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William Stanley Mazeroski
Pittsburgh Pirates
Second Base
Born: September 5, 1936, Wheeling, WV
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1956-1972
Hall of Fame Induction: 2001
Bill Mazeroski was an excellent defensive second baseman, a 10-time All-Star with the Pirates throughout the 1960s and the hero of the club's 1960 World Series Championship season. Known mostly for his glove, Mazeroski won eight Gold Gloves and he's the all-time leader for double plays turned by a second baseman with 1,706. His career putouts (4,974) at the position currently rank him 7th, while his career assists (6,685) are 5th on the all-time list. Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente (#160) are the only two Pirates players to be members of both the 1960 and 1971 World Championship teams. He hit one of the most iconic home runs in baseball history in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. With the score tied at 9-9, Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth inning, and homered off Yankees' pitcher Ralph Terry (#406) to give the Pirates an improbable walk-off win and the World Series title.
Mazeroski spent his entire playing career with the Pirates, batting .260 with 138 home runs and 853 RBIs. After retiring as a player, he served as a Pirates coach for one season in 1973, and was the third base coach for the Mariners in 1979 and 1980. His #9 was retired by the Pirates in 1987, and the Veteran's Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 2001 on the strength of his glove work at second base.
Building the Set
February 22, 2021 from Wenonah, NJ - Card #237
I purchased five cards from Gar Miller and his online store back in December, and on a dreary February afternoon I decided to head back to his website to look specifically for series two semi-stars. I added this Mazeroski card for a reasonable $20, along with three other cards. He doesn't need my endorsement, but I can't recommend Gar Miller's online store enough. There are no pictures of the cards, but the website is well-organized, his grading is conservative and the prices are more than reasonable.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
For a player known for his fielding, it's unfortunate that only one of Mazeroski's Topps flagship cards (from 1959) shows him in a fielding pose. The back of the card appropriately sums up his dramatic World Series home run as crushing New York. Mazeroski, at card #23, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Pirates in the set. He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.
February 22, 2021 from Wenonah, NJ - Card #237
I purchased five cards from Gar Miller and his online store back in December, and on a dreary February afternoon I decided to head back to his website to look specifically for series two semi-stars. I added this Mazeroski card for a reasonable $20, along with three other cards. He doesn't need my endorsement, but I can't recommend Gar Miller's online store enough. There are no pictures of the cards, but the website is well-organized, his grading is conservative and the prices are more than reasonable.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
For a player known for his fielding, it's unfortunate that only one of Mazeroski's Topps flagship cards (from 1959) shows him in a fielding pose. The back of the card appropriately sums up his dramatic World Series home run as crushing New York. Mazeroski, at card #23, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Pirates in the set. He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.
1965 Season
This was the first season Mazeroski was paired with his most frequent double play partner - shortstop Gene Alley (#121) - and they'd go on to form the most successful double play combination in the majors between 1965 and 1972. Mazeroski began the season on the disabled list after breaking his foot while running the bases in a spring training game. He'd appear in 130 games, batting .271 and ultimately winning the sixth of his eight Gold Gloves.
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First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #24
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1957-1974, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2021 Topps Throwback Thursday #15
688 - Mazeroski non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/19/21.
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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