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Jack Edwin Hamilton
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher
Born: December 25, 1938, Burlington, IA
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1962-63; Detroit Tigers 1964-65; New York Mets 1966-67; California Angels 1967-68; Cleveland Indians 1969; Chicago White Sox 1969
Died: February 22, 2018, Branson, MO (age 79)
Jack Hamilton struggled with control issues throughout his big league career, and he's mostly remembered as the pitcher who nearly killed Red Sox outfielder Tony Conigliaro (#330) with a beanball to the face in 1967. As a rookie with the Phillies in 1962, Hamilton led the league in walks (107) and wild pitches (22). After a few years pitching sporadically with the Tigers, Hamilton joined the Mets and appeared in a career high 57 games in 1966, going 6-13 with a 3.93 ERA. He threw a one-hitter against the Cardinals on May 4, 1966, with the one hit coming on a bunt single by opposing pitcher Ray Sadecki. Traded to the Angels on June 10, 1967, Hamilton threw the ill-fated pitch to Conigliaro on August 18th, breaking his left cheekbone and eye socket and permanently damaging his vision. Hamilton pitched a few more years in the majors with the Angels, Indians and White Sox before retiring.
Jack Hamilton struggled with control issues throughout his big league career, and he's mostly remembered as the pitcher who nearly killed Red Sox outfielder Tony Conigliaro (#330) with a beanball to the face in 1967. As a rookie with the Phillies in 1962, Hamilton led the league in walks (107) and wild pitches (22). After a few years pitching sporadically with the Tigers, Hamilton joined the Mets and appeared in a career high 57 games in 1966, going 6-13 with a 3.93 ERA. He threw a one-hitter against the Cardinals on May 4, 1966, with the one hit coming on a bunt single by opposing pitcher Ray Sadecki. Traded to the Angels on June 10, 1967, Hamilton threw the ill-fated pitch to Conigliaro on August 18th, breaking his left cheekbone and eye socket and permanently damaging his vision. Hamilton pitched a few more years in the majors with the Angels, Indians and White Sox before retiring.
In 218 big league games, Hamilton was 32-40 with a 4.53 ERA. He accumulated 348 walks and 357 strikeouts in 611 2/3 innings pitched.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #520
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
On October 8, 1968, the Angels traded Hamilton straight-up to the Indians for pitcher Eddie Fisher (#315). He'd appear in 20 games with the Indians, all in relief, and was 0-2 with a 4.40 ERA and a save. On June 13th, he was on the move again, traded to the White Sox for Sammy Ellis (#32). Hamilton struggled mightily with the White Sox, going 0-3 in eight relief appearances with a 11.68 ERA. In his final big league appearance on August 10th, he gave up three runs on five hits and a wild pitch in 2/3 of an inning against the Tigers.
Phillies Career
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #593
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1962-63, 1965-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #629
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 24 in the Beckett online database as of 6/1/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 76th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $2.
The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Hamilton is modeling the placement of the MLB logo on the front of the Indians' vest jerseys, worn during the 1969 season to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the major leagues. The patch is also visible on the cards for Luis Tiant (#560) and Lee Maye (#595). The back of the card summarizes the deal that brought Hamilton to the Indians (see below) and touches on the control issues he had dealt with throughout his career.
Accuracy Index: Hamilton's card scores a +5.
1969 Season
On October 8, 1968, the Angels traded Hamilton straight-up to the Indians for pitcher Eddie Fisher (#315). He'd appear in 20 games with the Indians, all in relief, and was 0-2 with a 4.40 ERA and a save. On June 13th, he was on the move again, traded to the White Sox for Sammy Ellis (#32). Hamilton struggled mightily with the White Sox, going 0-3 in eight relief appearances with a 11.68 ERA. In his final big league appearance on August 10th, he gave up three runs on five hits and a wild pitch in 2/3 of an inning against the Tigers.
On November 28, 1960, the Phillies drafted Hamilton from the Cardinals in the 1960 minor league draft. He'd make the club's opening day roster in 1962, earning a complete game victory over the Astros in the club's third game of the season on April 13th. Despite his wildness throughout the season, he'd stay with the club all year, finishing with a 9-12 record and a 5.09 ERA in a career-high 182 innings pitched. As mentioned above, he lead the National League in walks and wild pitches. Hamilton began the 1963 season in the Phillies' bullpen, but was demoted to Triple-A Arkansas in June. He'd return for one last game as a September call-up. On December 5, 1963, Hamilton and Don Demeter were traded to the Tigers for future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning (#175) and Gus Triandos. The deal worked out in the Phillies' favor.
In 60 games with the Phillies, Hamilton was 11-13 with a 5.14 ERA. In 212 innings pitched, he struck out 124 and walked 124.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #593
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1962-63, 1965-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #629
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 24 in the Beckett online database as of 6/1/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
#628 Red Sox Rookie Stars / #630 Bobby Bonds - San Francisco Giants
In June 1968, the Angels' Paul Schaal was severely beaned by a Red Sox pitcher, which affected Schaal for the remainder of his career. Payback?
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