Introduction
I spent this week inspecting 1956 Topps baseball cards in more detail than usual. Many cards with background action show actual games and some contain enough context to suss out date and situation.
Play at the plate for ol' Puddin' Head, but which one? |
Today's post investigates several of them, seeking clear dates and situations. I rely on Baseball-Reference.com for box scores, Dressed to the Nines for uniform design, and compare my take to the 1956 Topps blog, which wrote in detail about all 340 player cards.
Things to consider when investigating 1956 cards
Photos for 1956 cards came from wire services or professional photographers. As a New York company, pictures from Yankee Stadium, Ebbets Field, and the Polo Grounds could be convenient for Topps, so I lean toward New York ballparks when location's otherwise unclear. Spring training, regular season, postseason, and staged photos all appear, with many taken before 1955.
Card editors touched up images as needed, such as this terrific shot of Pope's leap for a game-winning drive by Dusty Rhodes in 1954's World Series opener, one best known for "the catch" by Willie Mays two innings earlier. (Rhodes earned 1955 Topps #1 honors thanks to his postseason heroics.)
Topps removed "Cleveland" from Dave's jersey and painted that ball onto his glove as partial redemption.
1956 Topps #154 Orioles OF, Dave Pope |
One wonders what Pope himself thought of the change, as I bet he remembered that moment!
#132 Bobby Avila and the hidden Hall of Famer
Bobby Avila's enjoying post-homer congratulations. With all those numbers crowded around home plate, can we nail down what just happened? Easy enough, it turned out, based on Avila's home run log and teammate uniforms.
That's #6 Bill Glynn and #32 Al Smith greeting Avila after his game-tying home off Baltimore's Don Larsen on August 14, 1954. #14 Larry Doby waits on deck for his chance to chase Larsen from that game. (Cleveland won 4-3 in extras.)
The 1956 Topps blog post about #132 agreed on this play and its cameo by Hall of Famer Larry Doby.
#42 Sandy Amoros: Yogi and the Series
Sandy's about to score Brooklyn's first run of 1955 World Series game four, a preface to overcoming the Yankees 8-5, as Yogi Berra receives his relay too late to make a play.
Alternate angles expand our scene to include #1 Pee Wee Reese (on deck) and batboy Charlie "The Brow" DiGiovanna, who collects Flash Gilliam's bat after his double scored Amoros.
Sandy's card back calls out his catch of Yogi's game seven drive against the left field fence and key hitting in that series.
#26 Grady Hatton: Two more Hall of Famers
Grady's wearing his road uniform and sliding past Yogi Berra in Yankee Stadium, which tells much about how to identify the play.
Hatton spent less than three years in Boston, so I checked each game he reached base in Yankee Stadium for contested plays at the plate. One candidate stands out, July 7, 1954, when he scored from first on a bases-clearing double off Marlin Stuart.
While the 1956 Topps blog leaves #26 open to showing Detroit based on the catcher's uniform, I'm confident we see New York and Yogi again. Home umpire Nestor Chylak reached the Hall of Fame in 1999, adding another cameo from Cooperstown. This proved its final play before rain the game with New York ahead 17-9. If correct, Yogi's plate block either failed to stop Grady or Berra missed his tag.
#130 Willie Mays: Out at home
This sweet slide went for naught, as Cardinal catcher Bill Sarni tagged Mays out attempting to score from first on a Don Mueller double, Sept 13, 1954, at the Polo Grounds.
This photo from a split-second before shows Sarni making the bang-bang play. Their box score reveals Willie already scored in the first inning and Johnny Antonelli's shutout made it stand up for a 1-0 Giants victory. This time, the 1956 Topps blog for #130 proved inconclusive, and I used wire photo research to locate a similar shot with helpful details.
- July 4 (7th inning of second game): Flyball: CF; W. Jones Scores
- Aug 17 (2nd inning): Flyball: RF; M. Goliat to 3B; W. Jones Scores
#171 Jim Wilson: Lost on Arrakis
Check out on the second player on Wilson's card. Those red sleeves and #1 jersey belong to Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, who ducks by on his safe dash to first base.
Baltimore's 1955 spring training site |
Coverage of Wilson's first game for the birds |
5 comments:
Sure love stuff like this. I admit I haven't looked too carefully at the '56 action shots.
It remains one of the best sets for identifying details as yet unknown. Imagine having that many vintage baseball game photos to work from!
Love these! I've gotten a lot of '56s lately and have been doing some of this myself, mostly trying to ID the cameos.
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Great stuff. Love that you found the exact photo of the Pope, so we can see how the painting was altered.
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