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Donald Scott Drysdale
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher
Born: July 23, 1936, Van Nuys, CA
Signed: Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers 1956-57; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-69
World Series Appearances: Brooklyn Dodgers 1956; Los Angeles Dodgers 1959, 1963, 1965-66
Died: July 3, 1993, Montreal, Canada (age 56)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1984
One of the most dominant pitchers of his era, Don Drysdale was the 1962 National League Cy Young Award winner, won World Series rings with the Dodgers in 1959, 1963 and 1965, and threw a then-record 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in 1968. He was a nine-time All-Star. Drysdale won at least 15 games in seven different seasons, culminating with his career-high 25 wins in 1962. He led the league in strikeouts three times and innings pitched twice. Not afraid to keep batters off the plate, Drysdale led the league in hit batters five times and his 154 hit batters over his career ranks 20th on the all-time list. His amazing run of 58 2/3 innings also came with a record six consecutive shutouts. Fellow Dodgers' pitcher Orel Hershiser broke the record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988. For his career, Drysdale was 209-166 with a 2.95 ERA and 2,486 strikeouts. A decent hitter too, he was a career .186 batter with 29 home runs and 113 RBIs.
While playing, Drysdale was a guest star on several television shows, appearing on The Rifleman, Leave It to Beaver and The Brady Bunch, among other shows. Following his retirement due in part to a chronically sore shoulder, Drysdale began a lengthy broadcasting career. He worked with the Expos (1970-71), Rangers (1972), Angels (1973-79, 1981), White Sox (1982-87) and Dodgers (1988-93), while also broadcasting games nationally for NBC and ABC. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984, the same year the Dodgers retired his #53. Drysdale passed away in 1993 after a heart attack suffered on the road before a Dodgers-Expos game.
Died: July 3, 1993, Montreal, Canada (age 56)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1984
One of the most dominant pitchers of his era, Don Drysdale was the 1962 National League Cy Young Award winner, won World Series rings with the Dodgers in 1959, 1963 and 1965, and threw a then-record 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in 1968. He was a nine-time All-Star. Drysdale won at least 15 games in seven different seasons, culminating with his career-high 25 wins in 1962. He led the league in strikeouts three times and innings pitched twice. Not afraid to keep batters off the plate, Drysdale led the league in hit batters five times and his 154 hit batters over his career ranks 20th on the all-time list. His amazing run of 58 2/3 innings also came with a record six consecutive shutouts. Fellow Dodgers' pitcher Orel Hershiser broke the record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988. For his career, Drysdale was 209-166 with a 2.95 ERA and 2,486 strikeouts. A decent hitter too, he was a career .186 batter with 29 home runs and 113 RBIs.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #443
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.
Building the Set / Card #443
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. The Drysdale card joined Ernie Banks (#20) and the Graig Nettles rookie card (#99) as the trio of cards added to our 1969 Topps set.
The Card / Dodgers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Drysdale's final appearance in a Topps flagship set, and it's a shame Topps didn't give him a career capping card in its 1970 Topps set. He appears earlier in the set on the 4th Series checklist card (#314). The bak of the card highlights his 1962 Cy Young Award winning season and his 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless inning streak from 1968. Topps reprinted the card in its 2001 Topps Archives set.
Accuracy Index: His final contemporaneous Topps card scores a +5.
Inserts: Drysdale is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.
1969 Season
Drysdale was limited to 12 starts for the Dodgers throughout the season, and was 5-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 62 2/3 innings pitched. Having started 35 or more games for nine straight seasons, Drysdale's recurring shoulder injuries finally became insurmountable. Diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, the pitching great retired, throwing in his last major league game on August 5th against the Pirates. His final strikeout victim was Willie Stargell (#545), who Drysdale K'd in the top of the fifth inning.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #18
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1957-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter Spotless Spans #SS-9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 632 in the Beckett online database as of 12/28/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
1969 Season
Drysdale was limited to 12 starts for the Dodgers throughout the season, and was 5-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 62 2/3 innings pitched. Having started 35 or more games for nine straight seasons, Drysdale's recurring shoulder injuries finally became insurmountable. Diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, the pitching great retired, throwing in his last major league game on August 5th against the Pirates. His final strikeout victim was Willie Stargell (#545), who Drysdale K'd in the top of the fifth inning.
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First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #18
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1957-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter Spotless Spans #SS-9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 632 in the Beckett online database as of 12/28/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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