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Manuel Rafael Mota
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield
Born: February 18, 1938, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Signed: Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent, February 21, 1957
Major League Teams: San Francisco Giants 1962; Pittsburgh Pirates 1963-1968; Montreal Expos 1969; Los Angeles Dodgers 1969-1980, 1982
Manny Mota enjoyed 20 seasons in the majors as an outfielder and pinch-hit specialist and was a Dodgers coach for 33 consecutive years following his playing days. Mota was a professional hitter, and with the exception of a few seasons throughout his long career, he was never an everyday player. After debuting with the Giants and then spending six seasons with the Pirates, Mota was taken as the 2nd pick by the Expos in the 1968 expansion draft. He spent a half season with the Expos, and then was dealt with Maury Wills to the Dodgers for Ron Fairly (#196) and Paul Popovich, beginning an association with the club that continues to this day. His best season came in 1970 when he appeared in a career-high 124 games as the club's regular left fielder. Mota batted .305 with 37 RBIs that season, and he was an All-Star in 1973. Following that All-Star season, Mota settled into his role as a successful bat off the bench and he made only eight starts between 1974 and 1982.
Mota appeared in three World Series with the Dodgers (1974, 1977 and 1978), and although he batted .375 (3 for 8) his team never won it all. He set the all-time pinch-hit mark in 1979, passing the 144 pinch-hits collected by Smoky Burgess (#198). Lenny Harris eclipsed Mota's mark in 2001. In 1,536 career games, Mota batted .304 with 1,149 hits and he finally got his World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1981. Mota would win another ring with the club in 1988. He served as a Dodgers coach between 1980 and 2012, and that tenure is second only in length to Nick Altrock who coached with the Washington Senators for 42 seasons between 1912 and 1953. Since his retirement as a coach, Mota has remained with the Dodgers as a minor league hitting instructor and as a color commentator for the team's Spanish language broadcasts.
Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #368
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 Mota card was the priciest of the bunch and was mine with a winning bid of $11. 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 / Pirates Team Set
This is Mota's third Topps flagship set appearance, but his first card wearing an actual Pirates uniform as his 1963 and 1964 Topps cards featured him hatless while wearing a Giants' jersey. The cartoon on the back captures the epitome of Mota's character - a quiet guy who loves to play every day. His loyalty to his team and his willingness to do whatever it took to help his team win allowed him to settle into a successful bench and pinch-hitting role throughout his long career.
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #368
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 Mota card was the priciest of the bunch and was mine with a winning bid of $11. 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 / Pirates Team Set
This is Mota's third Topps flagship set appearance, but his first card wearing an actual Pirates uniform as his 1963 and 1964 Topps cards featured him hatless while wearing a Giants' jersey. The cartoon on the back captures the epitome of Mota's character - a quiet guy who loves to play every day. His loyalty to his team and his willingness to do whatever it took to help his team win allowed him to settle into a successful bench and pinch-hitting role throughout his long career.
1965 Season
In the offseason, Mota won his third Dominican batting crown (.364) but still couldn't crack the Pirates' starting outfield which consisted of Willie Stargell (#377), Bill Virdon (#69) and Roberto Clemente (#160). He appeared in 121 games for the Pirates, making 58 starts, mostly as a back-up to Virdon in center field. Mota batted .279 for the season with four home runs and 29 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #141
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18): 1963-1980
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2017 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-MM
159 - Mota 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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