Final Card - Ed Rakow

I posted Ed Rakow's 1963 card on another blog some years ago, but that was before I acquired his final card in the 1965 set (#454). 

Rakow had a relatively short career. The record shows he pitched from 1960 to 1967, but he missed 1966 altogether, and his appearances in ’60, ’65, and ’67 numbered 9, 6, and 17, so the bulk of his career was from 1961-63 with the Kansas City Athletics and 1964 with the Tigers. Those were also the 4 years he managed to stay out of the minor leagues. 

Ed was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957, and made his major-league debut with Los Angeles in 1960. He pitched 9 games in his first season – 7 in the first 2 months, then 2 more during his September recall.

During spring training in 1961 he was traded to the Athletics for pitcher Howie Reed. Ed was primarily a reliever in 1961, but also made 11 starts. 

He was the team’s ace in 1962, leading in starts (35), innings (235), and complete games (11). (By the way, the other starters were Dan Pfister, Jerry Walker, and Orlando Pena - a far cry from Jim Hunter, Lew Krausse, Johnny Odom, Jim Nash, and Chuck Dobson, who manned the rotation in just a few years.) 

In 1962 Ed was joined in the rotation by Dave Wickersham, rookie Diego Segui, and Moe Drabowsky, who joined the team in mid-season. Rakow led the league in earned runs allowed (111) and also losses (17), which I imagine wasn’t hard to do for the early-1960s’ Athletics. He still managed to win a career-high 14 games. 

In 1963 he slumped to a 9-10 record. After the season he was traded to the Tigers along with Wickersham and 2nd baseman Jerry Lumpe for outfielder Rocky Colavito and long-time Cubs’ pitcher Bob Anderson. 

He made 13 starts for the Tigers, but spent most of 1964 in the bullpen. Rakow made 6 relief appearances during the first half of May 1965, but was soon sent down to the minors, not to return to the majors until 1967. 

The Tigers released him in May 1966, then he was signed by the Red Sox but spent all of 1966 in the minors. In December he and pitcher Julio Navarro were traded to the Braves for catcher Chris Cannizzaro and outfielder John Herrnstein. 

Ed’s final major-league action was 17 games with the Braves over the second half of 1967. He played for the Braves’ AAA team in early 1967, and all of 1968 before retiring. 

Rakow passed away in 2000 at age 65. 

 

Final Card - Barney Schultz

With this post, all teams but the Tigers are represented on this blog, The next post (Ed Rakow) will take care of that one.

Barney Schultz pitched for 7 seasons between 1955 and 1965, mostly for the Cardinals and Cubs. All of his 227 games were as a reliever.

Schultz was signed by the Phillies way back in 1944. His first 2 pro seasons were with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Phillies' class-B team. (In 1948, that team would also include Robin Roberts.)

Between 1947 and 1953 he bounced around the farm systems of the Tigers, Cubs, Braves, and Pirates.

Barney was traded to the Cardinals before the 1954 season, and after another full season in the minors he made his major-league debut in April 1955, eleven seasons into his career. He appeared in 19 games, but by mid-June (with an ERA of 7.89) he was sent back to the minors to finish the season.

Schultz spent the next 3 seasons in the minors for the Cardinals and (following a May 1958 trade) the Tigers. Detroit called him up for 13 games in mid-summer 1959, but then it was back to the bushes.

Barney was dealt to the Cubs in April 1960, and in mid-June 1961 he returned to the majors for the next 5 years (although spending parts of '64 and '65 in the minors). He pitched in 41, 51, 39, 30, and 34 games from 1961-65. In his June 1961 return, he pitched in both ends of a doubleheader on his first day back.

In June 1963 he was traded back to the Cardinals for Leo Burke. He also pitched in 4 games in the 1964 World Series against the Yankees.

Schultz pitched for the Cardinals’ AAA team in Tulsa in 1966, before retiring.

After his playing career he was a pitching coach for the Cardinals and Cubs.

He passed away on 9/6/2015, 50 years to the day after his final game.

Final Card - Harvey Haddix

This is the final card (and final season) for Harvey Haddix.   He may be best remembered for his time with the Pirates from 1959-63, but he played from 1952-65.

Haddix was signed by the Cardinals in 1947. After 4 seasons in the minors and one in the military, he made his debut for the Redbirds in August 1952.

Haddix posted a 20-9 record in 1953, led the league with 6 shutouts, and finished 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He also made his first of three consecutive All-Star teams.

He won 18 and 12 games in '54 and '55.

During the 1956 season he was traded to the Phillies. After the 1957 season the Phillies traded him to the Reds for outfielder Wally Post.

Haddix only pitched one season for the Reds. In January 1959 he was traded to the Pirates (along with Smoky Burgess and Don Hoak) for 4 players.

Harvey pitched 5 seasons for Pittsburgh, including their World Championship in 1960. He was 2-0 in the '60 World Series, starting game 5 and relieving in game 7. He won the Gold Glove award from 1958-60.

After the 1962 season he moved to the bullpen, appearing in 49 games both in 1963 and (following his trade to the Orioles) 1964.

Haddix' workload was drastically reduced in his final (1965) season, pitching in only 24 games. In late August he was sold to the Braves, but returned to the Orioles three days later, having not pitched for Milwaukee.

The Orioles released him in January 1966, ending his 14-year career.

After his playing career he was a coach for the Mets, Reds, Red Sox, Indians, and Pirates.

He passed away in 1994 at age 68.

Final Card - Harry Bright

What, you don't also pitch?

Harry Bright (#584) was just one of several all-purpose utility players clogging the Cubs' roster in the mid-1960s. (Meanwhile, other teams were collecting good pitchers and outfielders.)

Bright played for 8 teams from 1958 to 1965. Most of his playing time came in 1961-62 with the Washington Senators. (In '62, he was their regular 1st baseman.)

Harry was signed by the Yankees back in 1946, and except for the 1961-63 period with the Senators and Yankees, he played in the minors every season from 1946 to 1971.

He spent time with the Pirates (1958-60), Senators (1961-62), Reds (1963), Yankees (1963-64), and Cubs (1965). In his final season he appeared in 27 games, all as a pinch-hitter.

Bright passed away in 2000 at age 70.

Final Card - Carl Willey

Carl Willey had a 6 year career with the Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets.

He was signed by the Boston Braves way back in 1950. After pitching in the minors from 1951-57 (except for missing the '53 and '54 seasons due to military service), Carl made his debut with Milwaukee in April 1958. That was his best season, posting a 9-7 record with a 2.70 ERA. He also pitched one inning in the World Series.

Carl was mostly a starter during his first 4 seasons with the Braves, pitching behind Warren Spahn, Lou Burdette, Bob Buhl, and Joey Jay.

Willey moved to the bullpen in 1962, making room in the rotation for youngsters like Tony Cloninger, Bob Hendley, and Denver Lemaster. After a disappointing season (2-5), he was sold to the Mets during spring training in 1963.

Carl was the Mets' #3 starter in '63, but posted an awful 9-14 record (though not nearly as bad as #1 starter Roger Craig's 5-22 record!)

As the back of this card states, he took a line drive to the face early in 1964, and the remainder of his career reflects that. He only pitched 30 innings in '64 and 28 innings in '65 before hanging it up.

After his playing career he scouted for the Phillies.

Willey passed away in 2009 at age 78.

Final Card - Don Blasingame

This is the final card for Don Blasingame, strange because he was the Senators' regular 2nd baseman in 1965, collecting 449 at-bats in 129 games, and was their primary 2nd baseman for the first half of 1966.

Blasingame was signed by the Cardinals in 1953, and played 3 seasons in the minors.

He was the team's regular shortstop for the first two months of 1956. In mid-June the Cards acquired shortstop Al Dark from the Giants, so Blasingame moved over to 2nd base to replace Red Schoendienst, who had departed in the Dark trade.

Don was a fixture at 2nd base for the next 3 seasons, starting every game in 1957, 133 games in '58, and 148 in '59. He also made the 1958 All-Star team.

After the 1959 season he was traded to the Giants for veteran shortstop Daryl Spencer and outfielder Leon Wagner. Blasingame played one season with the Giants, then was traded to the Reds in April 1961.

Don was Cincinnati's everyday 2nd baseman in '61 and '62. He started 9 games in April 1963, but was replaced by a young upstart named Pete Rose. After riding the bench for the first half, Don was traded to the Senators on July 1st for pitcher Jim Coates.

As mentioned at the top, he was the Nats' 2nd baseman through the start of the 1966 season. In the first half he split time at 2nd base with Ken Hamlin. By mid-season the team decided to play Rule 5 pickup Bob Savarine regularly in the 2nd half, so Don was sold to the Athletics in early-August. He was released a month later.

Blasingame played in Japan from 1967-69.

He passed away in 2005 at age 73.

Final Card - Mel McGaha

Mel McGaha (#391) never played major-league baseball, but he did play NBA basketball for the New York Knicks during the 1948-49 season.

He was an outfielder in the Cardinals' organization from 1948-52, and the Indians' organization from 1953-58.

He managed in the Indians' farm system from 1954 to 1960. He was also the head basketball coach at Arkansas A&M in 1953-54 and 1954-55.

Mel joined the Indians as a coach in 1961, then was promoted to manager for the 1962 season. He was fired 2 games before the end of the season. (Why do teams do that? It’s not like they are going to start a turnaround in the final week of the season.)

McGaha was hired as an Athletics' coach in 1963, and became the team's manager in June 1964, with the A's mired in last place. They improved slightly, but still finished the year in last place. After a 5-21 start in 1965, he was canned by owner Charlie Finley.

Mel moved on the the Astros, as a minor-league manager in 1966-67, and a base coach from 1968-70.  I first became aware of McGaha during his time with the Astros.

McGaha passed away in 2002 at age 75.

Final Card - Jay Ritchie

This is Jay Ritchie’s first and last baseball card (#494). Topps cut him loose after 1965, even though he played in 44 games in ’65, 22 games in ’66, 52 (yes, FIFTY-TWO!) games in ’67, and 28 games in ’68. He was with his team at the end of each of those seasons, so should have had a card in ’66, ’67, and ’68.

Ritchie was signed by the Red Sox way back in 1955, and toiled in the minors for 9 years (1956-64) before making his major-league debut in August 1964. In the minors he was mostly a reliever, except for in 1957 and 1962.

Jay appeared in 21 games over the final 2 months in 1964. The following season, he pitched in 44 games, 3rd most among the team’s relief pitchers. 1965 was the only season he managed to stay out of the minor leagues.

After the season he was traded to the Braves with pitcher Arnold Earley and 1B-OF Lee Thomas for pitchers Dan Osinski and Bob Sadowski. Ritchie played 2 years with the Braves (unbeknownst to Topps, apparently).

He was in the minors for the first half of 1966 (should not have affected his Topps status, because their card set was determined by 2 things: 1. Was he on a team’s roster in the off-season, and 2. Did he have significant major-league playing time in the previous season), but pitched 22 games in the second half.

 In ’67 he appeared in 52 games, tops among the entire staff. He also posted a 3.17 ERA, lowest among the relievers. What did he get as a reward for his stats? Two weeks after the season he was shipped off to the Reds with Mack Jones and Jim Beauchamp in exchange for 1st baseman Deron Johnson.

Like in 1966, Jay spent the first half of 1968 in the minors, but pitched 28 games in the 2nd half – the #11 man on a 10-man pitching staff. His final appearance came on September 4th.

Ritchie played in the minors in 1969 and 1970. He retraced his career steps by returning to the Braves organization in July 1969 and the Red Sox in May 1970.

He passed away in 2016 at age 79.

Final Card - Gus Triandos

Here is the final card for long-time catcher Gus Triandos (#248). He was the Orioles' #1 catcher from 1956-1962, but to a then-youngster like me he was just the guy who came over from the Tigers with Jim Bunning before the 1964 season. I'm sure CommishBob has some Gus Triandos stories to tell!

Triandos was signed by the Yankees way back in 1948, and after 4 seasons in the minors and a year in the service, Gus made his big-league debut in August 1953 for the Yankees.

After the 1954 season, Triandos was part of a SEVENTEEN PLAYER trade with the Orioles. That deal included pitchers Don Larsen and Bob Turley going to New York.

Triandos was Baltimore's 1st baseman in 1955, then was the starting catcher for the next seven seasons. He made the All-Star team from 1957 to 1959, and in 1958 hit a career-high 30 home runs.

After the 1962 season he was traded to the Tigers with outfielder Whitey Herzog for catcher Dick Brown. Gus started 90 games for the Tigers in 1963 (Bill Freehan's rookie season), then was traded to the Phillies (with Jim Bunning) after the season for outfielder Don Demeter and pitcher Jack Hamilton.

Gus spent 1 1/2 seasons as the Phillies' backup catcher, then was sold to the Astros in June 1965.  By late-August he was released, ending his 13 year career.

Triandos passed away in 2013 at age 82.

Final Card - Jerry Fosnow

This may be the only time this has ever happened on my blogs, but today is Jerry's birthday! (Completely coincidental, as I didn't realize this until I checked Baseball-Reference.com for some career history. And, I just made it by 1 minute!) Happy 78th, Jerry!

Not only is this Jerry's final card, but it's also his rookie card (#529).

Fosnow signed with the Indians in 1959, and was dealt to the Twins before the 1962 season.

Jerry made his major-league debut in June 1964, pitching 7 games as a rookie.

The following season he appeared in 29 games, but none after mid-July. He was sent down to the minors, never to return.

Fosnow continued pitching in the Twins' system through the 1966 season, and for the Dodgers' AAA team in 1967 before retiring.

SABR biography
 

Final Card - Ron Locke

Here’s Mets’ short-timer Ron Locke (#511). By the time this card came out, Locke’s major-league career was already over.

Ron pitched in the Mets’ farm system from 1963 to 1970, save for the 1966 season when he pitched briefly in the Phillies’ and Reds’ organizations.

His only major-league playing time came in 1964, when he pitched 25 games for the Mets. (Even that season, he was in the minors for the month of July before returning to New York for the final 2 months.)

This is his 2nd of two Topps cards (having also appeared in the 1964 set on a Mets Rookie Stars card).

Final Card - Sterling Slaughter

Here is the 2nd and final card for Cubs’ pitcher Sterling Slaughter. He previously appeared on a Cubs Rookies card in the 1964 set.

After pitching for Arizona State University, Slaughter was signed by the Cubs in 1963. He played only 1 season in the minors, then made the Cubs’ squad in 1964, pitching 20 games (including 6 starts).

For some reason, he also pitched 14 games in the Arizona Instructional League that year, but never made it back to the majors. This card (unintentionally) includes his complete major-league stats.

Sterling pitched for the Cubs’ AA and AAA teams from 1965-1967 before hanging up his glove.

Final Card - Bill Pleis

This is the final card for Bill Pleis (#122), at age 80 the oldest living player from the 1965-70 period that I have not yet featured on any of my blogs. Because this is his last card, and I didn’t collect cards prior to 1966 until recently, I didn’t know anything about him.

Pleis had a 6-year career (1961-66), all with the Twins. He was primarily a reliever, only making 10 starts among his 190 games.

Bill began his pro career in 1956, pitching for the unaffiliated Orlando Seratomas in the class-D Florida State League. By mid-August, he was acquired by the Washington Senators, and spent the next 4 seasons working his way up the ladder in their organization.

Although he never played for the Senators, following the team’s move to Minnesota prior to the 1961 season he made the team out of spring training. Pleis pitched most of ’61 and half of ’62 with the Twins, and was the team’s top lefthander in the bullpen as a rookie. In 1961 he won the first Twins’ home game in their new location.

Bill played fulltime with the Twins from 1963 to 1965, and led the team in games pitched (47) in 1964.

By 1966, his time with the Twins was winding down. He had been edged out of a job by newcomers Dave Boswell, Jim Merritt, and Pete Cimino, all at least 5 years younger than Pleis. Bill spent most of the season with triple-A Denver, and only pitched 8 games for the Twins in his last major-league season, all during the second half.

Pleis pitched 44 games for the Senators’ AAA team in 1967 and 23 games for the Red Sox’ AAA team in 1968 before retiring.

Final Card - Wayne Schurr

This is Wayne Schurr's final card (#149). His only other card is a late-series National League Rookie Stars card in the 1964 set.

So far on this blog, I have only been posting players whose final card is in the 1965 set. Wayne is the first player posted here whose major-league debut was in 1964.

Schurr was signed by the Giants in 1959 and made his way to the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft after the 1963 season. His only major-league action came in 1964, when he appeared in 26 games in relief during the first half of the season.

By late-July '64 he was back in the minors, where he stayed through the 1966 season. (Normally, Rule 5 players are returned to their original team if their new team doesn't keep them on the roster the entire year, but I guess the Giants didn't want him back.)

After the 1966 season, he and catcher Chris Krug were traded to the Angels for ex-Colt .45s outfielder Mike White (who will be featured on this blog 3 posts from now), but Schurr did not play after 1966.

Final Card - Frank Bolling

At age 85, Frank Bolling is the oldest living player from the 1965-70 time period that I have not yet blogged about.

This is Frank’s final card (#269), even though he continued to be the Braves’ starting 2nd baseman for part of the 1966 season (a job he held since the start of the 1961 season).

Bolling was signed by the Tigers in June 1951. He played in the minors for the rest of that season, and all of 1952-53.

He made his major-league debut in April 1954, taking over the starting 2nd base job that was manned in ’53 by Johnny Pesky and others.

After missing 1 year (1955) in military service, Bolling returned to the Tigers as their regular 2nd baseman for the next 5 seasons, and had more than 640 plate appearances in 2 of those seasons. Frank also won a Gold Glove award in 1958.

In December 1960, Bolling and outfielder Neil Chrisley were traded to the Milwaukee Braves for pitcher Terry Fox, catcher Dick Brown, 2nd baseman Chuck Cottier, and center fielder Bill Bruton.

Frank matched his season-high home run total with 15 in 1961, and was an All-Star in his first 2 seasons with the Braves. He was the regular 2nd baseman through the 1965 season, starting 141 games in his final season as a regular.

In 1966 he only started 57 games, since shortstop Woody Woodward was splitting his time between shortstop and 2nd base, and the Braves were also working rookie Felix Millan into the lineup.

Bolling’s last game was on 9/15/1966, and he was released after the season, ending his 12-year career. In 12 seasons he played 12,983 innings, and all at 2nd base!

Frank’s brother Milt was an infielder for the Red Sox in the 1950s.

Final Card - Bill Virdon

Here is the final card for long-time Pirates' center fielder Bill Virdon (#69).

Although mostly known as Pirate, Virdon was signed by the Yankees in 1950, and began his major-league career in 1955 with the Cardinals (having been traded for Enos Slaughter). Bill hit .281 in 144 games and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1955.

After 2 full seasons with the Cards, Virdon was traded to the Pirates in May 1956 for pitcher Dick Litlefield and outfielder Bobby Del Greco. (Whaaaaat? I never heard of Littlefield, but his record seems to indicate he was a journeyman starter/reliever whose career was winding down, and Del Greco was a young outfielder, but only progressed to so-so role player for bad teams like the Phillies and Athletics.)

Meanwhile, Virdon put in 10 solid seasons as the Pirates' every-day center fielder, playing alongside Roberto Clemente every year.

Virdon retired after the 1965 season, and became a coach for the Pirates. During the 1968 season he was activated for 6 games in July. One of our fellow bloggers has made a custom card documenting Virdon's 1968 season, which can be found in this collection of 1968 custom cards.

Bill also managed 4 teams, beginning in 1972. He manage the Pirates in '72 and '73. They won the NL East but lost the NLCS to the Reds. The following season he was replaced by 4-time Pirates' manager Danny Murtaugh in the final month. He moved on to the Yankees for 1974 and the first 100 games of 1975, until meeting the fate of many Yankee managers.

His longest managerial stint was wit the Astros. Hired in the final weeks of the '75 season, he stayed on until midway through 1982.  Along the way, his team won the NL West in 1980 (losing to the Phillies) and won the second half of the strike-split 1981 season, losing to the Dodgers in the playoffs.

Virdon's final manager job was with the Montreal Expos (1983-84). Since then, he coached off-and-on for the Pirates, and more recently is a spring training instructor for the Pirates.

Final Card - Frank Lary

For the past year or so, I’ve been trying to post a card for the oldest living players from the 1965–1970 time period who I have not blogged about yet.

I thought I had topped out with those at ages 77 or 78, but recently I found that several with final cards in the 1965 set (Wally Moon, Frank Lary, Bill Virdon, Frank Bolling) are in their mid-80s. So here we go… 

Frank Lary (#127) was signed by the Tigers in 1950, after playing for the University of Alabama for 2 seasons and pitching in the College World Series. He played in the minors in 1950, then missed the next 2 seasons while in military service. He returned in 1953 for 2 seasons in triple-A (winning 17 and 15 games), and made his debut with Detroit in September 1954.

Frank was a fixture in the Tigers’ starting rotation from 1955 to 1962. In 1955, Lary (age 25) and Billy Hoeft (age 23) were the Tigers’ top 2 starting pitchers.

In 1956 Frank led the AL with 21 wins, and also starts (38) and innings (294). He led the AL in complete games in ’58, ’60, and ’61.

Jim Bunning joined the rotation in 1957, and with Bunning as the ace, Lary, Hoeft, and Paul Foytack formed the rotation’s backbone for several seasons (with Bunning and Lary all the way to 1963).

Frank was selected for the All-Star team in ’60 and ’61, and also won a Gold Glove award in 1961. The same year, he won 23 games and finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting.

After 7 seasons as a workhorse, Lary missed some time in '62 and '63. Shoulder problems caused him to spend 2 months on the DL in 1962, and he was rehabbing in the minors for May and June 1963. He rejoined the team in July, but compiled a 4-9 record in only 16 games.

Lary’s final 2 seasons (1964-65) were spent bouncing from the Tigers to the Mets, Braves, Mets again, and White Sox. His combined record for those 2 seasons was 5-8 in 46 games (28 in relief).

He was released by the White Sox after the 1965 season, ending his 12-year career. He later coached and scouted for several teams.

Final Card - Wally Moon

Here is the final card for outfielder Wally Moon (#247). Wally played for 12 seasons (1954-65), the first 5 with the Cardinals and the last 7 with the Dodgers.

Moon played in the minors from 1950-53, then made his debut with the Cardinals in April 1954. Wally hit .304 in 151 games as a rookie, winning the Rookie of the Year award that season.

Moon was an every-day player for the Cards in his 1st 4 seasons. Initially the center fielder, he moved to 1st base for the 2nd half of 1955 and the 1st half of 1956, before finishing the ’56 season as the team’s right fielder (swapping positions with Stan Musial). Wally was named to his first All-Star team in 1957.

In 1958, his playing time decreased when rookie Curt Flood took over the center field job, leaving everyone else to compete for time at the corners. After the ’58 season Moon was traded to the Dodgers for outfielder Gino Cimoli.

Wally was the Dodgers’ regular left fielder from 1959-61, batting .302, .299, and .328 in those seasons. He made the All-Star team again in ’59 and won a Gold Glove in 1960.

Moon was relegated to backup status in his last 4 years with Los Angeles. With Tommy Davis, Willie Davis, and Frank Howard in the outfield, there was not much playing time left for Wally. He filled in at the corner outfield spots and at first base occasionally, and in 1962 did find increased playing time at the corners, although the Dodgers still used the same 3 starting outfielders through the 1964 season.

Frank Howard was traded away prior to the ’65 season, but that just opened a spot at 1B for young Wes Parker (with Ron Fairly moving to right field). By this time, Moon’s career was coming to an end, only appearing in 53 games in his final season.

Final Card - Duke Carmel

Like Jim Duffalo, Duke Carmel (#261) had a much shorter career than I realized. (I thought he was similar to Bob Cerv.)

Carmel played minor-league ball in the Cardinals' organization from 1955 until he was traded to the Dodgers in June 1960. In September 1959, he appeared in 10 games for the Cards.

Between June 1960 and the start of the 1962 season, Duke went back-and-forth between the Cardinals and Dodgers FOUR TIMES, and then to the Cleveland Indians! A year later, Cleveland returned him to the Cardinals. (He wasn’t so much a baseball player as he was a professional traveler.)

Not sure why this card says "Duke is a long ball threat" when he only hit 4 homers in 104 games 2 years earlier, and wasn't even in the majors in 1964! 

Carmel got his first extended major-league time in 1963, with the Cardinals. He played 57 games during the first 4 months of the season, then was traded to the Mets at the end of July and played 47 games over the rest of the season.

After playing the entire 1964 season in the minors, Duke was selected by the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. (By the way, why does he even have a card in the 1965 set?) After 6 games with the Yanks, he was returned to the Mets and spent the rest of 1965 and all of 1966-67 in the minors before retiring.

Final Card - Jim Duffalo

Here is the final card for pitcher Jim Duffalo. I was surprised to see that he had such a short career. I did not follow baseball before 1967, but for some reason I had always assumed his career was similar to that of guys like Bill Stafford, Bob Duliba, or Wes Stock. (In hindsight, I have no basis for that assumption.)

Anyway, Duffalo pitched in the minors for the Pirates (1955-58) and Giants (1958-60) before making his major-league debut in April 1961. He was with the Giants for the first 2 months (relieving in 20 games), then spent the summer back in AAA, until he was recalled in September, making 4 starts in the final month.

Jim pitched mostly out of the Giants’ bullpen from 1962-1964. Although with the team for the entire 1962 season, he did not play in the World Series.

He began the ’65 season with the Giants (2 games), but was traded to the Reds in early May for pitcher Bill Henry. He pitched 22 games for the Reds, and another 20 games in the minors.

From 1966 to 1972 he bounced around in the minor leagues with the Reds, Dodgers, Astros, Giants, and Cubs.