Saturday, March 6, 2021

#446 Art Mahaffey - Philadelphia Phillies


Arthur Mahaffey
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  June 4, 1938, Cincinnati, OH
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, June 29, 1956
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1965; St. Louis Cardinals 1966

Art Mahaffey's career peaked early, with three All-Star Game appearances in two seasons, before a quick decline saw the pitcher out of baseball by the age of 29.  Mahaffey was one of the top pitchers for a few fairly bad Phillies teams in the early 1960s, making both National League All-Star clubs in 1961 and another in 1962.  On April 23, 1961, Mahaffey struck out 17 Cubs batters, tying the National League record held by Dizzy Dean at the time, and falling one short of the then major league record of 18 strikeouts in a game, held by Bob Feller.  The next season, 1962, was perhaps his best professional season, as he went 19-14 with a 3.94 ERA for a seventh place Phillies team.

1983 Girard Phillies Greatest Moments #3
Overuse, which Mahaffey blamed on Phillies' manager Gene Mauch (#489), led to a string of injuries, and began his decline.  The Phillies traded him to the Cardinals in October 1965 and he appeared in only 12 games for the Cardinals.  Another trade sent him to the Mets right before the start of the 1967 season., but he would never pitch for the Mets, and after a lackluster 1967 season in the minors, Mahaffey retired.  He owns a career record of 59-64 with a 4.17 ERA, which includes 46 complete games.

Building the Set
December 26, 2020 from Wenonah, NJ - Card #216
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), Tommy John (#208) and Tim McCarver (#294) cards and there's one more card to go before the Christmas 2020 haul is officially wrapped up.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
This is Mahaffey's sixth and final Topps flagship card with the Phillies, and he'd appear in the 1966 Topps set with the Cardinals.  Between 1959 and 1962, Major League Baseball held two Midsummer Classics with Mahaffey getting named to both squads in 1961.  He was the only Phillies player selected to both games.  His two-inning scoreless stint, mentioned on the back of the card, came in the second All-Star Game of 1961, held at Fenway Park and ending in a 1-1 tie.  Mahaffey relieved N.L. starting pitcher Bob Purkey (#214) and pitched a scoreless third and fourth innings, not giving up a hit.

1965 Season
Injuries limited Mahaffey to only 22 games (9 starts) in his final season in Philadelphia.  It was a rough season for the pitcher as the local fans booed him constantly.  He went 2-5 with a 6.21 ERA in 71 innings pitched and was dealt to the Cardinals following the season.

Phillies Career
Mahaffey was on the mound for the Phillies on September 21, 1964, when Chico Ruiz (#554) stole home for the Reds giving the Phillies a 1-0 loss and starting the 10-game losing streak that would cost them a postseason berth.  Mahaffey's throw to catcher Clay Dalrymple (#372) sailed wide, allowing Ruiz to score.  What had started as a promising pitching career, with Mahaffey hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Phillies pitching prospects Robin Roberts (#15) and Curt Simmons (#373), ended when Mahaffey was traded to the Cardinals on October 27, 1965.  Pat Corrales (#107) and Alex Johnson (#352) headed to St. Louis with him and Dick Groat (#275), Bob Uecker (#519) and Bill White (#190) headed to Philadelphia.

On April 20, 2011, to mark the 50th anniversary of his 17-strikeout game, the Phillies invited Mahaffey to Citizens Bank Park to throw out the pre-game ceremonial first pitch.

1960 Topps #138
1961 Topps #433
1962 Topps #550
1964 Topps #104
1966 Topps #570

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #138
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1960-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AM

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

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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