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Stephen George Ridzik
Washington Senators
Pitcher
Born: April 29, 1929, Yonkers, NY
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, August 5, 1945
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1950, 1952-1955; Cincinnati Reds 1955; New York Giants 1956-1957; Cleveland Indians 1958; Washington Senators 1963-1965; Philadelphia Phillies 1966
Died: January 8, 2008, Bradenton, FL (age 78)
Signed by the Phillies at just 16 years old, Steve Ridzik made his major league debut in 1950, pitching in one game for the Whiz Kids. His lengthy professional baseball career lasted 22 seasons and saw him spend parts of 12 seasons in the majors and parts of 15 season in the minors. Ridzik served as a swing-man for the Phillies between 1952 and the start of the 1955 season, appearing in 42 games for the club in 1953 and setting a career high with nine wins. He was dealt to the Reds during the first month of the 1955 season, and that began a four-year journey that saw him spend time in the majors with the Reds, Giants and Indians. One of his most successful seasons came as a valuable member of the Giants' bullpen in 1956, when he went 6-2 with a 3.80 over 41 appearances. Ridzik pitched in six games for the Indians in 1958 before returning to the minor leagues for the next four seasons.
The development of an effective knuckle ball led to Ridzik's return to the majors, and he settled in for three years as one of the most frequently used relievers out of the Senators' bullpen beginning in 1963. He appeared in a career-high 63 games in 1965, saving eight games. Ridzik retired in 1966, following two more appearances with his original team, the Phillies. He earned a career record of 39-38 over 314 games pitched, with a 3.79 ERA and 406 strikeouts.
Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #357
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set. Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles. When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card. This Ridzik card was the cheapest of the bunch at $1.75. Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting. All is well.
The Card / Senators Team Set
Despite his longevity in baseball, Ridzik's baseball card appearances were sparse. As is still the case today, it's hard for a middle reliever to crack most baseball card set checklists. The back of the card notes his veteran status and that his professional career began in 1946. Topps omits his minor league statistics, as it would have been tough to squeeze all of them in.
1965 Season
Ridzik was a work horse in 1965, accumulating 109 2/3 innings pitched while going 6-4 with a 4.02 ERA. Only Ron Kline (#56) had more saves than Ridzik with 29, and more relief appearances with 74. He crossed the 100-inning plateau on September 10th after recording a four-inning save against the Angels.
Phillies Career
Ridzik made his big league debut with the Phillies on September 4, 1950, pitching three innings of relief in a blow-out, 9-0 loss to the Giants. He'd spend all of 1951 pitching for the team's top farm club in Baltimore before returning to Philadelphia in 1952. Ridzik bounced between the bullpen and the starting pitching rotation for three-plus seasons with the Phillies, appearing in 105 games and making 28 starts. In his final start for the Phillies, on April 20, 1955, Ridzik took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but lost it when Sandy Amoros reached on a bloop double. Ten days later, on April 30th, Ridzik was dealt to the Redlegs with Smoky Burgess (#198) and Stan Palys for Glen Gorbous, Jim Greengrass and Andy Seminick.
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #357
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set. Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles. When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card. This Ridzik card was the cheapest of the bunch at $1.75. Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting. All is well.
The Card / Senators Team Set
Despite his longevity in baseball, Ridzik's baseball card appearances were sparse. As is still the case today, it's hard for a middle reliever to crack most baseball card set checklists. The back of the card notes his veteran status and that his professional career began in 1946. Topps omits his minor league statistics, as it would have been tough to squeeze all of them in.
1965 Season
Ridzik was a work horse in 1965, accumulating 109 2/3 innings pitched while going 6-4 with a 4.02 ERA. Only Ron Kline (#56) had more saves than Ridzik with 29, and more relief appearances with 74. He crossed the 100-inning plateau on September 10th after recording a four-inning save against the Angels.
Ridzik made his big league debut with the Phillies on September 4, 1950, pitching three innings of relief in a blow-out, 9-0 loss to the Giants. He'd spend all of 1951 pitching for the team's top farm club in Baltimore before returning to Philadelphia in 1952. Ridzik bounced between the bullpen and the starting pitching rotation for three-plus seasons with the Phillies, appearing in 105 games and making 28 starts. In his final start for the Phillies, on April 20, 1955, Ridzik took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but lost it when Sandy Amoros reached on a bloop double. Ten days later, on April 30th, Ridzik was dealt to the Redlegs with Smoky Burgess (#198) and Stan Palys for Glen Gorbous, Jim Greengrass and Andy Seminick.
Ridzik would briefly return to the Phillies 11 years later. After finding some success as a knuckle ball throwing reliever with the Senators, the Phillies purchased Ridzik from Washington on April 13, 1966. He'd make only two relief appearances with the Phillies in 1966, giving up a pair of runs in 2 1/3 innings. In total, Ridzik was 17-14 over 107 games pitched for the Phillies.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1953 Bowman Black & White #48
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1957, 1960, 1964-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1966 Topps #294
19 - Ridzik non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/9/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Bowman Black & White #48
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1957, 1960, 1964-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1966 Topps #294
19 - Ridzik non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/9/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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