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Peter James Mikkelsen
New York Yankees
Pitcher
Born: October 25, 1939, Staten Island, NY
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1964-1965; Pittsburgh Pirates 1966-1967; Chicago Cubs 1967-1968; St. Louis Cardinals 1968; Los Angeles Dodgers 1969-1972
Died: November 29, 2006, Mabton, WA (age 67)
Pete Mikkelsen appeared in parts of nine seasons with five different teams, serving as a middle reliever, set-up man and occasional closer. He led the American League Champion Yankees in 1964 with 12 saves, but surrendered a three-run, 10th inning home run to Tim McCarver (#294) in Game 5 (#136), allowing the Cardinals to take a 3-2 series lead. St. Louis would eventually win the World Series in seven games. Mikkelsen had his best season with the Pirates in 1966, making 71 appearances (second in the league) and recording 14 saves. He bounced around for a few seasons before finding a home with the Dodgers, where he served as a reliable reliever for four seasons. Through injuries, ailments and a bout with hepatitis, Mikkelsen went 24-17 with a 3.27 ERA in 155 games with the Dodgers.
Building the Set
February 13, 2021 from Edmonds, WA - Card #220
Busy with my chosen profession, rarely leaving the house and anxiously awaiting the return of live baseball, I turned to eBay in early February for some cardboard therapy. After another largely unsuccessful bidding exercise on a 1965 Topps set break hosted by Greg Morris Cards, I went the Buy It Now route with 10 cards from Mitchell's Cards located in Edmonds, Washington. As we've been completely unable to find packs of 2021 Topps locally, the much-needed package of baseball cards was a welcome sight in our mailbox on February 13th. I spent $34 on the 10 cards from Mitchell's, with this Mikkelsen card costing $1.50.
The Card / Yankees Team Set
Mikkelsen shared a Rookie Stars card with Bob Meyer (#219) in the 1964 Topps set, and this is the reliever's first solo card and last with the Yankees. The back of the card references his best pitch, the sinker.
1965 Season
Mikkelsen lost his closing duties to Pedro Ramos (#13) in 1965, but was still an effective reliever for the sixth place Yankees. Struggling somewhat and after a few rough relief outings, the Yankees tried Mikkelsen as a starting pitcher. He made three starts, going 0-3 with a 4.32 ERA. In total, he appeared in 41 games and had a 4-9 record with a respectable 3.28 ERA. Mikkelsen, along with Ramos, Hal Reniff (#413) and Steve Hamilton (#309) were the Yankees' most used relievers in 1965. On December 10th, with the Yankees in need of starting pitching, Mikkelsen was traded to the Pirates for Bob Friend (#392).
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #488
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1964-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #431
Amazingly enough, despite his longevity with the Dodgers at the end of his career, Mikkelsen never appeared with the Dodgers in a Topps set.
25 - Mikkelsen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/16/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
25 - Mikkelsen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/16/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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