#543 Ed Connolly - Boston Red Sox

Edward Joseph Connolly
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  December 3, 1939, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, June 1961
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1964; Cleveland Indians 1967
Died:  July 1, 1998, New Canaan, CT (age 58)

Ed Connolly pitched in parts of two seasons in the majors with the Red Sox and Indians.  A lifelong Red Sox fan whose father, Ed Connolly Sr., caught with the team between 1929 and 1932, the younger Connolly made the club out of spring training in 1964.  He spent the entire season with Boston, appearing in 27 games and making 15 starts.  Connolly was 4-11 that season for the eighth place Red Sox, with a 4.91 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 80 2/3 innings pitched.  He pitched a complete game shutout against the Athletics on September 15, 1964, allowing just two hits while striking out 12.  Connolly spent the next two seasons in the minors before returning to the majors with the Indians in 1967.  He struggled with his control and was 2-1 with a 7.48 ERA in 15 games pitched.

Sold to the California Angels' top farm team following the 1967 season, he didn't make the club following spring training and Connolly retired from baseball.  In 42 big league games he was 6-12 with a 5.88 ERA, with 118 strikeouts to 98 walks in 130 innings pitched.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #531

This is the 47th 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 Connolly card was (surprisingly) $6 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 / Red Sox Team Set
This is Connolly's lone mainstream baseball card appearance, with his one other baseball card being a 1964 JD McCarthy postcard.  The cartoon on the back mentions Ed Sr., although Ed Jr. would have been a toddler while his father was still active in the majors.  The narrative on the back notes his promotion to the Red Sox following spring training in 1964 and his demotion down to Toronto (see below) early in the 1965 season.

1965 Season
Connolly won a job with the Red Sox coming out of spring training, but didn't appear in a game before being sent down to the International League on April 22nd.  With the Toronto Maple Leafs for the duration of the season, he appeared in 22 games, making 14 starts, and was 2-5 with a 4.31 ERA.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #543
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #543

2 - Connolly non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/25/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #542 Lou Klimchock - Milwaukee Braves

Next Card:  #544 Howie Reed - Los Angeles Dodgers