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Victor Joseph Roznovsky
Baltimore Orioles
Catcher
Born: October 19, 1938, Shiner, TX
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1964-65; Baltimore Orioles 1966-67; Philadelphia Phillies 1969
Died: January 18, 2022, Fresno, CA (age 83)
Vic Roznovsky played in parts of five big league seasons, appearing in 205 games and batting .218 with four home runs and 38 RBIs. He appeared in a career-high 71 games for the Cubs in 1965, as the team used four different primary catchers throughout the season. Roznovsky started 44 games behind the plate, with Chris Krug starting 46, Ed Bailey starting 45 and Dick Bertell starting 29. Roznovsky was dealt to the Orioles before the 1966 season, and he served as rookie catcher Andy Etchebarren's (#634) back-up throughout the season. He won a World Series ring with the Orioles that season, and although he was on the team's roster for the postseason he didn't make it into any games. Roznovsky retired from baseball after 13 games with the Phillies in 1969.
Vic Roznovsky played in parts of five big league seasons, appearing in 205 games and batting .218 with four home runs and 38 RBIs. He appeared in a career-high 71 games for the Cubs in 1965, as the team used four different primary catchers throughout the season. Roznovsky started 44 games behind the plate, with Chris Krug starting 46, Ed Bailey starting 45 and Dick Bertell starting 29. Roznovsky was dealt to the Orioles before the 1966 season, and he served as rookie catcher Andy Etchebarren's (#634) back-up throughout the season. He won a World Series ring with the Orioles that season, and although he was on the team's roster for the postseason he didn't make it into any games. Roznovsky retired from baseball after 13 games with the Phillies in 1969.
Building the Set / Card #343
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
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 51st of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me less than $1.
The Card / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
This is Roznovsky's final appearance in a Topps set. Lacking any clear-cut highlights, the cartoon on the back shows the catcher in a hospital bed while recovering from a slipped disc in his back. The write-up focuses on his minor league seasons and his pinch-hitting skills. It's odd Topps would include him in the set's checklist, given Roznovsky had spent all of the 1968 season with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.
Accuracy Index: Roznovsky's card scores a -7 since he didn't play with the Orioles in 1969 (-2) and he's shown wearing his former team's uniform (-5).
On April 12th, the Orioles traded Roznovsky to the Phillies for minor league pitcher Anthony Giresi and catcher John Sullivan. With Dave Watkins serving as regular catcher Mike Ryan's (#28) back-up throughout most of the season, Roznovsky's services were rarely needed. It appears as if he was with the club throughout the entire season, appearing in a few games each month in April, May, June, July, August and September. But he never started and despite all that time on the roster, he only appeared in 13 games. All of his appearances began with him pinch-hitting and twice he stayed in the game to spend some time behind the plate. In those 13 games, Roznovsky's total Phillies output was a .231 average (3 for 13) with one RBI.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #334
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1965-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #368
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 16 in the Beckett online database as of 8/10/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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