#98 Bob Miller - Los Angeles Dodgers

Robert Lane Miller
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 13, 1939, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, June 20, 1957
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1957, 1959-1961; New York Mets 1962; Los Angeles Dodgers 1963-1967; Minnesota Twins 1968-1969; Cleveland Indians 1970; Chicago White Sox 1970; Chicago Cubs 1970-1971; San Diego Padres 1971; Pittsburgh Pirates 1971-1972; San Diego Padres 1973; Detroit Tigers 1973; New York Mets 1973-1974
Died:  August 6, 1993, Rancho Bernardo, CA (age 54)

For 17 big league seasons, Bob Miller found work with 10 different teams, winning two World Series rings in the process.  Signed as a bonus baby with the Cardinals, he pitched in parts of four seasons with the club before being selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.  After a season with the Mets, where he went 1-12, Miller was dealt to the Dodgers and he'd find his greatest success during his five seasons in Los Angeles.  Miller was a 10-game winner in 1963 and had a league leading 74 appearances out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in 1964.  He was part of the World Champion Dodgers team in 1965, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Twins in the World Series.

1977 Topps #113

The Dodgers traded him to the Twins in November 1967, beginning a seven-year, seven-team odyssey.  He enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 1971, pitching for the Cubs, Padres and Pirates and winning another World Series ring that year with the Pirates.  In total that year, he made 56 relief appearances and went 8-5 with a 1.64 ERA and 10 saves.  Miller holds the distinction of having played for three different teams in each of three different seasons - 1970, 1971 and 1973.  For his career, he pitched in 694 games, going 69-81 with a 3.37 ERA and 52 saves.  After retiring as a player, he served as the pitching coach for the expansion Blue Jays in 1977 and for the Giants in 1985.

Building the Set
February 16, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #231

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.  I spent at least a solid hour one dreary afternoon browsing the current auctions of Greg Morris Cards from Los Angeles, as that dealer had broken down yet another mint 1965 Topps set for auction.  Of the 20-plus cards I bid on, I ended up winning only five auctions and I feel I overpaid for these cards - although the cards are pristine.  As the auctions wound down, and as the outbid notifications started to pile up on my phone, I upped my existing bids on 10 or so remaining auctions in the hope of coming away with something.  This Miller card was one of the five cards I won with a winning bid of $4.25.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Miller had quite a run of Topps flagship set appearances, as he has a card in every set issued between 1960 and 1974.  On the back of this card, his trade from the Mets is highlighted.  The Dodgers dealt Larry Burright and Tim Harkness to the Mets on November 30, 1962 to acquire Miller.

1965 Season
Miller led the eventual World Champions in games pitched with 61, and his 9 saves were second on the team behind Ron Perranoski's (#484) 18.  He had a 6-7 record with a 2.97 ERA over 103 innings pitched, again second among all Dodgers' relievers behind Perranoski who threw 104 2/3 innings.

1960 Topps #101

1962 Topps #293

1971 Topps #542

1972 Topps #414

1974 Topps #624

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #101
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1960-1974, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #468

61 - Miller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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