 |
 |
Anthony Christopher Kubek
New York Yankees
Shortstop
Born: October 12, 1935, Milwaukee, WI
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1957-1965
Shortstop Tony Kubek enjoyed a brief nine seasons with the Yankees, earning three All-Star Game berths and winning three World Series rings, before embarking on a Hall of Fame broadcast career. Kubek was voted the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1957 in a near unanimous vote. He hit .297 that season playing as a super utility player for the Yankees at shortstop, third base, left field and center field. He was an All-Star in 1958, 1959 and 1961 and played in 37 World Series games between 1957 and 1963. His best personal season came in 1960 when he batted .273 with career highs in home runs (14) and RBIs (62). Along with second baseman Bobby Richardson (#115), Kubek formed one of the top double play combinations of his era. Kubek retired following the 1965 season due to a lingering back injury and in 1,092 career games, he batted .266 with 57 home runs and 373 RBIs.
Kubek immediately began his broadcasting career in 1966, working at NBC and calling their Game of the Week for 24 years. He was ubiquitous as the color commentator for ALCS, World Series and All-Star Games throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, where he was most often paired with Bob Costas. He also served as an announcer for the Blue Jays beginning with their inaugural season in 1977 through 1989. His final broadcasting job came back with his original team, the Yankees, for whom he called games for five seasons between 1990 and 1994. Kubek was the recipient of the Hall of Fame's 2009 Ford C. Frick Award for his broadcasting excellence.
Building the Set
December 25, 2020 from Marco Island, FL - Card #186
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 Kubek card was surprisingly cheap at $2.50.
The Card / Yankees Team Set
It's a shame Kubek didn't receive a card in the 1966 Topps set, as this is his final Topps flagship card and it doesn't contain his statistics from his final season. His Rookie of the Year win is highlighted on the back. It's interesting that Topps includes the extra line for 1962 noting Kubek was "in military service" as he did appear in 45 games that year. It's almost as if Topps wanted to explain Kubek's low game tally for the season. Kubek, at card #71, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Yankees in the set.
1965 Season
In his final season, Kubek appeared in 109 games and batted just .218 for a Yankees club that dropped to sixth place. He was the club's opening day shortstop, but lost significant playing time to Phil Linz (#369) as the season progressed. Kubek ended up starting 81 games at short to Linz's 70 and rookie Bobby Murcer received the other 11 starts as a September call-up.
December 25, 2020 from Marco Island, FL - Card #186
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 Kubek card was surprisingly cheap at $2.50.
The Card / Yankees Team Set
It's a shame Kubek didn't receive a card in the 1966 Topps set, as this is his final Topps flagship card and it doesn't contain his statistics from his final season. His Rookie of the Year win is highlighted on the back. It's interesting that Topps includes the extra line for 1962 noting Kubek was "in military service" as he did appear in 45 games that year. It's almost as if Topps wanted to explain Kubek's low game tally for the season. Kubek, at card #71, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Yankees in the set.
1965 Season
In his final season, Kubek appeared in 109 games and batted just .218 for a Yankees club that dropped to sixth place. He was the club's opening day shortstop, but lost significant playing time to Phil Linz (#369) as the season progressed. Kubek ended up starting 81 games at short to Linz's 70 and rookie Bobby Murcer received the other 11 starts as a September call-up.
He suffered a left shoulder injury early in the season that contributed to his struggles and led him to travel to the Mayo Clinic following the season for answers about his physical ailments. It was there that his back injury was diagnosed as nerve damage at the top of his spinal column. Not wanting to risk further injury, and possible paralysis, Kubek announced his retirement in January 1966 at the age of 29.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #312
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1957-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2012 Panini Golden Age #73
199 - Kubek non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/29/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
|
|
|
|
|
First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #312
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1957-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2012 Panini Golden Age #73
199 - Kubek non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/29/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #64 Lou Burdette - Chicago Cubs
Previous Card: #64 Lou Burdette - Chicago Cubs
Next Card: #66 Bill Rigney MG - Los Angeles Angels
No comments:
Post a Comment