 |
 |
Donald Ralph Wert
Detroit Tigers
Third Base
Born: July 29, 1938, Strasburg, PA
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1963-70; Washington Senators 1971
World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1968
Died: August 25, 2024, Strasburg, PA (age 86)
The light-hitting but solid-fielding Don Wert spent nine years in the majors, with seven of those years as the dependable and everyday third baseman for the Tigers. Popular during his time with the Tigers, Wert's best season came in 1965 when he appeared in all 162 games and batted .261 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs. Wert led all American League third baseman with a .976 fielding percentage, marking the only year during the decade of the 1960s in which someone other than Brooks Robinson (#550) led the league in that category. The Detroit beat writers named Wert "Tiger of the Year," and he finished tenth in the league in MVP voting. On June 24, 1968, Wert was beaned in the head by Indians pitcher Hal Kurtz and he spent two nights in the hospital after being carried off the field. He was never the same hitter again. Due to his popularity, Wert was selected to the 1968 All-Star Game and he doubled off the Mets' Tom Seaver (#480) in the eighth inning.
Died: August 25, 2024, Strasburg, PA (age 86)
The light-hitting but solid-fielding Don Wert spent nine years in the majors, with seven of those years as the dependable and everyday third baseman for the Tigers. Popular during his time with the Tigers, Wert's best season came in 1965 when he appeared in all 162 games and batted .261 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs. Wert led all American League third baseman with a .976 fielding percentage, marking the only year during the decade of the 1960s in which someone other than Brooks Robinson (#550) led the league in that category. The Detroit beat writers named Wert "Tiger of the Year," and he finished tenth in the league in MVP voting. On June 24, 1968, Wert was beaned in the head by Indians pitcher Hal Kurtz and he spent two nights in the hospital after being carried off the field. He was never the same hitter again. Due to his popularity, Wert was selected to the 1968 All-Star Game and he doubled off the Mets' Tom Seaver (#480) in the eighth inning.
It was Wert's ninth inning, game-winning hit on September 17th that clinched the American League pennant for the Tigers, sending them to the World Series for the first time since 1945. Wert struggled in the Series, but the Tigers prevailed over the Cardinals in seven games. Wert and Denny McLain (#150) were traded to the Senators following the 1970 season, and Wert appeared in 20 games for the Senators in 1971, batting just .050 (2 for 40) before his release on June 24th. For his career, he batted .242 with 77 home runs and 365 RBIs, and his .968 fielding percentage at third base is currently 21st all-time.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #391
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Tigers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Still the full-time third baseman for the Tigers, Wert played in 132 games, batting .225 with a career-high 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. Wert started a triple play against the Senators on July 15, 1969. With runners on first and second, Ed Brinkman (#153) grounded to Wert at third, with Wert throwing to second baseman Ike Brown, and Brown throwing to first baseman Bill Freehan (#390) to complete the triple play. The defending World Champions finished in second place in the American League East, a distant 19 games behind the 109-win Orioles.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #299
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962, 1964-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #163
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 50 in the Beckett online database as of 10/30/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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 99th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost less than a dollar.
The Card / Tigers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
According to his Baseball Reference page, Wert wore #8 throughout his eight-year career with the Tigers, which is odd given that's clearly a #3 on his back in this photo. Dick McAuliffe (#305) wore #3 for Detroit between 1960 and 1973, so maybe Wert borrowed his double play partner's jersey for this Topps' photo shoot? The write-up on the back alludes to his beaning during the 1968 season. And his lone career grand slam, as depicted in the cartoon, was hit on April 28, 1966, against the Athletics' Jim Dickson.
Accuracy Index: Wert earns a +5 despite the mystery uniform number.
1969 Season
Still the full-time third baseman for the Tigers, Wert played in 132 games, batting .225 with a career-high 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. Wert started a triple play against the Senators on July 15, 1969. With runners on first and second, Ed Brinkman (#153) grounded to Wert at third, with Wert throwing to second baseman Ike Brown, and Brown throwing to first baseman Bill Freehan (#390) to complete the triple play. The defending World Champions finished in second place in the American League East, a distant 19 games behind the 109-win Orioles.
|
|
|
|
|
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #299
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962, 1964-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #163
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 50 in the Beckett online database as of 10/30/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#442 Ty Cline - Montreal Expos / #444 Joe Moeller - Los Angeles Dodgers
No comments:
Post a Comment