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Robert Lane Miller
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher
Born: February 13, 1939, St. Louis, MO
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, June 20, 1957
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1957, 1959-61; New York Mets 1962; Los Angeles Dodgers 1963-67; Minnesota Twins 1968-69; Cleveland Indians 1970; Chicago White Sox 1970; Chicago Cubs 1970-71; San Diego Padres 1971; Pittsburgh Pirates 1971-72; San Diego Padres 1973; Detroit Tigers 1973; New York Mets 1973-74
World Series Appearances: Los Angeles Dodgers 1965-66; Pittsburgh Pirates 1971
Died: August 6, 1993, Rancho Bernardo, CA (age 54)
For 17 big league seasons, Bob Miller found work with 10 different teams, winning two World Series rings in the process. Signed as a bonus baby with the Cardinals, he pitched in parts of four seasons with the club before being selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft. After a season with the Mets, where he went 1-12, Miller was dealt to the Dodgers and he'd find his greatest success during his five seasons in Los Angeles. Miller was a 10-game winner in 1963 and had a league leading 74 appearances out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in 1964. He was part of the World Champion Dodgers team in 1965, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Twins in the World Series.
The Dodgers traded him to the Twins in November 1967, beginning a seven-year, seven-team odyssey. He enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 1971, pitching for the Cubs, Padres and Pirates and winning another World Series ring that year with the Pirates. In total that year, he made 56 relief appearances and went 8-5 with a 1.64 ERA and 10 saves. Miller holds the distinction of having played for three different teams in each of three different seasons - 1970, 1971 and 1973. For his career, he pitched in 694 games, going 69-81 with a 3.37 ERA and 52 saves. After retiring as a player, he served as the pitching coach for the expansion Blue Jays in 1977 and for the Giants in 1985.
Died: August 6, 1993, Rancho Bernardo, CA (age 54)
For 17 big league seasons, Bob Miller found work with 10 different teams, winning two World Series rings in the process. Signed as a bonus baby with the Cardinals, he pitched in parts of four seasons with the club before being selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft. After a season with the Mets, where he went 1-12, Miller was dealt to the Dodgers and he'd find his greatest success during his five seasons in Los Angeles. Miller was a 10-game winner in 1963 and had a league leading 74 appearances out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in 1964. He was part of the World Champion Dodgers team in 1965, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Twins in the World Series.
The Dodgers traded him to the Twins in November 1967, beginning a seven-year, seven-team odyssey. He enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 1971, pitching for the Cubs, Padres and Pirates and winning another World Series ring that year with the Pirates. In total that year, he made 56 relief appearances and went 8-5 with a 1.64 ERA and 10 saves. Miller holds the distinction of having played for three different teams in each of three different seasons - 1970, 1971 and 1973. For his career, he pitched in 694 games, going 69-81 with a 3.37 ERA and 52 saves. After retiring as a player, he served as the pitching coach for the expansion Blue Jays in 1977 and for the Giants in 1985.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #366
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index -12
1969 Season
In his second and final season with the Twins, Miller was 5-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 48 games. He made 11 starts, threw one complete game and had three saves. Miller started Game 3 of the ALCS against the Orioles, and with the Twins already down two games, he had a short leash. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) before manager Billy Martin (#547) turned to the bullpen. The Twins would lose the game, 11-2, with the Orioles advancing to the World Series to face the Mets.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #101
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16): 1960-74, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #468
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 62 in the Beckett online database as of 9/3/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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| 1968 Topps #534 |
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 74th 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 / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index -12
When I showed this card to Doug, he asked, "Why would Topps do that to him?" Sweaty, with his hair sticking up after being asked to remove his hat, Miller, as a veteran at this point, deserved better. What's worse, Topps had already used the picture to embarrass Miller in its 1968 set. Doubling down, they opted to zoom in and crop the photo tighter a year later.
The back of the card discusses how Miller and teammate Ron Perranoski (#77) came to the Twins. Both pitchers, along with catcher John Roseboro (#218), were dealt from the Dodgers on November 28, 1967, for Mudcat Grant (#306) and Zoilo Versalles (#38).
Accuracy Index: Miller's card scores "only" a -12, but on aesthetics alone it could drop another dozen points.
1969 Season
In his second and final season with the Twins, Miller was 5-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 48 games. He made 11 starts, threw one complete game and had three saves. Miller started Game 3 of the ALCS against the Orioles, and with the Twins already down two games, he had a short leash. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) before manager Billy Martin (#547) turned to the bullpen. The Twins would lose the game, 11-2, with the Orioles advancing to the World Series to face the Mets.
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First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #101
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16): 1960-74, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #468
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 62 in the Beckett online database as of 9/3/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#402 Ken Boswell - New York Mets / #404 Cubs Rookie Stars
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