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Victor Joseph Roznovsky
Chicago Cubs
Catcher
Born: October 19, 1938, Shiner, TX
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1964-1965; Baltimore Orioles 1966-1967; Philadelphia Phillies 1969
Vic Roznovsky played in parts of five big league seasons, appearing in 205 games and batting .218 with four home runs and 38 RBIs. He appeared in a career-high 71 games for the Cubs in 1965, as the team used four different primary catchers throughout the season. Roznovsky started 44 games behind the plate, with Chris Krug starting 46, Ed Bailey (#559) starting 45 and Dick Bertell (#27) starting 29. Roznovsky was dealt to the Orioles before the 1966 season, and he served as rookie catcher Andy Etchebarren's back-up throughout the season. He won a World Series ring with the Orioles that season, and although he was on the team's roster for the postseason he didn't make it into any games. Roznovsky retired from baseball after 13 games with the Phillies in 1969.
April 3, 2021 from Roaring Spring, PA - Card #252
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 Roznovsky card came from eBay seller Mom and Pop Card Shop from Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania for a winning bid of $2.49. 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 / Cubs Team Set
This is Roznovsky's rookie card, earned after appearing in 35 games in 1964 with the Cubs. The back of the card highlights his high school basketball skills and explains how he came to the Cubs. Signed originally by the Pirates, Roznovsky went to the Giants before the 1960 season in what Baseball Reference calls an "unknown transaction." He was drafted from the Giants by the Cubs on December 2, 1963 in the annual minor league draft.
1965 Season
As mentioned above, Roznovsky appeared in a career-high 71 games. He batted .221 with three home runs and 15 RBIs as the Cubs couldn't seem to settle on a regular catcher. Randy Hundley arrived in 1966 and he'd stabilize the position for the Cubs through the 1973 season.
On April 12, 1969, the Orioles traded Roznovsky to the Phillies for minor league pitcher Anthony Giresi and catcher John Sullivan (#593). With Dave Watkins serving as regular catcher Mike Ryan's (#573) back-up throughout most of the season, Roznovsky's services were rarely needed. It appears as if he was with the club throughout the entire season, appearing in a few games each month in April, May, June, July, August and September. But he never started and despite all that time on the roster, he only appeared in 13 games. All of his appearances began with him pinch-hitting and twice he stayed in the game to spend some time behind the plate. In those 13 games, Roznovsky's total Phillies output was a .231 average (3 for 13) with one RBI.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #334
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1965-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #368
16 - Roznovsky non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/16/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #333 Tommie Reynolds - Kansas City Athletics
Previous Card: #333 Tommie Reynolds - Kansas City Athletics
Next Card: #335 Mickey Lolich - Detroit Tigers
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