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 - Herm Starrette

This is the final card for Herm Starrette (#539), a reliever for the Orioles from 1963-65. His rookie card was in the 1964 set. Herm’s floating-head also appeared on Braves’ manager Eddie Mathews’ card in 1974. I first heard of Starrette when he was hired as the Phillies’ pitching coach during the Dallas Green regime from 1980-81.

Starrette was signed by the Orioles in 1958 and played 5 seasons in the low minors. From 1963 to 1965, he split each season between the Orioles and their AAA team in Rochester, NY. His best big-league season was 1963, pitching in 18 games.

Starrette retired after pitching all of 1966 with Rochester. He had played in 27 games over his 3-season major-league career, all in relief.

After his playing career, he was the Orioles’ minor-league pitching coach from 1967-73, where he oversaw the development of their young pitchers.

Beginning in 1974, he spent the next 28 years in a variety of positions (major-league coach, minor-league instructor, farm system director) for the Braves, Orioles, Giants, Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Expos and Red Sox. He was the Phillies’ pitching coach during their World Series championship season in 1980.