#390 1959 World Series Game #6 "Scrambling After Ball"

1959 World Series Game #6 "Scrambling After Ball"

The Card: This is the sixth of Topps' seven card subset commemorating the '59 Series. Game Six was the final game and as the box score indicates was won by the Dodgers, 9-3. Larry Sherry won his second game in relief.

I like to play card detective and find the circumstances around the photos that Topps uses on cards of this era. I've had some pretty good luck in the past. But this one has me stumped. I can't find the original photo at any of my usual websites for this sort of thing.

Topps doesn't necessarily often use photos that come from the game or moment that the front of their World Series or 'special' cards depict. There is no way to identify the three White Sox players on this one although if I was forced to guess I'd say the player reaching down for the ball is Luis Aparicio.

#389 1959 World Series Game #5 "Luis Swipes Base"

The Card: This is the first I've posted of the World Series subset that chronicles the 1959 Dodgers' championship. One card was issued for each game and a seventh shows the Dodgers 'celebration and has Series total stats on the back. The cards use painted game action photos.

This one, purportedly showing Game Five action has Luis Aparicio of the Sox sliding into second with a steal while Maury Wills takes the catcher's late throw.

Interestingly the action shown is actually from Game Four of the Series. Corbis' website had the original image and caption. The photo is dated October 5. And that's the date of Game Four in which Aparicio walked and stole second to lead off the top of the first.

Original caption: Luis Apariclo, Sox ss, steals second in the first inning after getting on base with a walk. John Roseboro's throw to Maury Wills was late. Note ball just reaching Wills glove.

In a further bit of ironic card trivia Maury Wills was famously not included in Topps sets of the day. He wasn't offered the standard Topps $5 contract and by the time he made a splash in the majors he had signed an 'exclusive' contract with Fleer. If you want some background on this the LA Times had a nice article in 2011.