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Jeffrey Allen Torborg
Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher
Born: November 26, 1941, Plainfield, NJ
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1964-1970; California Angels 1971-1973
As a Manager: Cleveland Indians 1977-1979; Chicago White Sox 1989-1991; New York Mets 1992-1993; Montreal Expos 2001; Florida Marlins 2002-2003
A light-hitting back-up catcher, Jeff Torborg spent a decade as a player in the majors and another 11 years as a big league manager, winning American League Manager of the Year honors in 1990. Torborg came up with the Dodgers in 1964, and he'd remain with the club through the 1970 season as the back-up for John Roseboro (#405) and later Tom Haller (#465). He was behind the plate for Sandy Koufax's (#300) perfect game on September 9, 1965, and he'd later catch Bill Singer's no-hitter on July 20, 1970 and Nolan Ryan's first no-hitter on May 15, 1973. He was a career .214 hitter with eight home runs and 101 RBIs, and never appeared in more than 100 games a season until his final year in the majors with the Angels in 1973.
Torborg retired as a player, coaching (1975-1977) and then managing the Indians (1977-1979). He served as a long-time coach with the Yankees (1980-1988) and took over as manager for the White Sox in 1989. Torborg won Manager of the Year honors in 1990 after guiding the team to a 94-win season. He'd later manage the Mets, Expos and Marlins, but never finished above fourth place with any of those clubs. His lifetime managerial record was 634-718. When not managing, Torborg worked in the broadcast booth for CBS, Fox and FSN South through the mid-2000s.
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #526
The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Torborg's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set, as he shares a Rookie Stars card with outfielder Al Ferrara (#331). This is his first solo Topps card. The back of the card explains who Torborg is for those baseball and Dodgers fans who didn't realize he was on the team's roster the entire 1964 season. Roseboro started 116 games at catcher for the Dodgers in 1964, with Doug Camilli (#77) starting 36 and Torborg starting 12. The cartoon celebrates his successful collegiate career, as Torborg batted .537 for Rutgers University in 1963, and had his #10 retired by the college in 1992.
1965 Season
Torborg made his debut with the Dodgers on May 10, 1964, and never returned to the minor leagues. With the Dodgers in 1965, he appeared in 56 games, making 42 starts behind the plate, and batting .240 for the National League pennant winners. The Dodgers defeated the Twins in seven games to win the World Championship, with Roseboro catching every inning of every game.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #337
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1964-1973, 1978-1979, 1989-1993, 2002-2003
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game #73
72 - Torborg non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/20/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #526
This is the 42nd 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 Torborg card was $8 and was one of 49 commons and semi-stars 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 / Dodgers Team Set
Torborg's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set, as he shares a Rookie Stars card with outfielder Al Ferrara (#331). This is his first solo Topps card. The back of the card explains who Torborg is for those baseball and Dodgers fans who didn't realize he was on the team's roster the entire 1964 season. Roseboro started 116 games at catcher for the Dodgers in 1964, with Doug Camilli (#77) starting 36 and Torborg starting 12. The cartoon celebrates his successful collegiate career, as Torborg batted .537 for Rutgers University in 1963, and had his #10 retired by the college in 1992.
1965 Season
Torborg made his debut with the Dodgers on May 10, 1964, and never returned to the minor leagues. With the Dodgers in 1965, he appeared in 56 games, making 42 starts behind the plate, and batting .240 for the National League pennant winners. The Dodgers defeated the Twins in seven games to win the World Championship, with Roseboro catching every inning of every game.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #337
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1964-1973, 1978-1979, 1989-1993, 2002-2003
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game #73
72 - Torborg non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/20/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
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