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Ernest Banks
Chicago Cubs
First Base
Born: January 31, 1931, Dallas, TX
Signed: Signed by the Chicago Cubs a free agent in 1953
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1953-71
Died: January 23, 2015, Chicago, IL (age 83)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1977
Known by most simply as "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks enjoyed a 19-year playing career and encapsulated everything that a baseball player should aspire to be. His genuine appreciation and affection for the game was unrivaled. Banks was the runner-up to Wally Moon in 1954 for the National League Rookie of the Year Award and he won the league's MVP honors in 1958 and 1959. An 11-time All-Star, Banks hit 512 career home runs and tallied 1,636 career RBIs. He excelled defensively at both shortstop (1953-61) and first base (1962-71). When he hit his 500th career home run on May 12, 1970, he became just the ninth member to join that exclusive club. Banks batted .274 in 2,528 games for the Cubs, with 2,583 hits, and his #14 was the first number retired by the franchise in 1982.
During his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1977, Banks repeated his famous quote, "There's sunshine, fresh air, and the team's behind us. Let's play two."
Hall of Fame Induction: 1977
Known by most simply as "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks enjoyed a 19-year playing career and encapsulated everything that a baseball player should aspire to be. His genuine appreciation and affection for the game was unrivaled. Banks was the runner-up to Wally Moon in 1954 for the National League Rookie of the Year Award and he won the league's MVP honors in 1958 and 1959. An 11-time All-Star, Banks hit 512 career home runs and tallied 1,636 career RBIs. He excelled defensively at both shortstop (1953-61) and first base (1962-71). When he hit his 500th career home run on May 12, 1970, he became just the ninth member to join that exclusive club. Banks batted .274 in 2,528 games for the Cubs, with 2,583 hits, and his #14 was the first number retired by the franchise in 1982.
During his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1977, Banks repeated his famous quote, "There's sunshine, fresh air, and the team's behind us. Let's play two."
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #441
April 9, 2024 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Baseball Cards)
On April 7th, I received an e-mail from Gar Miller, hobby icon, informing me and other customers he had recently updated his inventory of vintage baseball cards for sale at garmillercards.com. In need of some vintage cardboard, and wanting to see if Miller had any Diamond Stars cards I needed, I decided to check out the new inventory.
April 9, 2024 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Baseball Cards)
On April 7th, I received an e-mail from Gar Miller, hobby icon, informing me and other customers he had recently updated his inventory of vintage baseball cards for sale at garmillercards.com. In need of some vintage cardboard, and wanting to see if Miller had any Diamond Stars cards I needed, I decided to check out the new inventory.
A high-number Red Lucas card from the Diamond Stars set was reasonably priced, so I added it, a few cards needed for our 1969 Topps set and a few random Phillies-related cards to my cart and submitted my order. Given the proximity of Miller to our house, I wasn't surprised when the cards arrived in our mail box in two days. Banks joined Don Drysdale (#400) and the Graig Nettles (#99) rookie card as the trio of cards added to our 1969 Topps set.
The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
Topps used this exact same photo on Banks' 1968 base card. The back of the card is mostly statistics, save for the two lines of text at the top. Banks was the Cubs' all-time home run leader until 2004, when he was surpassed by Sammy Sosa. Sosa hit 545 home runs with the Cubs, and 609 home runs overall. Topps included a reprint of this card in its 2019 Topps Update Iconic Card Reprints insert set.
Accuracy Index: Banks' card loses points for the repeat photo.
1969 Season
This was to be Banks' final year as an everyday player, and he batted .253 in 155 games for the Cubs. The 38-year-old hit 23 home runs and drove in 106, the eighth and final season he cleared 100 RBIs. This was also the closest Banks ever came to playing in the postseason. His Cubs were in first place in the National League East as late as September 9th, a position they had held since opening day. Over the final 20 games of the season, the Cubs went 8-12 to lose their grip on the division, with the Mets surprisingly winning the pennant. This was also the year Banks was first credited, by sportswriter Jimmy Enright, of exclaiming, "Let's Play Two," before a game in July with the temperature exceeding 100 degrees.
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First Mainstream Card: 1954 Topps #94
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20): 1954-71, 1973, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2024 Stadium Club #88
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 2,219 in the Beckett online database as of 12/27/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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