1960 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

Jack Sanford (#165) was 12-14 with a 3.78 ERA in 34 starts. He led the Giants with six shutouts. Jack also led the NL with 15 wild pitches. Sanford started three games in the 1962 World Series adn was 1-2. He continued to pitch for the Giants until August 1965, when he was purchased by the California Angels.



I'm less than 70 cards from completing the 1960 set. Most of them are high numbers. Mike McCormick (#530) was the Giants' ace in 1960. He was 15-12 with a league-leading 2.70 ERA in 34 starts and also had three saves in six relief appearances. Mike started with the Giants as a 17-year-old bonus baby in 1956 and stayed with the Giants through the 1962 season. He returned to the Giants in 1968 after spending a few years with Baltimore and Washington in the American League. He went back to the American League in 1970 and pitched in his final game with the Kansas City Royals in 1971. McCormick pitched in the minors in 1972 and 1973 but didn't make it back to the majors.

Johnny Antonelli (#80 and #572) was at the end of his career in 1960. He was a spot starter and a reliever at this point in his career. Johnny was 6-7 with 11 saves and a 3.77 ERA in 41 games (10 starts). After the season he and Willie Kirkland were traded to the Cleveland Indians for Harvey Kuenn. Johnny pitched for the Indians and for the Milwaukee Braves in 1961, then retired at the age of 31. He never pitched in the minor leagues. He looks kind of like Scotty from Star Trek.

Joe Shipley (#239) was 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in 15 games for the Giants in 1960. He pitched in the minors from 1953-1965. Joe had major league stints in 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1963.

It's hard to imagine Billy Loes (#181) in a Giant uniform. I always think of him as a Brooklyn Dodger. Loes appeared in 37 games for the Giants in 1960 and was 3-2 with five saves and a 4.93 ERA. He finished his career in 1961 at the age of 31. The Giants sold Loes to the New York Mets after the 1961 season. The Mets returned him to the Giants a few months later (good thing they had a receipt) and Loes was cut during spring training in 1962.

Julio Navarro (#140) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1960. He pitched in the minors from 1955-1962. He finally made his major league debut for the Los Angeles Angels after being purchased from the Giants in September 1962. He pitched in the majors off and on for the Angels and for the Detroit Tigers from 1962-1965, then was in the minors again from 1965-1971. He had a 17-game stint with the Atlanta Braves in 1970.

Eddie Fisher (#23) made three appearances (one start) for the Giants in 1960. He was 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA. He spent most of the season with AAA Tacoma, where he was 17-12 with a 3.31 ERA. Fisher pitched in the majors for several teams until 1973.

Trivia Time

Can you name the Giants' leaders from the 1970s?

1960 Topps Giants - Part 3 (outfielders)

• Felipe Alou (#287) played LF in games when Orlando Cepeda played 1B and also spelled the other two starting outfielders (Willie Mays and Willie Kirkland). He batted .264 with 8 HR and 44 RBI in 322 at bats.

• Willie Mays (#200, #564, and #7) had his usual good season in 1960. He batted .319 with 29 HR and 103 RBI. Willie scored 107 runs and stole 25 bases. Mays was 3rd in NL MVP balloting. In the first All Star game Willie was 3-4 with a double, triple and a run scored. In the second All Star game Mays was also 3-4 with a home run and a stolen base.
  
  

• Orlando Cepeda (#450) played 91 games in LF and 63 games at 1B. He played LF and was 0-1 in the first 1960 All Star game. He was 0-2 in the second All Star game. For the season Cepeda batted .297 with 24 HR and 96 RBI.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Willie Kirkland (#172) started in RF. He batted .252 with 21 HR, 10 3B, and 65 RBI. The emergence of Felipe Alou made Kirkland expendable and he was traded to the Cleveland Indians with Johnny Antonelli for Harvey Kuenn after the season.
  
  Others who played OF for the Giants but didn't get a 1960 Topps Giants card:

• Dave Philley (purchased from the Phillies in May, sold to the Orioles in September - .164 in 61 AB)
• Matty Alou (.333 in 3 AB)
  
  
  

1960 Topps Giants - Part 2 (infielders)

• The sophomore jinx hit Willie McCovey (#316 and # 554) hard in 1960. He batted .238 with 13 HR and 51 RBI. He had a 2-week stint in AAA Phoenix in late July.
  
  

• Andre Rogers (#431) batted .244 in 217 at bats as a utility player. He played SS, 3B, 1B, and LF during the season. After the season he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves for Alvin Dark, who didn't play for the Giants but became their manager in 1961.
  
  

• Don Blasingame (#397) was the starting second baseman in 1960. He batted .235 in 523 AB. He and catcher Bob Schmidt were traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Ed Bailey early in the 1961 season.
  
  
  
  

• Joe Amalfitano (#356) batted .277 in 328 at bats as a utility infielder in 1960. The 1960 season was Joe's best year. He spent most of his time at 3B (63 games) and 2B (33 games). It was his first season back in the majors since his two "bonus baby" years in 1954 and 1955.
  
  
  
  
  

• Eddie Bressoud (#253) batted .225 in 116 games as the starting shortstop. He started with the Giants in 1954 and stayed with them through the 1961 season, when he was drafted by Houston in the expansion draft.
  
  
  
  

• Danny O'Connell (#192) didn't play for the Giants in 1960. He batted .312 for AAA Tacoma in 1960 then was released by the Giants and picked up by the new Washington Senators. He died in a car accident at the age of 42 in 1969.
  
  
  
  

• Jim Davenport (#154) started at 3B in 1960. He batted .251 with 6 HR in 363 at bats. He was the starter at 3B from his rookie season in 1958 through 1963. Jim won a Gold Glove and was an NL All Star in 1962. He spent his entire playing career (1958-1970) with the Giants.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Jose Pagan (#67) batted .286 in 18 games. Jose was 0 for 4 as a pinch hitter in April then was sent to Tacoma until mid-September. He became the starting shortstop in 1961 and batted .368 in the 1962 World Series. He played in the majors from 1959-1973.
  
  
  Others who played infield for the Giants in 1960 but didn't get a 1960 Topps card:
• Jim Marshall - 1B (.237 in 118 AB)
• Dale Long - 1B (.167, 3 HR in 54 AB)

1960 Topps Giants - Part 1

• After an exciting 1959 season that saw the Giants almost win the NL pennant, the Giants had a disappointing 1960 season. They finished 5th out of 8 teams with a 75-79 record.

• Record: 75-79 (5th in NL, 16 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates)
• Team Batting: .255 (3rd in NL)
• Team HR: 130 (4th in NL)
• Team ERA: 3.44 (2nd in NL)
• Team Fielding: .972 (8th in NL)
• League Leaders: Willie Mays (hits, 190); Mike McCormick (ERA, 2.70); Jack Sanford (wild pitches, 15; shutouts, 6)
• All Stars: Willie Mays (starting CF); Orlando Cepeda (OF); Mike McCormick (P)
• Gold Gloves: Willie Mays (OF)
• Attendance: 1,795,356 (2nd of 8)
  
  

• Bill Rigney (#225) was replaced after starting the season 33-25. He had been the Giants' manager since 1956. Bill would go on to manage the Los Angeles/California Angels from 1961-1969, the Minnesota Twins from 1970-1972, and have another run with the Giants in 1976. Tom Sheehan managed for the rest of the 1960 season and was 46-50.

• Wes Westrum (#469) was a catcher for the Giants from 1947-1957. He coached for the Giants until the New York Mets came along, then he coached for the Mets for a few years. He replaced Casey Stengel as Mets' manager in 1965 and managed the Mets until he was replaced with 11 games to go in the 1967 season. Wes had a run as Giants' manager in 1974 and 1975.

• Salty Parker was a longtime coach in the majors and in the minors. He replaced Wes Westrum as the Mets' manager for the last 11 games of the 1967 season. He also managed the Houston Astros for one game in 1972.

• Bill Posedel had two interesting nicknames -- "Barnacle Bill" and "Sailor Bill." This probably had to do with him being from San Francisco, or his two stints in the US Navy (1925-1929 and 1942-1945). Bill pitched in the majors for a few years before World War II. By the time the war was over Bill was 40 years old and turned to coaching after a short comeback attempt. He coached and scouted for several teams from the late 1940s - early 1970s.
  
  
  
  

• Bob Schmidt (#501) was the Giants' starting catcher in 1960. He batted .267 with 8 HR and 37 RBI in 110 games. Schmidt came up with the Giants in 1958 and made the NL All Star team that year. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds early in the 1961 season and caught in the majors for several teams through the 1965 season.
  
  
  
  

• Al Stieglitz (#144) didn't play for the Giants in 1960. He played in the Giants' organization from 1953-1960 but never made it to the major leagues. Al had a good glove -- in 1960 his fielding percentage was .996 in 77 games, but he had 7 passed balls.
  
  
  

• Hobie Landrith (#42) was the backup catcher in 1960. He batted .242 in 190 AB. It seems like every year Topps mentioned that Hobie was a good defensive catcher.
• Neil Wilson (.000 in 10 AB) also played catcher for the Giants for a week in 1960. It was his only time in the majors.
  
  
  
  
  

Trivia Time

Can you name the all-time team leaders in hits, HR, wins, and saves?

1973 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

• Juan Marichal (# 480) was in his last season as a San Francisco Giant. He was 11-15 with a 3.82 ERA in 32 starts. He was sold to the Boston Red Sox after the season.
  
  
  

• Jim Barr (# 387) was 11-17 with a 3.81 ERA in 41 games (33 starts) in 1973.
  
  
  
  

• Sam McDowell (# 511 and # 345) was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 18 games (3 starts) for the Giants in 1973. He was sold to the New York Yankees on June 7.
  
  
  

• Tom Bradley (# 336) was 13-12 with a 3.90 ERA in 34 starts. He pitched for the Giants through the 1975 season (including a stint in Phoenix), then was waived to the Oakland A's. Tom didn't make the A's, pitched in the minors in 1976, and then retired.
  
  

• Don Carrithers (# 651) was 1-2 with a 4.81 ERA in 25 games (3 starts). He was traded to the Montreal Expos after the season, pitched for them through the 1976 season, then ended his career with the Minnesota Twins in 1977.

Others who pitched for the Giants but didn't receive a 1973 Topps Giants card:

• Elias Sosa (71 games, 10-4, 18 saves, 3.28 ERA)
• Don McMahon (22 games, 4-0, 6 saves, 1.48 ERA) Actually, Don is on Charlie Fox's manager card as the pitching coach.
• Charlie Williams (12 games, 3-0, 6.65 ERA)
• John Morris (7 games, 1-0, 8.53 ERA)
  
  
  
  
  

1973 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

• Ron Bryant (# 298) had his best season in 1973. He was 24-12 with a 3.53 ERA in 39 starts and finished 3rd in NL Cy Young balloting. He had a serious back injury due to an alcohol-related diving board accident in the spring of 1974 and his career never recovered. He was 3-15 in 1974 and asked to be put on the voluntary retired list in April of 1975. He tried a comeback later in 1975 with the St. Louis Cardinals, but was ineffective in 10 games. After going 2-7 with a 7.99 ERA for four minor league teams in 1976 he hung 'em up for good.

Jerry Johnson (# 248) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1973. He was waived by the Giants on March 6, 1973 and was selected by the Cleveland Indians. Jerry pitched in the majors through the 1977 season.

Steve Stone (# 167) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1973. He and Ken Henderson were traded to the Chicago White Sox before the season for Tom Bradley. Steve went on to have some success with the White Sox and with the Baltimore Orioles, where he won a Cy Young award in 1980.

Jim Willoughby (# 79) was 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA in 39 games (12 starts) in 1973. He went on to pitch one more season with the Giants, then he pitched for the Boston Red Sox for three years before finishing his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1978.

Randy Moffitt (# 43) was 4-4 with 14 saves and an ERA of 2.42 in 60 appearances. He was a reliever for the Giants from 1972-1981 and made only one start during that time. Randy was released by the Giants after the strike in 1981 and finished his career with Houston (1982) and Toronto (1983).

Dave Righetti contest

Check out this blog and enter the contest. He'll do the drawing on Sunday.

1973 Topps Giants - Part 3 (outfielders)

• Bobby Bonds (#145) led the Giants in home runs (39), RBI (96), runs (131), doubles (34), and stolen bases (43).
  
  

• Ken Henderson (#101) didn't play for the Giants in 1973. He and Steve Stone were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Tom Bradley before the '73 season.
  
  
  

• Garry Maddox (# 322) batted .319 in 144 games. He was in double figures in doubles (30), triples (10), and homers (11). He also stole 24 bases.
  
  
  

• Jimmy Howarth (# 459) batted .200 in 90 AB as a backup outfielder. He didn't get many chances to play since the Giants had such a good starting outfield.
  
  
  

• Jim Hart (# 538) was 0 for 3 in five games. He was purchased by the New York Yankees on April 17.
  
  
  

• Bernie Williams (# 557) didn't play for the Giants in 1973. He spent the season in AAA Phoenix where he batted .313 in 132 games. Bernie was traded to the San Diego Padres with Willie McCovey for Mike Caldwell after the 1973 season.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Gary Matthews (#606) batted .300 in 148 games during his rookie season. He was in double figures in doubles (22), triples (10), and homers (12).
• Others who played outfield in 1973 but didn't get a 1973 Topps Giants' card:
• Gary Thomasson (.285 in 235 AB)
  
  

1973 Topps Giants - Part 2 (infielders)

• Willie McCovey (# 410) hit 29 homers and knocked in 75 runs in the last year of his first tenure with the Giants. He was traded with Bernie Williams to the San Diego Padres for Mike Caldwell after the season. Willie was 4th in the NL with 105 walks.
  
  

• Chris Arnold (# 584) batted .296 in 54 AB as a utility player.
  
  
  

• Chris Speier (# 345 and # 273) batted .249 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI in 153 games. He was the starting shortstop for the NL in the All Star Game.
  
  
  
  

• It looks like Tito (# 236) just decked that guy. He batted .277 in 160 games in 1973.
  
  
  

• Ed Goodson (# 197) had his best year in 1973. He batted .302 in 102 games as the Giants' third baseman.
  
  
  

• Dave Kingman (# 23) batted .203 with 24 homers and 55 RBI in 305 AB in 1973. He played 3B when Ed Goodson wasn't in the lineup and 1B when Willie McCovey wasn't playing.

Others who played infield but didn't receive a 1973 Giants' card:

• Mike Phillips (.240 in 104 AB)
• Steve Ontiveros (.242 in 33 AB)
• Bruce Miller (.143 in 21 AB)
• Damaso Blanco (.000 in 12 AB)
• Al Gallagher (.222 in 9 AB)