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John Richard Gelnar
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher
Born: June 25, 1943, Granite, OK
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1964, 1967; Seattle Pilots 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970-1971
Jerry Lee May
Pittsburgh Pirates
Catcher
Born: December 14, 1943, Staunton, VA
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1964-1970; Kansas City Royals 1971-1973; New York Mets 1973
Died: June 30, 1996, Swoope, VA (age 52)
John Gelnar appeared in seven games for the Pirates during the 1964 season and then would have to wait until August 1967 to make his return to the big leagues. He was sold to the Royals in October 1968 and then dealt to the Pilots with Steve Whitaker right before the start of the 1969 season for Lou Piniella. He found some success as a middle reliever for the Pilots and for the Brewers after the team's move to Milwaukee. Gelnar appeared in a career high 53 games for the Brewers in 1970, going 4-3 with a 4.19 ERA over 92 1/3 innings pitched. For his career he was was 7-14 in 111 games with a 4.18 ERA and seven saves.
Jerry May was an above-average defensive catcher known for his ability to call a game and his penchant for throwing out would-be base stealers. Originally a back-up to Jim Pagliaroni (#265), May was the Pirates' regular catcher for their 1967 and 1968 seasons. He hit a career high .271 in 1967 and drove in a career high 33 runs in 1968. Catching prospect Manny Sanguillen took over at catcher beginning in 1968, and the Pirates dealt May to the Royals prior to the 1971 season. He'd serve mainly as a back-up to Ed Kirkpatrick (#393) and Fran Healy during his three seasons in Kansas City. After four games with the Mets in 1973 and a brief return to the Pirates' minor league system, May retired as a player. In 556 games, he batted .234 with 15 home runs and 130 RBIs.
Building the Set
May 13, 2021 from Marco Island, FL - Card #272
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 Pirates Rookie Stars card coming from Super Bowl Auctions located in Marco Island, Florida for $4. As of this writing, and after adding a few star cards late in May, we're the proud owners of a complete series two from the 1965 Topps set.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
This wouldn't be the last appearance on a Rookie Stars card for either Gelnar or May. Gelnar shows up again in the 1967 Topps set, sharing a card with outfielder George Spriggs. May is on a 1966 Topps Rookie Stars card with Frank Bork (#592), and he'd get his first solo card in 1967.
On the back, Gelnar's 12-5 record with the Asheville Tourists in 1963 is touted, and he'd win 12 games again in 1966 with the Triple-A Columbus Jets. May's 21 home runs in 1962 with the Batavia Pirates represented a professional career high for him.
1965 Season - Gelnar
Gelnar spent the entire season with the Jets, going 9-7 with a 2.84 ERA over 28 starts. He pitched four complete games, including one shutout. He'd return to the Jets for the entire 1966 season.
Gelnar spent the entire season with the Jets, going 9-7 with a 2.84 ERA over 28 starts. He pitched four complete games, including one shutout. He'd return to the Jets for the entire 1966 season.
1965 Season - May
May spent the bulk of the 1965 season with the Jets as their regular catcher. In 101 games, he batted .257 with four home runs and 34 RBIs. May was a September call-up and appeared in four games with the Pirates, all as a late inning defensive replacement. He went 1 for 2 with an RBI during his month with the club.
May spent the bulk of the 1965 season with the Jets as their regular catcher. In 101 games, he batted .257 with four home runs and 34 RBIs. May was a September call-up and appeared in four games with the Pirates, all as a late inning defensive replacement. He went 1 for 2 with an RBI during his month with the club.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Gelnar
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #143
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1965, 1967, 1970-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JG
16 - Gelnar non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/29/21.
Sources - Gelnar:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Other Notable Baseball Cards - May
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #143
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1965-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1973 Topps #558
44 - May non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/29/21.
Sources - May:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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