Tuesday, March 29, 2022

#434 Dave Morehead - Boston Red Sox


David Michael Morehead
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  September 5, 1943, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, June 16, 1961
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1963-1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-1970

Dave Morehead pitched for eight seasons in the majors with the Red Sox and Royals.  In his major league debut on April 13, 1963, Morehead pitched a complete game shutout against the Senators, striking out ten and limiting the offense to five hits.  With the Red Sox consistently in the second division in the early 1960s, Morehead lost more games than he won, leading the league in 1965 with 18 losses.  On September 16, 1965, and with Bob Tillman (#222) catching him, Morehead pitched a no-hitter against the Indians in front of only 1,247 fans at a Thursday afternoon game at Fenway Park.  His lone blemish was a second inning walk to Rocky Colavito (#380).

Arm injuries limited his output over the next three seasons, and while he pitched in only ten games during the regular 1967 season, Morehead made a pair of scoreless relief appearances in the World Series against the Cardinals.  Left unprotected following the 1968 season, he was selected by the Royals in the expansion draft and he was a member of the club's inaugural bullpen.  Morehead pitched two seasons in Kansas City before his arm troubles prematurely ended his career.  In 177 career games, including 134 starts, Morehead was 40-64 with a 4.15 ERA in 819 1/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set

December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #440
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show.  If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May.  If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July.  Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time.  I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.

After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in.  Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Morehead card which was a little less than $4 after the dealer discount.  I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests.  I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
The cartoon on the back highlights Morehead winning the unofficial Boston Rookie of the Year title in 1963, which apparently came with a trophy and a can of beans.  His promise for "greatness" is highlighted in the narrative below the cartoon, as is his sharp breaking curve ball.

1965 Season
The highlight of Morehead's season was obviously his September no-hitter.  He was one of four starters used most frequently by a Red Sox club that would lose 100 games, along with Earl Wilson (#42), Bill Monbouquette (#142) and Jim Lonborg (#573).  Morehead was 10-18 with a 4.06 ERA in 34 games, throwing five complete games and two shutouts.  His first shutout of the season came on September 4th at Yankee Stadium, and he allowed only three Yankees hits, including a pair to third baseman Clete Boyer (#475).

1963 Topps #299
1966 Topps #135
1967 Topps #297
1969 Topps #29
1971 Topps #221

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #299
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1963-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Fleer Boston Red Sox 100th Anniversary #68

39 - Morehead non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/11/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

No comments:

Post a Comment