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Ronald Lee Reed
Atlanta Braves
Pitcher
Born: November 2, 1942, La Porte, IN
Signed: Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, June 17, 1965
Major League Teams: Atlanta Braves 1966-1975; St. Louis Cardinals 1975; Philadelphia Phillies 1976-1983; Chicago White Sox 1984
World Series Appearances: Philadelphia Phillies 1980, 1983
After a successful collegiate basketball career at Notre Dame, Ron Reed was drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons and signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1965. He played two seasons with the Pistons before deciding to focus on his baseball career, and Reed would be named to his one and only All-Star team in 1968 during his first full season in the major leagues. A starting pitcher with the Braves, he'd enjoy one of his best seasons in 1969, winning 18 games and helping the Braves clinch the National League West pennant. He was the winning pitcher in the game in which Henry Aaron (#100) hit his record 715th home run on April 8, 1974. Reed won at least 10 games in six different seasons with the Braves and he was dealt to the Cardinals in May 1975.
After a successful collegiate basketball career at Notre Dame, Ron Reed was drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons and signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1965. He played two seasons with the Pistons before deciding to focus on his baseball career, and Reed would be named to his one and only All-Star team in 1968 during his first full season in the major leagues. A starting pitcher with the Braves, he'd enjoy one of his best seasons in 1969, winning 18 games and helping the Braves clinch the National League West pennant. He was the winning pitcher in the game in which Henry Aaron (#100) hit his record 715th home run on April 8, 1974. Reed won at least 10 games in six different seasons with the Braves and he was dealt to the Cardinals in May 1975.
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| August 5, 2022 - Ron Reed signing for Doug |
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Building the Set / Card #48
January 17, 2023 from Greg Morris Cards - Los Angeles, CA
On the evening of January 8th, I found myself sitting in Terminal C of the Philadelphia International Airport waiting to board my flight to Dallas. Earlier that day, I had enjoyed watching our oldest son Doug at a winter track meet as he pole vaulted for his high school. I was in a good mood despite the the fact that like most flights that day, my flight had been delayed. This was for a work trip, and I was doing my best to stay positive and keep myself in the post-holiday happiness hangover that had lingered into the year's second week. eBay seller Greg Morris Cards, based out of Los Angeles, somehow seems to post cards from various vintage baseball card set breaks on a weekly basis, with the cards typically all in fantastic condition. With time to kill, knowing that bidding on baseball cards was a surefire good mood sustainer, and having only 40 cards so far for our 1969 Topps set, I pleasantly passed the time by bidding on 62 commons, all with no previous bidders, and all ending within the next 30 hours.
January 17, 2023 from Greg Morris Cards - Los Angeles, CA
On the evening of January 8th, I found myself sitting in Terminal C of the Philadelphia International Airport waiting to board my flight to Dallas. Earlier that day, I had enjoyed watching our oldest son Doug at a winter track meet as he pole vaulted for his high school. I was in a good mood despite the the fact that like most flights that day, my flight had been delayed. This was for a work trip, and I was doing my best to stay positive and keep myself in the post-holiday happiness hangover that had lingered into the year's second week. eBay seller Greg Morris Cards, based out of Los Angeles, somehow seems to post cards from various vintage baseball card set breaks on a weekly basis, with the cards typically all in fantastic condition. With time to kill, knowing that bidding on baseball cards was a surefire good mood sustainer, and having only 40 cards so far for our 1969 Topps set, I pleasantly passed the time by bidding on 62 commons, all with no previous bidders, and all ending within the next 30 hours.
The next afternoon, while on a break at our work conference in the Hilton Anatole, I checked on the auctions, noting I had been outbid on a few, but was still the high bidder for most of the 62 cards. That night, as auctions were close to ending, and as I was enjoying a few adult beverages at the fine Rodeo Goat establishment across the street from the Hilton, my Apple Watch began vibrating every few seconds as I was outbid on dozens of auctions. When the dust had settled, I had won 24 new cards at an average price of about $2.50 per card. This Reed card was $0.79, the cheapest card won, and arrived a week after I had made the return trip home from Dallas.
The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Reed shared a Rookie Stars card in the 1968 Topps set with Jim Britton (#154), and this is his first solo Topps card. The cartoon on the back of the card highlights his time with the Pistons, and the write-up mentions his highly successful 1967 and 1968 baseball seasons.
Accuracy Index: At first, I thought the "A" on Reed's hat had been airbrushed, possibly replacing an "M" for Milwaukee. But Reed never played for the Braves while they were in Milwaukee and the "A" is way too clean to have been painted on by a Topps' artist. Reed's card scores a five.
1969 Season
This was Reed's finest season as a starting pitcher, as he went 18-10 with a 3.47 ERA in 36 games, including 33 starts. He threw seven complete games, including a 10-inning shutout on August 8th against the Mets. Reed and Phil Niekro (#355) were the team's top two starters, with Niekro going 23-13, and finishing as runner-up in the Cy Young Award voting behind Tom Seaver (#480). The Mets swept the Braves in the first NLCS, with Reed getting roughed up (four runs in 1 2/3 innings) and taking the loss in Game 2.
Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Reed from the Cardinals on December 9, 1975 in exchange for outfielder Mike Anderson. In 1976, the bullpen trio of Reed, McGraw and Gene Garber combined for 36 saves for the pennant winning Phillies. Reed pitched in 128 innings that season, the most during his years with the Phillies, going 8-7 with a 2.46 ERA. He'd save 15 games in 1977 and 17 games in 1978, and go 13-8 in 1979 to lead the league in relief wins. For the World Champion Phillies in 1980, he appeared in 55 games, pitching 91 innings and notching nine saves. Reed came on in Game 2 of the 1980 World Series following a four-run outburst by the Phillies in the bottom of the eighth giving them a 6-4 lead over the Royals. He struck out John Wathan to end the game, giving the Phillies a 2-0 series lead.
This was Reed's finest season as a starting pitcher, as he went 18-10 with a 3.47 ERA in 36 games, including 33 starts. He threw seven complete games, including a 10-inning shutout on August 8th against the Mets. Reed and Phil Niekro (#355) were the team's top two starters, with Niekro going 23-13, and finishing as runner-up in the Cy Young Award voting behind Tom Seaver (#480). The Mets swept the Braves in the first NLCS, with Reed getting roughed up (four runs in 1 2/3 innings) and taking the loss in Game 2.
The Phillies acquired Reed from the Cardinals on December 9, 1975 in exchange for outfielder Mike Anderson. In 1976, the bullpen trio of Reed, McGraw and Gene Garber combined for 36 saves for the pennant winning Phillies. Reed pitched in 128 innings that season, the most during his years with the Phillies, going 8-7 with a 2.46 ERA. He'd save 15 games in 1977 and 17 games in 1978, and go 13-8 in 1979 to lead the league in relief wins. For the World Champion Phillies in 1980, he appeared in 55 games, pitching 91 innings and notching nine saves. Reed came on in Game 2 of the 1980 World Series following a four-run outburst by the Phillies in the bottom of the eighth giving them a 6-4 lead over the Royals. He struck out John Wathan to end the game, giving the Phillies a 2-0 series lead.
Reed continued to be a workhorse for the Phillies through 1983, pitching in 57 and 61 games respectively in his final two years with the club. He never spent time on the disabled list with an arm injury. On December 5, 1983, he was traded to the White Sox for a player to be named later, with Jerry Koosman (#90) eventually heading to the Phillies to complete the deal. Wearing #42 during his entire Phillies career, Reed appeared in 458 games and was 57-38 with a 3.06 ERA and 90 saves, which is currently seventh on the all-time Phillies list. He's first among Phillies relievers in wins (54) and innings pitched (763) and second in strikeouts (519). Reed was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in August 2022, and he graciously stopped to sign an autograph for my son Doug during the Alumni Weekend festivities.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1968 Topps #76
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18): 1968-1985
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1985 Topps Tiffany #221
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 81 in the Beckett online database as of 2/3/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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First Mainstream Card: 1968 Topps #76
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18): 1968-1985
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1985 Topps Tiffany #221
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 81 in the Beckett online database as of 2/3/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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