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The 1964 World Series opened in St. Louis on October 7th and it ended 8 days later back in St. Louis with the Cardinals winning the decisive Game 7.
It was the fifth time these two teams had faced each other in the World Series, with the Yankees winning in 1928 and 1943 and the Cardinals prevailing in 1926 and 1942. This also marked the end of an era for the Yankees, as the club had appeared in 14 of 16 fall classics since 1949 and they wouldn't appear again until 1976. Former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra (#470) was in his first year as the team's manager, and he'd be unceremoniously fired following the series loss and replaced with (ironically enough) the Cardinals' manager, Johnny Keane (#131). Keane would only last with the Yankees until 20 games into the 1966 season.
World Series cards were a key subset in Topps offerings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.
The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Yankees Team Set
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Prior Card: #137 World Series Game 6
Building the Set
April 17, 2021 from San Diego, CA - Card #257
With no in-person baseball card shows scheduled until at least June in my area, I've fallen into a pattern with my 1965 Topps set building. After adding a group of commons (say 10 to 20 cards) I then feel the need to add a few star cards as well. Back in the 1980s and 1990s when my Dad and I were actively building Topps sets, we'd follow a similar pattern when attending baseball card shows. I'd spend time hunched over a common box, picking out a stack of 1974 or 1976 or 1973 commons while my Dad would scour the showroom floor for deals on a few star cards. After adding 18 common and semi-star cards through eBay auctions in late March, I went directly to Kit Young Cards to offset those purchases with a few minor star card additions. This World Series card was one of four 1965 Topps cards that arrived from San Diego in mid-April, and the card cost $15.
April 17, 2021 from San Diego, CA - Card #257
With no in-person baseball card shows scheduled until at least June in my area, I've fallen into a pattern with my 1965 Topps set building. After adding a group of commons (say 10 to 20 cards) I then feel the need to add a few star cards as well. Back in the 1980s and 1990s when my Dad and I were actively building Topps sets, we'd follow a similar pattern when attending baseball card shows. I'd spend time hunched over a common box, picking out a stack of 1974 or 1976 or 1973 commons while my Dad would scour the showroom floor for deals on a few star cards. After adding 18 common and semi-star cards through eBay auctions in late March, I went directly to Kit Young Cards to offset those purchases with a few minor star card additions. This World Series card was one of four 1965 Topps cards that arrived from San Diego in mid-April, and the card cost $15.
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With the series tied at three, Mel Stottlemyre (#550) got the ball for the Yankees with Bob Gibson (#320) on the mound for the Cardinals. This was the third time these two pitchers had faced each other in the series, with Stottlemyre winning Game 2 and Gibson prevailing in Game 5. Stottlemyre and Gibson shut down each team's offense through the first three innings, with the Cardinals scoring first in the bottom of the fourth on three singles, a walk and a steal of home by catcher Tim McCarver (#294). That was enough to chase Stottlemyre from the game and his replacement, Al Downing (#598), surrendered a home run to Lou Brock (#540) to begin the bottom of the fifth. A few more hits, another RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly later, it was 6-0 Cardinals.
The Yankees mounted a small comeback with Mickey Mantle (#350) connecting for a three-run home run off Gibson in the sixth. Ken Boyer (#100) added a solo home run for the Cardinals in the seventh, and the score was 7-3 heading to the ninth with Gibson still on the mound. Cardinals' fans were undoubtedly a little nervous when Gibson allowed solo home runs to Clete Boyer (#475) and Phil Linz (#369), but he ultimately got Bobby Richardson (#115) to pop up to second baseman Dal Maxvill (#78) to end the game and secure the World Championship for St. Louis.
The photo on the front of the card was colorized with Topps only getting the sleeve colors (red) correct. Gibson's hat that day, and obviously the front of his jersey, were both red. The back of the card mentions his World Series strikeout mark of 31 over his three complete games, and Gibson was named the World Series MVP. He'd win that honor again in the 1967 World Series.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Prior Card: #137 World Series Game 6
Next Card: #139 World Series Celebration
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