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Frank Strong Lary
Milwaukee Braves
Pitcher
Born: April 10, 1930, Northport, AL
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1954-1964; New York Mets 1964; Milwaukee Braves 1964; New York Mets 1965; Chicago White Sox 1965
Died: December 14, 2017, Northport, AL (age 87)
Frank Lary enjoyed a decade of success with the Tigers, winning 20 games twice and earning three All-Star Game berths in 1960 and 1961. That latter season was probably his best as he went 23-9 with a 3.24 ERA while leading the league with 22 complete games. He won a Gold Glove for his fielding efforts while finishing third in A.L. Cy Young voting and seventh in A.L. MVP voting. Lary can claim three fantastic baseball nicknames with "Taters," "Mule" and the "Yankee Killer." The Yankee Killer nickname bestowed upon him as he went 27-10 against the powerhouse Yankees between 1955 and 1961. Lary led the league three times in innings pitched and three times in complete games, but his heavy workload with the Tigers led to shoulder problems later in his career. Atop the Tigers' pitching rotation between 1957 and 1963, Lary and Jim Bunning (#20) did everything they could to pitch Detroit into the World Series, but they never made it. The closest they came was 1961 when the Tigers finished eight games behind the Yankees, despite winning 101 games. Lary was sold to the Mets in May 1964, beginning a year and a half on the move with the Mets, the Braves, back to the Mets and finally with the White Sox.
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| May 14, 2021 - Doug at bat for the Dodgers |
Building the Set
May 15, 2021 from Lake Havasu City, AZ - Card #280
After adding a number of star cards in April, I decided I should focus on a group of commons for our set in May. I set out specifically to add reasonably priced cards from the set's second series and I found a few eBay sellers running specials on recent set breaks. In total, I added 23 cards over three-day period with this Lary card coming from Kyle's Sports Cards located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona for $2.75.
When these cards arrived, life was slowly returning to a pre-pandemic pace with Little League baseball games, tennis and piano lessons on the calendar. There was a little over a month of school remaining and everyone was anxious and excited for summer vacation.
The Card / Braves Team Set
Lary appeared in only five games for the Braves in August and September 1964, and he's wearing a Tigers jersey on this card. On the back, his seven-inning no-hitter, thrown while pitching for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1953, is highlighted. His career statistics with the Tigers are impressive, showing seven seasons in a row of at least 200 innings pitched.
The Card / Braves Team Set
Lary appeared in only five games for the Braves in August and September 1964, and he's wearing a Tigers jersey on this card. On the back, his seven-inning no-hitter, thrown while pitching for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1953, is highlighted. His career statistics with the Tigers are impressive, showing seven seasons in a row of at least 200 innings pitched.
Lary signed a reprint of this card for inclusion in the 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.
1965 Season
On May 30, 1964, Lary was sold to the Mets from the Tigers and he appeared in 13 games with the Mets before being dealt to the Braves on August 8th for pitcher Dennis Ribant (#73) and cash. After a short stint with the Braves, we was sold back to the Mets towards the end of spring training in 1965 on March 28th. Lary appeared in 14 more games for the Mets before a trade on July 8th for a player to be named later sent him to the White Sox. (The Mets would ultimately receive catcher Jimmie Schaffer - #313.) He pitched in 14 games for the White Sox, making one final start on July 31st and earning the win over his former Tigers team. In 28 games with the Mets and White Sox, Lary was 2-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 28 games. He was released on October 19th.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #154
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1956-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FL
57 - Lary non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/21/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
1965 Season
On May 30, 1964, Lary was sold to the Mets from the Tigers and he appeared in 13 games with the Mets before being dealt to the Braves on August 8th for pitcher Dennis Ribant (#73) and cash. After a short stint with the Braves, we was sold back to the Mets towards the end of spring training in 1965 on March 28th. Lary appeared in 14 more games for the Mets before a trade on July 8th for a player to be named later sent him to the White Sox. (The Mets would ultimately receive catcher Jimmie Schaffer - #313.) He pitched in 14 games for the White Sox, making one final start on July 31st and earning the win over his former Tigers team. In 28 games with the Mets and White Sox, Lary was 2-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 28 games. He was released on October 19th.
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #154
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1956-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FL
57 - Lary non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/21/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #126 Los Angeles Dodgers Team Card
Previous Card: #126 Los Angeles Dodgers Team Card
Next Card: #128 Vic Davalillo - Cleveland Indians
That 1962 card (#474) caught my eye. Is that a Dodgers jersey he's wearing? I don't recall ever seeing a Tigers home jersey with Tigers in script on the front.
ReplyDeleteI had to look it up to be sure, but the Tigers did in fact wear home jerseys with Tigers in script across the front in 1960. There's a picture of one in this article: https://www.vintagedetroit.com/the-olde-english-d-has-not-always-graced-the-tiger-uniform/
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