Monday, November 7, 2022

#377 Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirates


Silver Dornel Stargell
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  March 6, 1940, Earlsboro, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1958
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-1982
Died:  April 9, 2001, Wilmington, NC (age 61)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1988

Willie Stargell spent his entire 21-year career with the Pirates, and was one of the most feared power hitters of his generation.  As the club's regular left fielder throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Stargell made his first of seven All-Star teams in 1964.  In 1971, he helped lead the Pirates to a World Championship title over the Orioles, batting .295 during the season with a league leading 48 home runs and 125 RBIs.  He'd continue to slug home runs throughout the 1970s, with his tally of 296 home runs leading all players during the decade.  His blasts were often moonshots, and he holds the distinction of hitting the longest home run in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium history.  In 1973, he crossed the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth and final time, leading the league with 119 RBIs, and also leading the league in home runs (44), doubles (23) and slugging percentage (.646).

Moving to first base in the mid-1970s, he emerged as a veteran team leader, earning his affectionate nickname of "Pops."  In 1979, he again won the N.L. MVP, to go along with NLCS MVP and World Series MVP honors as his Pirates again defeated the Orioles in the World Series.  He retired following the 1982 season with a career average of .282, 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBIs.  The Pirates had retired his #8 a month before his final game, and Stargell was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1988.

Stargell briefly served as the first base coach for the Braves (1986-1988) following his retirement, and he'd also later work in the Pirates front office.  Two days before he passed away, the Pirates unveiled a statute of Stargell at their new PNC Park.

Building the Set
August 4, 2022 from Fremont, CA - Card #591
I got an itch for some vintage baseball cards in late July, as I hadn't added any new cards to our 1965 Topps set since May or my Diamond Stars set since June.  Taking advantage of some discounts offered at The Battersbox online store, I settled on a relatively pricey Ernie Lombardi card along with the card of former Phillies manager Steve O'Neill.  Also arriving in early August was this Stargell card, purchased from eBay seller gmw422 from Fremont, California.  Adding this Stargell card gets us down to needing only seven cards before our set is completed and I thought the card was a bargain at $27.

These cards arrived during the Phillies' Alumni Weekend, one of the best weekends of the year for Phillies fans.  I wrote about Doug's success in adding autographs from several returning alumni over at this post at The Phillies Room.  Following the game of August 5th, the Phillies were 58-48 and in third place in the division, nine games behind the Mets.  Writing this post nearly three months later on October 28th, I'm killing time getting ready for World Series Game 1 in Houston, with the Phillies facing off against the Astros.  This whole postseason experience has been surreal to me, with the Phillies now just four wins away from clinching the franchise's third championship title.  Hard to believe, Harry.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
This is Stargell's third appearance in a Topps flagship set and his second solo card, as his 1963 Topps appearance came on a multi-player, floating heads Rookie Stars card.  The back of the card highlights his high school basketball career, as well as his 1964 break-out season.

1965 Season
Stargell was the Pirates' regular left fielder, with Bill Virdon (#69) in center and Roberto Clemente (#160) in right.  He made his second All-Star team and drove in over 100 runs (107) for the first time in his career.  Stargell started in left field for the National League All-Stars, hitting a two-run second inning home run off Mudcat Grant (#432).  In 144 games overall, he batted .272 with 27 home runs, leading the Pirates.

1963 Topps #553
1971 Topps #230
1975 Topps #100
1979 Topps #55
1982 Topps #715

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1963-1982
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Pristine #163

1,287 - Stargell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/28/22.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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