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Gary Alan Kolb
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield-Catcher
Born: March 13, 1940, Rock Falls, IL
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1960, 1962-1963; Milwaukee Braves 1964-1965; New York Mets 1965; Pittsburgh Pirates 1968-1969
Died: July 3, 2019, Charleston, WV (age 79)
Mostly serving as a part-time outfielder, Gary Kolb played every position except pitcher and shortstop during his seven different seasons in the big leagues. He appeared in a career high 75 games for the 1963 Cardinals, hitting .271 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs. On September 29, 1963, future Hall of Famer Stan Musial was playing in his final game and he collected the last hit of his career in the sixth inning off the Reds' Jim Maloney (#362). Kolb was the pinch-runner manager Johnny Keane sent in to run for Musial so that the legend could receive one final ovation from the St. Louis fans. Kolb was also the last Cardinals player to wear #20 before Lou Brock (#85), and the number has since been retired in Brock's honor.
The Cardinals traded Kolb to the Braves with Jimmie Coker in April 1964 in the deal that sent Bob Uecker to St. Louis. Kolb last appeared in the majors with the Pirates, but he spent four more full seasons playing for the Pirates top farm club in Charleston between 1970 and 1973. For his career, Kolb appeared in 293 games, batting .209 with 6 home runs and 29 RBIs.
Mostly serving as a part-time outfielder, Gary Kolb played every position except pitcher and shortstop during his seven different seasons in the big leagues. He appeared in a career high 75 games for the 1963 Cardinals, hitting .271 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs. On September 29, 1963, future Hall of Famer Stan Musial was playing in his final game and he collected the last hit of his career in the sixth inning off the Reds' Jim Maloney (#362). Kolb was the pinch-runner manager Johnny Keane sent in to run for Musial so that the legend could receive one final ovation from the St. Louis fans. Kolb was also the last Cardinals player to wear #20 before Lou Brock (#85), and the number has since been retired in Brock's honor.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
It looks as if Kolb was on the Pirates' roster for the entire season, but he appeared in only 29 games, making five starts behind the plate. He batted .081 (3 for 37) with a double. As a pinch-hitter, Kolb had less success, as he batted .050 (1 for 20). Kolb played in his final big league game on September 1st, starting at catcher and receiving Bob Moose's (#409) complete game victory over the Braves. Kolb was 1 for 4, collecting a two-run single in his final big league at-bat.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #119
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1964-1965, 1968-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #283
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 5/20/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Building the Set / Card #297
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders. I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500. This card was the fifth of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me a little over $1.25.
The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Given the pinstripes, Kolb is wearing a Mets jersey and he last played for the Mets in 1965. Topps goes back to Kolb's high school days for the cartoon on the back, and also highlights his defensive versatility in the write-up.
Accuracy Index: The lack of a hat (-3) and the Mets jersey (-5) drop Kolb's card to a -8.
1969 Season
It looks as if Kolb was on the Pirates' roster for the entire season, but he appeared in only 29 games, making five starts behind the plate. He batted .081 (3 for 37) with a double. As a pinch-hitter, Kolb had less success, as he batted .050 (1 for 20). Kolb played in his final big league game on September 1st, starting at catcher and receiving Bob Moose's (#409) complete game victory over the Braves. Kolb was 1 for 4, collecting a two-run single in his final big league at-bat.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #119
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1964-1965, 1968-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #283
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 5/20/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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