Wednesday, March 3, 2021

#294 Tim McCarver - St. Louis Cardinals


James Timothy McCarver
St. Louis Cardinals
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  183
Born:  October 16, 1941, Memphis, TN
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, June 8, 1959
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1959-1961, 1963-1969; Philadelphia Phillies 1970-1972; Montreal Expos 1972; St. Louis Cardinals 1973-1974; Boston Red Sox 1974-1975; Philadelphia Phillies 1975-1980

Tim McCarver enjoyed a 21-year major league career as a catcher, most notably with the Cardinals and Phillies, before embarking on a Hall of Fame stint as a broadcaster.  McCarver was an All-Star in 1966 and 1967 and the starting catcher for the World Champion Cardinals in 1964 and 1968.  He achieved his career-best triple crown in 1967, with a .295 average to go along with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs.  McCarver twice led the league in fielding percentage for a catcher (1965 and 1967) and he also led the league with 13 triples in 1966.  The long-time personal catcher for Steve Carlton (#477), McCarver later served as Bob Boone's back-up during the Phillies mini-dynasty between 1976 and 1978.

After retiring as a player, McCarver began his broadcast career with the Phillies, paired with Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn in 1980.  On a local level, he'd work with the Phillies (1980-1982), Mets (1983-1998), Yankees (1999-2001) and Giants (2002).  On a national level, McCarver called 23 different World Series and 20 All-Star Games, most frequently for Fox Sports.  A broadcaster for over 35 years, McCarver was the recipient of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award in 2012 for broadcasting excellence.

Building the Set
December 26, 2020 from Wenonah, NJ - Card #215
My Mom needed a few additional Christmas presents for her oldest grandson Doug, and I gladly offered to help with five star cards purchased from Gar Miller Cards in Wenonah, New Jersey.  I had recently learned that not only was Mr. Miller a hobby legend, but that he was still actively selling cards from my neck of the woods in South Jersey.  We exchanged e-mail pleasantries, and I'm looking forward to buying more cards from our set from him in the future.  Doug was more excited about the video games he had received from his Mimi for Christmas, but to his credit he recognized the players on each of the five cards she had gifted him.  I've already featured the Jim Bunning (#20) and Tommy John (#208) cards and I'll feature the final two cards in upcoming posts.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
Technically, this is McCarver's third and final appearance in the 1965 Topps set as he has cameos on  two World Series summary cards (#136 and #139).  The back of the card celebrates McCarver's role in helping the Cardinals win the 1964 World Series.  He led the team with a .478 batting average (11 for 23), scoring four runs and driving in five more.  His three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning broke a 2-2 tie in Game 5 and gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead in the Series.  McCarver, at card #7, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Cardinals in the set.

1965 Season
Both the Cardinals and McCarver slumped in 1965, with a broken finger suffered in spring training setting the tone for an injury-plagued season for the catcher.  He appeared in 113 games, making 107 starts behind the plate.  Back-up Bob Uecker (#519) started most of the other games not caught by McCarver.  He batted .276 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs.

Phillies Career
McCarver first came to the Phillies in an historic trade that ultimately led to the advent of free agency, due to Curt Flood (#415) refusing to report to Philadelphia.  On October 7, 1969, the Cardinals traded McCarver, Flood, Byron Browne and Joe Hoerner to the Phillies for Dick Allen (#460), Jerry Johnson and Cookie Rojas (#474).  Both McCarver and back-up catcher Mike Ryan (#573) were injured in the same game in early May 1970, leading to a season-long catching crisis in Philadelphia.  During his first stint with the club, McCarver appeared in 223 games, batting .272.  The team dealt him to the Expos on June 14, 1972 for fellow catcher John Bateman (#433).

McCarver returned to the Phillies, this time as a veteran back-up, signing with the club as a free agent on July 1, 1975, a week after being released by the Red Sox.  Between 1975 and 1980, he appeared in 405 games, batting .271.  In total, during his nine seasons in Philadelphia, McCarver played in 628 games, including a brief return in September 1980 after spending most of that season in the team's broadcast booth.  As mentioned above, McCarver would broadcast Phillies games in 1981 and 1982 before departing for his next announcing gig with the Mets.

1962 Topps #167
1968 Topps #275
1971 Topps #465
1977 Topps #357
1980 Topps #178

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #167
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19):  1962-1980
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Fleer Greats of the Game #90

165 - McCarver non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/7/21.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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