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Leonard Eugene Alley
Pittsburgh Pirates
Shortstop
Born: July 10, 1940, Richmond, VA
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1963-1973
Gene Alley was a steady defender for the Pirates for over a decade between 1963 and 1973. With his double play partner Bill Mazeroski (#95), Alley won Gold Gloves for his work at shortstop in 1966 and 1967 and the duo set a record for most double plays in a season with 161 in 1966. He hit a career high .299 that season and was a two-time All-Star in 1967 and 1968. Alley appeared in the 1970, 1971 and 1972 World Series with the Pirates, winning a ring with the club in 1971. He retired following the 1973 season mainly due to lingering shoulder and knee injuries. For his career, Alley batted .254 with 999 hits, one short of the 1,000-hit plateau.
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #239
It's a strange time. Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us. But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way. I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons. In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks. Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card. This Alley card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a winning bid of $1.25. With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
Having appeared on a Rookie Stars card with Orlando McFarlane in the 1964 Topps set, this is Alley's first solo card. His fielding skills are highlighted on the back of the card, as are some Virginia high school accolades celebrating his basketball skills and his .429 high school batting average.
1965 Season
This was Alley's first full season with the Pirates, and he'd appear in 153 games making 102 starts at shortstop. Alley was the club's opening day second baseman, and he'd make 36 starts there, while Mazeroski recovered from a broken foot. When Mazeroski returned, Alley took over the regular shortstop duties from Dick Schofield (#218). Alley batted .252 with 5 home runs and 47 RBIs, and although not tracked at the time, he was first in the National League in Defensive WAR with a 3.5 mark.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #509
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1964-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #138
66 - Alley non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/7/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #120 Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds
Previous Card: #120 Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds
Next Card: #122 Bill Pleis - Minnesota Twins
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