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Rinold George Duren
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: February 22, 1929, Cazenovia, WI
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams: Baltimore Orioles 1954; Kansas City Athletics 1957; New York Yankees 1958-1961; Los Angeles Angels 1961-1962; Philadelphia Phillies 1963-1964; Cincinnati Reds 1964; Philadelphia Phillies 1965; Washington Senators 1965
Died: January 6, 2011, Lake Wales, FL (age 81)
Gifted with a blazing fastball, but suffering from poor vision, Ryne Duren carved out a successful career primarily as a reliever over ten big league seasons. Duren first rose to prominence with the Yankees in 1958, making his first of four All-Star teams while serving as the team's closer. He led the league with 19 saves that season and helped the Yankees defeat the Braves in seven games in the World Series. Duren was named to both All-Star teams in 1959 and pitched to a career-low 1.88 ERA in 41 relief appearances. Traded to the Angels in May 1961, Duren never quite recaptured the success he had found with the Yankees, and he'd pitch for four more seasons with the Angels, Phillies, Reds and Senators.
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #504
This is the 20th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March. We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room. Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders. Much to my pleasant surprise, they had. This Duren card was $3 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.
Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October. It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.
The Card / Reds Team Set
Duren and his fantastic eyewear make several memorable appearances throughout the Topps flagship sets of the 1960s. This card is relatively tame in comparison to a few other appearances, highlighted below. Duren is wearing a Phillies jersey on this card, and the photo is from the same session that yielded the picture used for his 1964 Topps card. This is his final appearance in a Topps flagship set.
The back of the card notes his American League record for striking out seven consecutive batters. Duren accomplished the feat on June 9, 1961 against the Red Sox, and the current American League record is nine consecutive strikeouts thrown by the Tigers' Tyler Alexander on August 2, 2020.
1965 Season / Phillies Career
On March 14, 1963, the Angels sold Duren to the Phillies and he'd become one of the team's more reliable pitchers that year. He pitched mainly in relief but was pressed into starting duties in mid-June. In total, Duren appeared in 33 games, making seven starts, and was 6-2 with a 3.30 ERA in 87 1/3 innings pitched. He made the Phillies' opening day roster in 1964, but made only two appearances before being sold to the Reds on May 13, 1964. After a respectable season with the Reds, he was released in early 1965 due to alcohol-related incidents. His SABR biography notes he knocked down Pete Rose's (#207) hotel room door in a drunken stupor and he also had an arrest due to drunk driving. The Phillies signed Duren again on April 13th, but he made only six appearances with the team before being released on June 1st.
On March 14, 1963, the Angels sold Duren to the Phillies and he'd become one of the team's more reliable pitchers that year. He pitched mainly in relief but was pressed into starting duties in mid-June. In total, Duren appeared in 33 games, making seven starts, and was 6-2 with a 3.30 ERA in 87 1/3 innings pitched. He made the Phillies' opening day roster in 1964, but made only two appearances before being sold to the Reds on May 13, 1964. After a respectable season with the Reds, he was released in early 1965 due to alcohol-related incidents. His SABR biography notes he knocked down Pete Rose's (#207) hotel room door in a drunken stupor and he also had an arrest due to drunk driving. The Phillies signed Duren again on April 13th, but he made only six appearances with the team before being released on June 1st.
In his final stop of his big league career, the Senators signed Duren on June 8th. He'd appear in 16 games, all in relief, and was 1-1 with a 6.65 ERA in 23 innings pitched. Following his final appearance on August 18th, Duren attempted suicide and had to be talked off a bridge by manager Gil Hodges (#99). He was released a week later by the Senators and fortunately Duren was eventually able to turn his life around.
For his Phillies career, Duren was 6-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 41 games, earning two saves.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #296
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1958-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series #75
41 - Duren non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/1/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #296
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1958-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series #75
41 - Duren non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/1/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #338 Philadelphia Phillies Team Card
Previous Card: #338 Philadelphia Phillies Team Card
Next Card: #340 Tony Oliva - Minnesota Twins
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