#148 Willie Kirkland - Washington Senators

Willie Charles Kirkland
Washington Senators
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  206
Born:  February 17, 1934, Siluria, AL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1958-1960; Cleveland Indians 1961-1963; Baltimore Orioles 1964; Washington Senators 1964-1966

Willie Kirkland played professional baseball for 20 years, first as an American League outfielder primarily with the Indians, Giants and Senators between 1958 and 1966, and then with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan between 1968 and 1973.  He was the first right fielder and the clean-up hitter in the Giants' first game in San Francisco, opening day 1958.  Kirkland's highest batting average came in 1959 when he hit .272 and his career highs for home runs (27) and RBIs (95) came during his career year of 1961 as the Indians' every day right fielder.  In the major leagues, Kirkland hit .240 over 1,149 games with 148 home runs and 509 RBIs.

After a year with the Hawaii Islanders in which he hit 34 home runs in 1967, Kirkland took his baseball  skills to Japan.  He hit 37 home runs for the Tigers in 1968, and in 6 seasons in Japan tallied 137 home runs.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #203
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart.  This Kirkland card was only $1 and it's one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.

The Card / Senators Team Set
Unbeknownst to me, Kirkland was featured with a toothpick on a baseball card long before the Royals' U.L. Washington achieved the feat.  He's wearing an Indians uniform here, and the photo is from the same session that yielded the pictures used for his 1963 and 1964 Topps cards.  The toothpick makes an appearance on Kirkland's cards for three years in a  row.  Flipping to the back, I found the four straight homers came before and after the 1961 All-Star break.  Kirkland hit three home runs against the White Sox on July 9th, victimizing Cal McLish all three times.  On July July 13th, following the All-Star break, he homered again off the Twins' Pedro Ramos (#13).

1965 Season
This was Kirkland's second to last season in the majors, and he appeared in 123 games for the Senators, batting .231 with 14 home runs and 54 RBIs.  He was the team's opening day right fielder, but lost playing time as the season progressed to Jim King (#38).

1958 Topps #128

1960 Topps #172

1961 Topps #15

1963 Topps #187

1966 Topps #434

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1958 Topps #128
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1958-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #434

43 - Kirkland non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/15/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #147 Dennis Bennett - Boston Red Sox

Next Card:  #149 Wayne Schurr - Chicago Cubs

#178 Dalton Jones - Boston Red Sox

James Dalton Jones
Boston Red Sox
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  December 10, 1943, McComb, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, June 4, 1961
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1964-1969; Detroit Tigers 1970-1972; Texas Rangers 1972

Dalton Jones spent nine big league seasons as an infielder and pinch-hitter, and he's probably best remembered as a member of the "Impossible Dream" A.L. Champion Red Sox.  Jones made at least 50 starts for the Red Sox every year between 1964 and 1969, except 1967, spending time at second, third or first base.  He settled into a role as a light-hitting left-handed bat off the bench, but attained a starring role in the 1967 World Series.  Jones appeared in 6 of the 7 games of the Series, batting .389 (7 for 18) and second only to Carl Yastrzemski (#385) in Red Sox batting average.  (Yaz hit .400).

Jones was traded to the Tigers in December 1969, and he spent two full seasons in Detroit before being dealt to the Rangers in May 1972.  Jones was a career .235 batter over 907 games with 41 home runs and 237 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #202
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart.  This Jones card was only $1 and it's one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
That's a lot of blue sky on Jones' card.  This is his first solo card as he appeared on a Rookie Stars card with Pete Charton in the 1964 Topps set.  Flipping to the back, the Jones' family connection to baseball is highlighted.  Jones' father, Clint Jones, played minor league baseball in the mid-1930s and his great-uncle, Leroy Jones, also had minor league experience.  Jones' 1964 team-leading stolen bases total was only 6, and he tied for the top spot with Yastrzemski.

1965 Season
Jones played in 112 games, reaching a career-high 99 hits while batting .270.  He split third base duties with Frank Malzone (#315), as Jones started 76 games at third to Malzone's 85.  Jones had a five-hit game on July 9th and he drove in the only run with an RBI-triple in pitcher Dave Morehead's (#434) no-hitter on September 16th.

1964 Topps #459

1967 Topps #139

1968 Topps #106

1971 Topps #367

1973 Topps #512

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #459
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1964-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Pacific Senior League #55

44 - Jones non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #177 Pete Mikkelsen - New York Yankees

Next Card:  #179 Hal Woodeshick - Houston Astros

#190 Bill White - St. Louis Cardinals

William DeKova White
St. Louis Cardinals
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  January 28, 1934, Lakewood, FL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1956; San Francisco Giants 1958; St. Louis Cardinals 1959-1965; Philadelphia Phillies 1966-1968; St. Louis Cardinals 1969

Bill White found his greatest success as a player with the Cardinals in the early 1960s, earning a spot on eight National League All-Star teams.  He drove in over 100 runs in four different seasons, and was one of the top first baseman in the league between 1961 and 1966, batting .297 and averaging 22 home runs and 96 RBIs over that period.  White reached career highs in home runs (27) and RBIs (109) in 1963, and he helped the Cardinals win their World Championship in 1964.  A fine fielder as well, White won seven Gold Gloves.  For his career, White batted .286 with 202 home runs and 870 RBIs.

1967 Phillies Yearbook

After retiring as a player, White served on the Yankees television broadcast crew between 1970 and 1988 as both a play-by-play announcer and color commentator.   In 1989, he was elected President of the National League, replacing A. Bartlett Giamatti who had succeeded Peter Ueberroth as MLB Commissioner.  White served as the N.L. President until 1994, becoming the first African-American to hold a high-ranking executive position in one of the major sports leagues.  He was elected into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2020.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #201
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart.  This White card was $1.50 and was one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
White was honored with a lower-tier hero number (a vintage Topps card ending in "0") as he was one of the stars of the National League at the time.  The home run referenced on the back of the card came on May 7, 1956 against White's future team, the Cardinals.  Batting sixth for the Giants and playing first base in his big league debut, White led off the top of the 2nd with a home run to deep right field off St. Louis pitcher Ben Flowers.  White, at card #43, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Cardinals in the set.  He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.

1965 Season
White's production fell off a little after the World Series Championship season of 1964, although he was arguably the team's offensive MVP.  Still the Cardinals' regular first baseman, White appeared in 148 games and batted .289 with 24 home runs and 73 RBIs.  His home run total led the team, with Ken Boyer (#100) and Curt Flood (#415) driving in more runs with 75 and 83 respectively.  The Cardinals entered a youth movement following the season and White, along with Dick Groat (#275) and Bob Uecker (#519), was traded to the Phillies on October 27th for Pat Corrales (#107), Alex Johnson (#352) and Art Mahaffey (#446).

Phillies Career
White was the Phillies' opening day first baseman in 1966 and he enjoyed his last big season.  In 159 games, he batted .276 with 22 home runs and 103 RBIs.  Only Dick Allen (#460), with 40 home runs and 110 RBIs was ahead of him in both power categories.  White suffered a torn Achilles tendon while playing paddle ball and was limited to 110 games in 1967 with his average dropping to .250.  He slumped further in 1968, batting .239 with 9 home runs and 40 RBIs over 127 games and losing playing time at first base to either John Briggs (#163) or Rick Joseph.  In three seasons with the Phillies, White appeared in 396 games, batting .258 with 39 home runs and 176 RBIs.  On April 3, 1969, he was traded back to the Cardinals for Jerry Buchek (#397) and Jim Hutto.

1959 Topps #359

1961 Topps #232

1964 Topps #240

1967 Topps #290

1969 Topps #588

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #359
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1959-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Upper deck All-Time Heroes #65

106 - White non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #189 3rd Series Checklist 177-264

Next Card:  #191 Phil Regan - Detroit Tigers

#89 Mike Hershberger - Chicago White Sox

Norman Michael Hershberger
Chicago White Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175
Born:  October 9, 1939, Massillon, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1961-1964; Kansas City Athletics 1965-1967; Oakland Athletics 1968-1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970; Chicago White Sox 1971
Died:  July 1, 2012, Massillon, OH (age 72)

Mike Hershberger was the regular right fielder for the White Sox between 1962 and 1964, before serving in the same role with the Athletics between 1965 and 1967.  Hershberger drove in at least 40 runs in five different seasons, hitting his career high with 57 in 1966.  That was the season he also led the league in sacrifice flies with 7.  A fine fielder with a strong arm, Hershberger led all right fielders in assists for three seasons in a row between 1965 and 1967.  In 11 seasons, all in the American League, he batted .252 with 26 home runs and 344 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #200
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  Hunting specifically for first series cards, this is one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.  This Hershberger card was only $1, and represents the milestone 200th card added to our set.

The Card / White Sox Team Set
Hershberger was involved in the massive three-team trade on January 20, 1965 with the White Sox, Athletics and Indians all swapping players.  Eight players in total changed teams with Hershberger, Jim Landis (#376) and Fred Talbot (#58) going from Chicago to Kansas City.  The back of the card highlights Hershberger's speed on the base paths and in the outfield.  Hershberger hit 22 triples in the majors, finishing 9th in the league in 1966 with 7.

1965 Season
Hershberger was the opening day right fielder for the Athletics, and he'd start 123 games at that position.  In 150 games (a career high), he hit .231 with 5 home runs and 48 RBIs.  The Athletics were the worst team in the American League in 1965, losing 103 games.

1962 Topps #341

1964 Topps #465

1966 Topps #236

1969 Topps #655

1971 Topps #149

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #341
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1962-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #287

47 - Hershberger non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #88 Jack Lamabe - Boston Red Sox

Next Card:  #90 Rich Rollins - Minnesota Twins

#55 Tony Conigliaro - Boston Red Sox

Anthony Richard Conigliaro
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  185
Born:  January 7, 1945, Revere, MA
Signed:  Signed by the Boson Red Sox as an amateur free agent, October 10, 1962
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1964-1967, 1969-1970; California Angels 1971; Boston Red Sox 1975
Died:  February 24, 1990, Salem, MA (age 45)

Tony Conigliaro was perhaps on the way to a career as a baseball superstar when a Jack Hamilton (#288) fastball hit him in the face, shattering his cheekbone and causing permanent eye damage.  Conigliaro made his debut in 1964, hitting a home run in his first at-bat at Fenway Park and setting the single-season record for home runs by a teenager with 24.  He then settled in as the team's regular right fielder in 1965 and 1966, earning MVP votes in both seasons.  He was selected for the All-Star team in 1967 and was on his way to a career year when Hamilton's pitch hit him on August 18th.  Conigliaro missed the entire 1968 season before making a successful comeback in 1969, earning A.L. Comeback Player of the Year honors.

In 1970, he reached career highs in both home runs (36) and RBIs (116), while sharing the Red Sox outfield with his brother Billy.  Following that season he was traded to the Angels.  Crushed by being traded from Boston, and hampered by headaches and vision problems, Conigliaro struggled with the Angels and announced his retirement on July 9, 1971.  He made a brief comeback attempt with the Red Sox in 1975, appearing in 21 games.  Over 8 seasons,  Conigliaro batted .264 with 166 home runs and 516 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Willow Grove, PA - Card #199
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  Hunting specifically for first series cards, this was one of the more difficult cards to track down at a reasonable price.  Given his popularity and the number of Red Sox team collectors out there, I searched eBay for quite a while before finding a reasonably priced card from seller ocbp72.  I won this card with a winning bid of $6.83.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Conigliaro was named to the 1964 Topps All-Star Rookie Team as one of three outfielders along with Rico Carty (#305) and Tony Oliva (#340).  His rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set, shared with pitcher Bill Spanswick (#356).  A lack of professional baseball statistics led to a lengthy write-up by Topps on the back, and I'll admit I've never heard the phrase, "going along great-guns."

Conigliaro is in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set, but he's not in the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set.

1965 Season
Conigliaro improved upon his rookie season, hitting .269 with a league-leading 32 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He and Carl Yastrzemski (#385), the team's every day left fielder, formed a formidable duo in the middle of the Red Sox line-up.  On July 28th, a Wes Stock (#117) fast ball broke Conigliaro's left wrist - the third broken bone suffered by the right fielder over a 14 month period due to his refusal to back off the plate.  Those injuries would foreshadow the much more serious injury suffered by Conigliaro a few years later.

1964 Topps #287

1966 Topps #380

1967 Topps #280

1970 Topps #340

1971 Topps #105

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #287
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1964-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2003 Flair Greats #99

88 - Conigliaro non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia 

Previous Card:  #54 Joe Gibbon - Pittsburgh Pirates

Next Card:  #56 Ron Kline - Washington Senators

#19 Gates Brown - Detroit Tigers

Willliam James Brown
Detroit Tigers
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  220
Born:  May 2, 1939, Crestline, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1963-1975
Died:  September 13, 2013, Detroit, MI (age 74)

Gates Brown spent his entire big league career with the Tigers, serving as a clutch left-handed bat off the bench for 13 seasons.  Brown won two World Series rings with the Tigers - his first as a player in 1968 and his second as the team's hitting coach in 1984.  Of his 1,051 career games, only 430 appearances saw Brown on the field playing defense.  He was used as a pinch-hitter 522 times and he still holds the American League records for most pinch-hit at-bats (414), pinch-hits (107) and pinch-hit home runs (16).  His clutch hitting in 1968 is credited with helping the Tigers reach the World Series.  Brown was a career .257 hitter with 84 home runs and 322 RBIs.  He served as the Tigers' first base or hitting coach for seven seasons between 1978 and 1984.

I don't like to copy and paste passages verbatim, but I couldn't resist with this excerpt from Brown's Wikipedia biography:  "On August 7, 1968, Brown wasn't in the starting lineup, and decided to grab two hot dogs from the clubhouse.  He was ordered by manager Mayo Smith to pinch hit.  He notoriously stuffed the hot dogs in his jersey to hide them from his manager. 'I always wanted to get a hit every time I went to the plate.  But this was one time I didn't want to get a hit.  I'll be damned if I didn't smack one in the gap and I had to slide into second - head first, no less.  I was safe with a double.  But when I stood up, I had mustard and ketchup and smashed hot dogs and buns all over me.  The fielders took one look at me, turned their backs and damned near busted a gut laughing at me.  My teammates in the dugout went crazy.'  After fining Brown $100, Smith said, 'What the hell were you doing eating on the bench in the first place?' Brown replied, 'I decided to tell him the truth.  I said, 'I was hungry.  Besides, where else can you eat a hot dog and have the best seat in the house.'"

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Georgetown, DE - Card #198
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  Hunting specifically for first series cards, this was one of the surprisingly more difficult cards to track down.  Most of the versions of the card available for sale on eBay before the holidays were badly off center and I wanted to hold out for something more well-centered.  I found our card from eBay seller travelingtransitman_3 for the reasonable winning bid of $2.95.

The Card / Tigers Team Set
Brown wore #26 beginning in 1963 through his retirement as a player in 1975.  This is his second Topps card, and I believe the Old English D on his helmet has been painted on by Topps.  His 1964 Topps card looks to use a photo from the same session and features Brown wearing a logo-less helmet.  On the back, Brown's first home run in his major league debut is highlighted.  On June 19, 1963, and with the Tigers trailing the Red Sox, 4-1 in the top of the 5th inning, Brown pinch-hit for Tigers pitcher Don Mossi and hit a home run off Red Sox pitcher Bob Heffner (#199).  The Tigers would go on to lose the game, 9-2.

Brown appeared on 12 flagship Topps cards throughout his career, and there's little to no variety to the dozen cards.  With the exception of only his first and last cards, he's shown holding a bat and either getting ready to swing or already in his follow-through.

1965 Season
Brown appeared in 96 games, making 44 starts in left field and 7 starts in right field.  He had lost most of his playing time to fellow prospect Willie Horton (#206).  As a pinch-hitter, Brown hit. 265 (9 fo 34) with a home run and 7 RBIs.  Overall, he hit .256 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs.

1964 Topps #471

1968 Topps #583

1970 Topps #98

1972 Topps #187

1975 Topps #371

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #471
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1964-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Pacific Senior League #199

55 - Brown non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/9/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia 

Previous Card:  #18 Bill McCool - Cincinnati Reds

Next Card:  #20 Jim Bunning - Philadelphia Phillies