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Alvin Ralph Dark
Cleveland Indians
Manager
Born: January 7, 1922, Comanche, OK
Signed: Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent, July 4, 1946
Major League Teams: Boston Braves 1946, 1948-1949; New York Giants 1950-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1956-1958; Chicago Cubs 1958-1959; Philadelphia Phillies 1960; Milwaukee Braves 1960
World Series Appearances: Boston Braves 1948; New York Giants 1951, 1954; San Francisco Giants 1962; Oakland Athletics 1974
As a Manager: San Francisco Giants 1961-1964; Kansas City Athletics 1966-1967; Cleveland Indians 1968-1971; Oakland Athletics 1974-1975; San Diego Padres 1977
Died: November 13, 2014, Easley, SC (age 92)
Al Dark spent 27 years in the majors first as an All-Star shortstop between 1946 and 1960 and then as a successful manager between 1961 and 1977. Dark was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1948, batting .322 with 48 RBIs. He was a three-time All-Star (1951, 1952 and 1954) and earned MVP votes in six different seasons. Dark led the league in doubles with 41 in 1951, the year he helped the Giants reach the World Series. He'd have to wait until 1954 to win his first World Series ring when he batted .412 during the series while helping the Giants sweep the Indians. Dark finished eight seasons in the top five for fielding percentage among all National League shortstops and he led the league in double plays turned three times. In 1,828 career games, Dark batted .289 with 126 home runs and 2,089 hits.
After retiring as a player, Dark began his managerial career with the Giants in 1961, guiding the team to the National League pennant in 1962. After stints with the Kansas City Athletics and Indians, Dark took over the Oakland Athletics in 1974 and led the team to its third straight World Series. (The team had won in 1972 and 1973 with Dick Williams (#349) as the manager.) He was 994-954 as a manager, just missing the 1,000-win plateau.
As a Manager: San Francisco Giants 1961-1964; Kansas City Athletics 1966-1967; Cleveland Indians 1968-1971; Oakland Athletics 1974-1975; San Diego Padres 1977
Died: November 13, 2014, Easley, SC (age 92)
Al Dark spent 27 years in the majors first as an All-Star shortstop between 1946 and 1960 and then as a successful manager between 1961 and 1977. Dark was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1948, batting .322 with 48 RBIs. He was a three-time All-Star (1951, 1952 and 1954) and earned MVP votes in six different seasons. Dark led the league in doubles with 41 in 1951, the year he helped the Giants reach the World Series. He'd have to wait until 1954 to win his first World Series ring when he batted .412 during the series while helping the Giants sweep the Indians. Dark finished eight seasons in the top five for fielding percentage among all National League shortstops and he led the league in double plays turned three times. In 1,828 career games, Dark batted .289 with 126 home runs and 2,089 hits.
After retiring as a player, Dark began his managerial career with the Giants in 1961, guiding the team to the National League pennant in 1962. After stints with the Kansas City Athletics and Indians, Dark took over the Oakland Athletics in 1974 and led the team to its third straight World Series. (The team had won in 1972 and 1973 with Dick Williams (#349) as the manager.) He was 994-954 as a manager, just missing the 1,000-win plateau.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #44
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 Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
Dark managed for parts of 13 seasons in the majors, and this was by far the worst. His Indians team went 62-99 to finish in sixth place in the American League East, 46 1/2 games behind the Orioles. First baseman Tony Horton took the team Triple Crown by batting .278 with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs. Right fielder Ken Harrelson (#240) also had 27 home runs. Sam McDowell (#220) went 18-14 with a 2.94 ERA, 18 complete games and four shutouts.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #67
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1952-1953, 1956-1964, 1966-1970, 1975, 1978
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2011 Topps Lineage Autographs #RA-AD
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 139 in the Beckett online database as of 1/30/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference - Dark / Baseball Reference - 1969 Indians / SABR / Wikipedia
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 Dark card was $4, and arrived a week after I had made the return trip home from Dallas.
The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Dark is wearing a Giants uniform here, a team he last managed in 1964. Topps had more recent photos of the veteran manager in an Athletics uniform, but this photo was selected as the dark colors more closely approximated an Indians jersey. The back of the card highlights his World Series heroics. Dark's .323 average was a result of him going 21 for 65 in the 1948, 1951 and 1954 World Series. Topps goes with Al for the front, but Alvin on the back.
Accuracy Index: Dark loses 5 points for the Giants jersey and another 3 points for having his hat logo blacked out.
1969 Season
Dark managed for parts of 13 seasons in the majors, and this was by far the worst. His Indians team went 62-99 to finish in sixth place in the American League East, 46 1/2 games behind the Orioles. First baseman Tony Horton took the team Triple Crown by batting .278 with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs. Right fielder Ken Harrelson (#240) also had 27 home runs. Sam McDowell (#220) went 18-14 with a 2.94 ERA, 18 complete games and four shutouts.
Phillies Career
Dark came to the Phillies in the trade that saw popular Phillie and future Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn (depart the franchise. On January 11, 1960, the Phillies acquired Dark, John Buzhardt and Jim Woods from the Cubs for Ashburn. With Dark at 38, only Dave Philley was older on the club at 40. Dark was the Phillies' opening day third baseman in 1960 and he was a regular in the line-up until the team traded him on June 23rd to the Braves for Joe Morgan.
Dark came to the Phillies in the trade that saw popular Phillie and future Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn (depart the franchise. On January 11, 1960, the Phillies acquired Dark, John Buzhardt and Jim Woods from the Cubs for Ashburn. With Dark at 38, only Dave Philley was older on the club at 40. Dark was the Phillies' opening day third baseman in 1960 and he was a regular in the line-up until the team traded him on June 23rd to the Braves for Joe Morgan.
His first hit of the season in the team's home opener on April 14th was the 2,000 of his career, a sixth inning infield single off pitcher Don McMahon (#616). With the Phillies, Dark hit .242 over 55 games, with 3 home runs and 14 RBIs. His short time with the club earned him a 1960 Topps card, released late in the season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #67
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1952-1953, 1956-1964, 1966-1970, 1975, 1978
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2011 Topps Lineage Autographs #RA-AD
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 139 in the Beckett online database as of 1/30/23.
Update Cards
For my 1965 Topps blog, I used the team card posts to come up with five or six candidates per team for an imaginary update series. With no team cards in the 1969 Topps set, I'll use each manager card for this exercise, and come up with a list of deserving cards to be included in an 8th/update series. I cut the list off at seven for the Indians, although I could have easily added a few more.
- Tony Horton (1b) - Horton played in seven seasons, with the Indians and Red Sox, and never received a Topps baseball card. He was the Indians' regular first baseman in 1969, appearing in 159 games.
- Ken Harrelson (rf) - Harrison and Pizarro were acquired from the Red Sox on April 19th.
- Juan Pizarro (lhp) - Like Harrelson, Pizarro (#498) has a card in the set with the Red Sox.
- Lou Klimchock (3b) - The team's most regularly used third baseman was omitted from the set.
- Zoilo Versalles (inf) - The Indians' opening day third baseman, the former MVP is in the set with the expansion Padres (#38), but he'd be traded to Cleveland before ever putting on a Padres uniform.
- Frank Baker (lf) - The Indians used nine different starting left fielders in 1969, with Baker topping them all with 44 starts. His rookie card is in the 1970 Topps set.
- Ron Law (rhp) - Law's only major league action came in 1969 when he pitched in 35 games for the Indians. He never appeared in a Topps set.
Baseball Reference - Dark / Baseball Reference - 1969 Indians / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1956 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
1956 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
#90 Jerry Koosman - New York Mets / #92 Jack Billingham - Montreal Expos
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