracture mentioned above happened on June 7th as Geiger was chasing down a double hit by Tom McCraw (#586), and the injury would cost him the rest of the season. He appeared in only 24 games, batting .200 (9 for 45). Left unprotected following the season, the Braves selected him in the annual rule 5 draft.
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First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #462
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1958-1967, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #278
48 - Geiger non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/23/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card: #451 Jim Owens - Houston Astros
Next Card: #453 Dodgers Rookie Stars
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