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Selva Lewis Burdette
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher
Born: November 22, 1926, Nitro, WV
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent, April 6, 1947
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1950; Boston Braves 1951-1952; Milwaukee Braves 1953-1963; St. Louis Cardinals 1963-1964; Chicago Cubs 1964-1965; Philadelphia Phillies 1965; California Angels 1966-1967
Died: February 6, 2007, Winter Garden, FL (age 80)
Lew Burdette, or Lou Burdette depending on the year of his Topps card, spent an impressive 18 years in the major leagues and was the World Series MVP in 1957 with the Braves. Relying on pinpoint control, Burdette was one of the more dominant pitchers in the National League between 1956 and 1959, going to the All-Star Game twice, winning at least 20 games twice and winning the league's ERA title in 1956 with a 2.70 mark. Atop the Braves starting pitching rotation with Warren Spahn (#205) and Bob Buhl (#264), Burdette was a key factor in the only World Series title in Milwaukee Braves history. The Braves downed the Yankees in seven games, with Burdette going 3-0 with 3 complete games, including two shutouts, with a 0.67 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 27 innings pitched. He pitched a no-hitter against the Phillies on August 18, 1960, missing a perfect game only because he had hit Tony Gonzalez (#72) with a pitch in the fifth inning.
Building the Set
December 25, 2020 from Marco Island, FL - Card #187
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged. Hunting specifically for first series cards, this is one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller njlionsfan from Clinton, New Jersey. This Burdette card was only $2.50.
The Card / Cubs Team Set
Burdette had an exclusive contract with Bowman, and his first Topps appearance didn't come until 1956. Topps seemed genuinely confused by his first name, going with "Lew" in 1956 and 1957 before switching over to "Lou" for all of his cards through 1967. He's back to "Lew" on the Braves Field Leaders card in the 1973 Topps set. Burdette is wearing a Cardinals jersey here, as this photo seems to be from the same session that yielded the photo used for his 1964 Topps card. He was traded from the Cardinals to the Cubs on June 2, 1964. As is the case with all veterans in the set, the many years of statistics leave no room for a cartoon on the back.
Burdette began the season with the Cubs, appearing in 7 games (3 starts) and going 0-2 with a 5.31 ERA. On May 30th he was sold to the Phillies. His struggles continued with the Phillies who used him sparingly throughout the season. He made 12 starts with mostly disastrous results, going 3-5 with a 6.99 ERA over 55 1/3 innings pitched. As a reliever, he fared better, pitching to a 3.03 ERA over 14 appearances and 35 2/3 innings pitched. The lone bright spot came on August 31st during the second game of a double header against the Giants. Burdette pitched a complete game shutout, limiting the Giants to six hits. Without a clear role in the Phillies long-term plans, he was released on October 13th and signed a month and a half later with the Angels. Burdette never appeared as a Phillie on a baseball card.
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First Mainstream Card: 1952 Bowman #244
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1956-1967, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2011 Topps 60 Relics #T60R-LB
134 - Burdette non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/30/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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