#323 Larry Miller - Baltimore Orioles

Larry Don Miller
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  June 19, 1937, Topeka, KS
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1964; New York Mets 1965-1966
Died:  March 21, 2018, Phoenix, AZ (age 80)

Larry Miller pitched in three minor league seasons in the Dodgers' system between 1959 and 1961, missed two full seasons while serving in the military and finally got the call to the majors in June 1964.  Inserted into the Dodgers' starting pitching rotation, Miller went 4-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 16 appearances, including 14 starts.  He pitched a complete game victory against the Phillies on August 2, 1964, a month before the Phillies endured their historic collapse.  Dealt to the Mets for outfielder Dick Smith following the season, Miller pitched in 32 games for the Mets, going a combined 1-6 with a 5.35 over parts of two seasons.  He last pitched in the majors in September 1966, and spent three more seasons in the Mets and Giants minor league system before retiring.

Miller was 5-14 lifetime with a 4.71 ERA and 93 strikeouts over 145 1/3 innings pitched.  In the minors, he was 58-51 over 284 appearances in parts of nine seasons.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

1965 Topps #349

Building the Set / Card #310
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 18th 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 / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index -16

Miller is listed as a member of the Orioles on this card, but he never pitched for the Orioles or for any team within their minor league system.  This is his second and final appearance in a Topps flagship set, and the back offers no clues as to how Miller came to be featured as an Oriole.  I think, but I'm not certain, the photo for this card and the photo for Miller's 1965 Topps card were taken a few years apart.

Accuracy Index:  We've got another -16, the eighth instance so far among the cards we've collected.  Miller didn't play for the Orioles in 1969 (-2) or ever (-6), he's wearing a Mets uniform (-5) and hatless (-3).

1969 Season
As noted above, Miller never pitched for the Orioles.  He spent all of 1969 with the Phoenix Giants in the Pacific Coast League, going 6-2 with a 3.68 ERA in 47 games, all in relief.  Miller threw 66 innings with 42 strikeouts and 16 walks in his final season of professional baseball.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #349
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #373
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  9 in the Beckett online database as of 6/2/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#322 Jose Vidal - Seattle Pilots / #324 Tigers Rookie Stars