#537 Boston Red Sox #220 Billy Jurges #456 Red Sox Coaches

In 1960: Boston finished in 7th in 1960. They were in the throes of a downhill slide after finishing third in both '57 and '58. They slid steadily towards a ninth place finish in 1966 before bouncing back in the 'Impossible Dream' season, 1967.

In '60 the Sox were middle of the pack in most hitting categories but sat at the bottom when it came to pitching. Ted Williams was playing his final season and even at the age of 41 he led the club with 29 homers and his .316 average was just behind Pete Runnels' .320 mark. Vic Wertz drove in a team high 103 runs.

Bill Monbouquette anchored the starting rotation and went 14-11 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.326 WHIP. Mike Fornieles closed for the club and had 10 wins and 13 saves and the best ERA (2.64) of anyone on the staff.

The Card: High number card that carried a slight premium despite the rough condition it was in. This is one of the last dozen or so cards that was on my wantlist. The soft corners are sort of balanced out by it having an unmarked back.

Manager's Card: Billy Jurges

Career: Billy Jurges only managed 122 games for the Red Sox in 1959/1960. He was at the helm for the last 80 games in 1959 and got the team into fifth place after taking the reins with them in the basement. But he lasted until June 7th in 1960 before being fired after a 12-3 home loss to the Indians. Overall he had a record of 59-63. This stint with Boston was his only managing job in the bigs but he coached and scouted for decades.

He was a three time All Star for the Cubs and Giants during a solid 17 year playing career.

The Card: It's way off center in both directions but even so it's one of the best cards in the subset. I love his 'foot up on the batting cage' pose.

Coaches Card: Rudy York was a seven time AL All Star who led the league in homers and RBI in 1943. Billy Herman was a ten time NL All Star second baseman with Brooklyn and Chicago among others. Three times he finished fourth or better in the MVP voting. Del baker spent fifty years in baseball. Along the way he managed the Tigers to the 1940 pennant. He retired at the end of the 1960 season so his last day in uniform was also Ted Williams' last day. Sal "The Barber" Maglie had a long and colorful career on the mound and as a coach. My post of his 1959 Topps card has links to SABR and other places well worth checking out.