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James Thomas Brewer
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher
Born: November 14, 1937, Merced, CA
Signed: Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, June 6, 1956
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1960-1963; Los Angeles Dodgers 1964-1975; California Angels 1975-1976
Died: November 16, 1987, Tyler, TX (age 50)
At some point in 1964, lefty reliever Jim Brewer approached future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn (#205) and asked for help throwing a screwball. Spahn showed Brewer the proper grip and release, with Brewer taking that knowledge and becoming one of the most successful late-inning relievers of his era. He battled through elbow injuries in the mid-1960s and pitched a few innings for the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series, before beginning a string of successful seasons in 1968. Brewer would compile six straight years of at least 50 appearances and 15 saves. He saved a career-high 24 games in 1970 and was a National League All-Star in 1973. Brewer spent 12 seasons with the Dodgers tallying 125 saves over 474 games pitched. There are only four other relievers with more saves than Brewer in Dodgers' team history and only Kenley Jensen (701 games), Don Sutton (550 games) and Don Drysdale (#260 - 518 games) appeared in more games for the club. Brewer had a lifetime record of 69-65 with 133 career saves and 810 strikeouts over 1,040 1/3 innings pitched.
He served as the pitching coach for the Montreal Expos, managed by Dick Williams, between 1977 and 1979. Brewer was brought back to the Dodgers organization in the mid-1980s on a part-time basis to teach young pitchers the screwball and he joined the team as a minor league coach in 1987.
Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #367
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 Brewer card was mine with a winning bid of $3.25. 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 / Dodgers Team Set
I'm pretty sure Topps used photos from the same session for each of Brewer's cards issued between 1964 and 1967. There's also a chance photos from that same session were used for his cards again in 1968 and 1969. The cartoon on the back of the card references his complete game shutout on October 3, 1964 on the final day of the regular season. Brewer faced off against the ninth place Houston Colt .45s and held the team to five hits while striking out six. Don Larsen (#389) was the losing pitcher for the Colts.
1965 Season
Brewer's elbow injury limited him to only 19 regular season games in 1965, and he made two starts. He was 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA over 49 1/3 innings pitched and the Dodgers added him to their World Series roster. In the series against the Twins, Brewer appeared in only Game 1, pitching two innings in relief of Drysdale and Howie Reed (#544), and allowing a run on three hits while striking out one. The Dodgers lost the game, 8-2, but would win the series in seven games. Brewer then had surgery in the offseason to remove bone chips and a cyst in his elbow.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1961 Topps #317
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16): 1961-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #243
69 - Brewer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/1/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #367
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 Brewer card was mine with a winning bid of $3.25. 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 / Dodgers Team Set
I'm pretty sure Topps used photos from the same session for each of Brewer's cards issued between 1964 and 1967. There's also a chance photos from that same session were used for his cards again in 1968 and 1969. The cartoon on the back of the card references his complete game shutout on October 3, 1964 on the final day of the regular season. Brewer faced off against the ninth place Houston Colt .45s and held the team to five hits while striking out six. Don Larsen (#389) was the losing pitcher for the Colts.
1965 Season
Brewer's elbow injury limited him to only 19 regular season games in 1965, and he made two starts. He was 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA over 49 1/3 innings pitched and the Dodgers added him to their World Series roster. In the series against the Twins, Brewer appeared in only Game 1, pitching two innings in relief of Drysdale and Howie Reed (#544), and allowing a run on three hits while striking out one. The Dodgers lost the game, 8-2, but would win the series in seven games. Brewer then had surgery in the offseason to remove bone chips and a cyst in his elbow.
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First Mainstream Card: 1961 Topps #317
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16): 1961-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #243
69 - Brewer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/1/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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