#266 Joe Jay

Joe Jay   Milwaukee Braves

Career: Joey Jay was among the first players to sign under the 'Bonus baby' rule. That regulation forced a team who signed a youngster to a contract above a certain threshold to keep him on the major league roster for two seasons. When the Braves signed him in 1953 he spent a couple of seasons watching and waiting and has said he was ignored in the clubhouse and 'felt like the batboy'.

He was able to impress with his first start which came in the form of a shoutout in late 1953. Jay stuck with the big league club until the middle of 1955 when he was sent to the minors and he stayed there (with mixed results) until reappearing on the big league staff in 1958. He still didn't get a lot of work but he had impressive stats that year. An arm issue kept him off the World Series roster for the Braves that season. Jay's numbers regressed over the '59 and '60 seasons and he was traded to the Reds for 1961.

In Cincinnati, he found his form and won 21 games in each of his first two seasons with the Reds. He was an All-Star in 1961 and made two starts in the Series. He won Game Two with a four-hitter in Yankee Stadium that tied the Series at 1-1. He then returned in Game Five and the Yanks proved they had figured him out and Jay didn't get out of the first inning.

Jay never again approached the success he'd had in those first two seasons with the Braves. He stuck around through 1966 and even had a return engagement with the Braves when he was traded to the Atlanta version of the club midway through 1966. That was his last big league run.

He had a shot with the Phils in 1967 but he wasn't effective in a few starts with their minor league club in Clearwater and that was that. He retired to a career and a business owner (oil drilling, taxi cabs, and building cleaning and maintenance. 


In 1960: Jay went 9-8 over 32 games including 11 starts. His ERA was 3.24, better than it had been in '59, but the Braves thought they had better prospects for their rotation and he was on to the Reds that winter.

Off The Charts: Jay had nothing to do with baseball once he left. Here is a paragraph or so from his SABR bio:

Jay, a western Florida resident, adopted a life without baseball. He declined to attend card shows or fantasy camps and embraced a very low profile contrasted to his former public life. “I don’t live in the past, like most ballplayers,” he said. “I don’t wear my World Series rings, my mother has my scrapbooks, and if someone offered me a baseball job, I’d turn it down in a minute. When I made the break, it was clean and forever. It’s infantile to keep thinking about the game. It gets you nowhere. Most ex-ballplayers keep on living in some destructive fantasy world. Not me. I’m happier than ever since I left. And do me a favor. Don’t mention where I live.”

I don't recall ever hearing him referred to as 'Joe' Jay. It was always 'Joey'. Topps used the more formal version on this and (I think) all his cards. Other companies mixed and matched.

I'd always thought he was credited with being the first Little League World Series winner to play in the majors. Apparently, he was the first LL'er, period.

#198 Jerry Lynch

Jerry Lynch  Cincinnati Reds

Career: Jerry Lynch was the game's premier pinch-hitter for a number of years in the late 50s and early 60s. His career spanned 13 seasons, with two nearly equal runs in Pittsburgh bracketing a six-plus season stint with the Reds. He had a few seasons where he was a 'nearly-everyday-starter', but a lot of his time was as a platoon guy and lefty off the bench.

His pro career began at 19 with a season at the Class C level on an independent team in the Cotton States League in 1950. Uncle Sam had him for two years, and then he signed with the Pirates, debuting in 1954.

According to Wikipedia Lynch 'had 116 pinch hits during his career, which ranks him 10th on the all-time list. Lynch is third on the all-time pinch-hit home run list (he was first when he retired) with 18, with five of those coming during the 1961 season while driving in 25 runs.'

In the 1961 World Series, he was hitless in four trips but his homer on September 28 in the eighth inning versus the Cubs was the blow that clinched the pennant for the Reds.

In 1960: This was one of his 'primarily a pinch-hitter' seasons. He hit .289 with six homers in 102 games and 159 at-bats.

Off The Charts: In his New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, James made a case for Lynch being named MVP for his 1961 heroics.

 "He hit over .400 as a pinch hitter with power and played 44 games in the outfield. His slugging percentage of .624 and 50 RBI in 181 at-bats was a far better rate than Roger Maris had that same season, hitting 61 home runs," James wrote. "More than that, Lynch had big, big hits; game after game, when the Reds were in danger of falling short, Lynch came up with the big hit to put them back in front, and the Reds, picked to finish sixth, won the pennant."

Lynch and former teammate Dick Groat operated a golf course after their playing days.

The Card: Lynch also appears on a special, multi-player "Cincy Clouters" card with Gus Bell and Frank Robinson in this set that was posted back in 2016.

#106 Billy Gardner

Billy Gardner  Baltimore Orioles

Career: Gardner played 19 seasons in the bigs, five as a regular and four of those with the Orioles thru the late 1950s. He had a career .237 average and his best season came in 1957 when he led the AL with 36 doubles (as well as in at-bats and plate appearances). He played with two Series-winning clubs, the Giants in 1954 (his rookie year) and the 1961 Yankees. He did not appear in the '54 Series but he made the box score in the '61 Series with one AB. 

He later spent five seasons managing the Twins and a short stint as a replacement for Dick Howser in Kansas City when Howser had to undergo cancer treatment.


In 1960: He was traded to the Senators early in April and hit .257  with a career-high 56 RBIs in what would be his last season as a regular.

Off The Charts: His son, Billy Gardner Jr, has been involved in baseball as well and is, at last look, working as the roving coordinator for the Nationals.

The Card: There's that yellow, orange, black and white pattern again. Looks as good with the Orioles as it does with the Pirates.

#86 Dick Gernert

Dick Gernert  Chicago Cubs

Career: He played eight seasons for the Boston Red Sox as a 6’3″ first baseman-outfielder and then finished his 11-year career with short stints for the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Colt .45s. He had a few seasons as the BoSox regular first baseman but more frequently he shared the job. He twice had 20 or more dingers and his .291 in 1956 was a career high. He had four pinch-hit appearances in the 1961 Series with Cincy.  He was a Colt .45s expansion draft pick but was released in May which spared him the misery of the Houston summer and mosquitos.

In 1960: He started the year as a brand new Cubbie but was traded to the Tigers with a month to go in the season. His power numbers were down with just one homer in 160+ trips to the plate.

Off The Charts: Per Wikipedia..."He was involved in the first interleague trade without waivers in baseball history on November 21, 1959, when Boston shipped him to the Cubs for first baseman Jim Marshall and pitcher Dave Hillman"

The Card: Pink is a plus, as is the Yankee Stadium facade. He got a Jack Davis cartoon and the 'last entry is a trade note' treatment. Overall, not a bad card.

#13 Wally Post

Wally Post  Philadelphia Phillies

Career: The bulk of Wally Post's 15-year career came as an outfielder with Cincinnati. He was originally signed in 1946 as a pitcher but had transitioned to the outfield by the time he made the bigs in 1949. He hit over 200 homers but in the talent-laden NL of the 50s never made an All-Star squad.  The closest he came was in 1957 when he was on the happy end of the ballot-stuffing done by Vladimir Putin the Cincy fans.

He and some other Reds teammates were dropped from the ASG starting lineup by decree of the commish at the time, Ford Frick. He was hurt at the time and was unable to play in the game in any case. His best year was 1955 in Cincy when he slashed 40/109/.309/.372 and got some MVP votes.

In 1960: He began the season with the Phils as depicted on his card but was traded to the Reds in June for his second term in Ohio. The move sent him from a last-place club to one in fifth and soon to be on the rise. He had hit only two homers at the time of the trade but hit 17 for the Reds the rest of the way. He went on to help the Reds win the NL pennant in 1961.

WikiFacts: Post is the grandfather of former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Bobby Hoying.

The Card: Post had been with the Phils for two full seasons prior to this card being issued so I'm not sure why a capless photo needed to be used. I suppose it could be an old pic from his first go-round with the Reds with pinstripes added to his shirt. But the Reds hadn't worn sleeves since 1955 so that would make it a really old shot, even for Topps. that's Connie Mack Stadium in the background.

BTW...The 'perfect day' on August 28 cited by the Topps editor turns out to be three singles in three at-bats in a 9-0 wipe out the Phils suffered in Forbes Field. 

Added Attraction for the craft beer crowd (which includes me):

Microbrewer Moeller Brewing of Ohio put out this beer named for Wally Post in 2017. More info on the brew and Wally here.

#8 Bud Daley

Bud Daley  Kansas City Athletics

Career: Bud Daley worked his way through the Indians' chain and got a couple of brief (and very unsuccessful) shots in the majors in 1955-56. He had better results with a longer stay in 1957. As the '58 season approached he was traded to the Orioles and then, two weeks later, to the Athletics. He won 39 games in Kansas City with two trips to the All-Star Game before he was traded again, this time to the Yankees, in June of 1961.

With New York, he split his time between the rotation and the bullpen and won two World Series rings. He won the fifth and deciding game of the 1961 World Series with 6+ innings in relief of Ralph Terry.  He developed arm problems and missed much of the '63 season and retired after 1964.

In 1960: This was the second of his two consecutive 16 win seasons for a pretty terrible KC squad. But he also lost 16 games and his numbers across the board we down a bit from '59.

WikiFacts: 

From WikiPedia...When Bud and [his brother] Pete Daley where batterymates in Kansas City, they were know as the only "Daley Double" in baseball. Bud moved to Lander, WY where he and his wife Dorothy, owned B&D Sprinklers, a lawn sprinkler company. As of January 2009, they were retired in Riverton, WY.
Daley's grandson, Jordan Pries, has played minor league ball since 2011, reaching AAA in 2014.

The Card: I must admit that the back's cartoon depiction of the Oriole is amusing.  When I pulled this card for scanning I noticed that it had a lot of gum residue on the front. Most came off but a rubbing alcohol treatment may be in order.  

#4 Bob Purkey

Bob Purkey Cincinnati Reds

Career: Purkey, who learned the knuckleball from Branch Rickey, started his career with the Pirates and ended with them as well. But in between he made his mark with the Reds winning 103 games over seven seasons there. He made three All Star squads and had a standout 1962 season with a 23-5 mark and ERA/WHIP  near the top of the league charts. He finished third in the Cy Young voting as well.

In the 1961 World Series he lost a tough 3-2 complete game decision to the Yankees in Game Three. He pitched two relief innings in the 'all hands on deck' fifth and final game of the Series.


In 1960: He went 17-11 after starting the year coming out of the bullpen.

WikiFacts: Purkey ran his own insurance agency in the vicinity of his hometown of Pittsburgh after his career ended.

The Card: Topps used identical pictures of Purkey in 1962 and '63 and reprised the 'action' shot on this card in '63.