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Michael Gary Joseph Fiore
Kansas City Royals
First Base
Born: October 11, 1944, Brooklyn, NY
Signed: Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams: Baltimore Orioles 1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-70; Boston Red Sox 1970-71; St. Louis Cardinals 1972; San Diego Padres 1972
Major League Teams: Baltimore Orioles 1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-70; Boston Red Sox 1970-71; St. Louis Cardinals 1972; San Diego Padres 1972
James Phillip Rooker
Kansas City Royals
Pitcher
Born: September 23, 1942, Lakeview, OR
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1960
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-72; Pittsburgh Pirates 1973-80
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-72; Pittsburgh Pirates 1973-80
World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1979
An original member of the Kansas City Royals, Mike Fiore appeared in a career-high 107 games for the expansion club, and is in the team's record books for hitting the first home run in team history. Fiore had been a September call-up by the Orioles in 1968 before being left unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft. He was with the Royals for a little over a season before a trade in late May 1970 sent him to the Red Sox. Fiore would spend the bulk of the next three seasons as a left-handed bat off the bench, and was a career .222 (18 for 81) pinch-hitter. His last appearance in the majors came in 1972, but he was a fixture in the International League for five more seasons, suiting up for the Triple-A teams of the Braves, Yankees, Orioles and Pirates. Fiore batted .227 in the majors with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Jim Rooker was a veteran of 13 big league seasons, having his most success over eight years with the Pirates. With the expansion Royals, Rooker served as a swingman for four seasons, making 68 starts and 104 appearances overall. He was a 10-game winner in 1970 to lead the club. Following the 1972 season, Rooker was dealt to the Pirates in exchange for reliever Gene Garber. He continued to work out of the bullpen in 1973, but he joined the starting pitching rotation in 1974, winning 15 games and throwing a career-high 15 complete games. Rooker was a veteran on the team's staff during their World Championship year in 1979, going 4-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 19 appearances. He started Games 1 and 5 against the Orioles, allowing just one earned run in 8 2/3 innings pitched and earning the win in Game 5.
Building the Set / Card #350
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 58th 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 / Royals Team Set / Fiore Accuracy Index -8 / Rooker Accuracy Index -8
This is the rookie card for both Fiore and Rooker. The back of the card contains an uncorrected error, as Rooker is not a right-hander.
Accuracy Index: Fiore's side of the card scores a -8, since he's wearing what I'm assuming to be an Orioles uniform (-5) and his hat is blacked out (-3). It's the same score for Rooker, as he would appear to be in a Tigers uniform.
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Fiore
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1969-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA Columbus Clippers #0083
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 8/26/24.
Sources - Fiore:
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Rooker
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1969-72, 1974-80
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 Fleer #368
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 35 in the Beckett online database as of 8/31/24.
Sources - Rooker:
1969 Season - Fiore
Fiore was with the Royals all season, making 88 starts at first base, five starts in center field and a single start in left field. He started more games at first than any other Royals teammate, earning playing time over opening day first baseman Chuck Harrison (#116). His historic home run came in the Royals' fifth game, on April 13th, off the Athletics' Blue Moon Odom (#195). Fiore was one of the club's top position players, batting .274 and reaching career highs in every major offensive category, including runs (53), hits (93), doubles (14), home runs (12) and RBIs (35). Only Ed Kirkpatrick (#529) and Bob Oliver (#662) had more home runs than Fiore, with 14 and 13, respectively.
Fiore was with the Royals all season, making 88 starts at first base, five starts in center field and a single start in left field. He started more games at first than any other Royals teammate, earning playing time over opening day first baseman Chuck Harrison (#116). His historic home run came in the Royals' fifth game, on April 13th, off the Athletics' Blue Moon Odom (#195). Fiore was one of the club's top position players, batting .274 and reaching career highs in every major offensive category, including runs (53), hits (93), doubles (14), home runs (12) and RBIs (35). Only Ed Kirkpatrick (#529) and Bob Oliver (#662) had more home runs than Fiore, with 14 and 13, respectively.
1969 Season - Rooker
Save for four games in the minors, Rooker was with the expansion Royals for the entire season. In 28 games, including 22 starts, he was 4-16 with a 3.75 ERA, throwing eight complete games, including one shutout. Rooker led the Royals' pitching staff in losses, with four other pitchers losing at least 10 games.
Phillies Connection - Rooker
On June 8, 1989, Rooker was in the broadcast booth for the Pirates when they went up 10-0 in the first inning in a game at Veterans Stadium. He made the comment that "If we don't win this one . . . I'll walk back to Pittsburgh." The Phillies came from behind to win the game, 15-11, and Rooker would make good on his promise following the season. He walked the 300-mile-plus route from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, while raising money for charity.
Save for four games in the minors, Rooker was with the expansion Royals for the entire season. In 28 games, including 22 starts, he was 4-16 with a 3.75 ERA, throwing eight complete games, including one shutout. Rooker led the Royals' pitching staff in losses, with four other pitchers losing at least 10 games.
Phillies Connection - Rooker
On June 8, 1989, Rooker was in the broadcast booth for the Pirates when they went up 10-0 in the first inning in a game at Veterans Stadium. He made the comment that "If we don't win this one . . . I'll walk back to Pittsburgh." The Phillies came from behind to win the game, 15-11, and Rooker would make good on his promise following the season. He walked the 300-mile-plus route from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, while raising money for charity.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Fiore
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1969-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA Columbus Clippers #0083
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 8/26/24.
Sources - Fiore:
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Rooker
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1969-72, 1974-80
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 Fleer #368
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 35 in the Beckett online database as of 8/31/24.
Sources - Rooker:
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#375 Harmon Killebrew - Minnesota Twins / #377 Gary Bell - Seattle Pilots
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