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Arthur Louis Shamsky
New York Mets
Outfield-First Base
Born: October 14, 1941, St. Louis, MO
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent, September 9, 1959
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1965-67; New York Mets 1968-71; Chicago Cubs 1972; Oakland Athletics 1972
World Series Appearances: New York Mets 1969
Art Shamsky started his career as a back-up outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Reds, but enjoyed the best three seasons of his career with the Mets, helping the club reach and win the 1969 World Series. Shamsky platooned with Ron Swoboda (#585) in right field that season, batting .300 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs. He shined in the postseason, batting .538 (7 for 13) in the NLCS against the Braves. Shamsky had another fine season in 1970, batting .293 with a career-high 49 RBIs, but then injuries limited him to just two more seasons with the Mets, Cubs and Athletics. In 665 career games, Shamsky batted .253 with 426 hits, 68 home runs and 233 RBIs. He'd later serve as a broadcaster for the Mets.
Art Shamsky started his career as a back-up outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Reds, but enjoyed the best three seasons of his career with the Mets, helping the club reach and win the 1969 World Series. Shamsky platooned with Ron Swoboda (#585) in right field that season, batting .300 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs. He shined in the postseason, batting .538 (7 for 13) in the NLCS against the Braves. Shamsky had another fine season in 1970, batting .293 with a career-high 49 RBIs, but then injuries limited him to just two more seasons with the Mets, Cubs and Athletics. In 665 career games, Shamsky batted .253 with 426 hits, 68 home runs and 233 RBIs. He'd later serve as a broadcaster for the Mets.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #551
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Vintage Cardboard Collectibles)
The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
Shamsky's entire 1969 season was hampered by back pain, but he battled through the pain and played in 100 games, batting .300 with 14 home runs (a career high) and 47 RBIs, as mentioned above. He made 83 starts throughout the season - 70 in right field, 16 in left field and seven at first base. Shamsky is rightfully remembered for his successful NLCS for the Amazin' Mets, and I was surprised to see he made only one start in the World Series and went 0 for 6. Still, this quote from the start of his SABR biography is fantastic, "I’ll walk down the street in New York now and people will say, 'There’s Art Shamsky of the Mets.' People used to laugh. They won’t anymore."
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #398
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1965-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #278
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 61 in the Beckett online database as of 8/10/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Building the Set / Card #551
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Vintage Cardboard Collectibles)
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 spent the first half hour or so pulling 98 commons and semi-stars from the neon green binder of Uncle Dick's Cards, and adding the big purchase of the day, the Rollie Fingers (#597) rookie card, and after adding a few more star cards, the remaining cash I had was starting to burn a hole in my wallet. I had noticed the common/semi-star boxes at the tables of Vintage Cardboard Collectibles, and I found 14 more cards for our 1969 Topps set and six cards for our not-yet-officially collecting 1959 Topps set. This is the sixth of those 14 cards. After the obligatory dealer discount, I handed over the last of my cash, and we exited the show for the drive home.
The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Shamsky is wearing a Reds uniform here. His feat of four home runs in four consecutive at-bats came on August 12th and 14th, 1966, against the Pirates. Shamsky had entered the game on the 12th in the eighth inning, hitting his home runs in the eighth, 10th and 11th innings, off Al McBean (#14), Roy Face (#207) and Billy O'Dell. In a back and forth game ultimately won by the Pirates by a 14-11 score, Shamsky became the first player in major league history to hit three home runs while not in the starting line-up. His fourth home run came in the game on the 14th, after getting left out of the lineup on the 13th, as a pinch-hitter against Vern Law.
Accuracy Index: It's another low series -8, since Shamsky is hatless (-3) and wearing a Reds uniform (-5).
1969 Season
Shamsky's entire 1969 season was hampered by back pain, but he battled through the pain and played in 100 games, batting .300 with 14 home runs (a career high) and 47 RBIs, as mentioned above. He made 83 starts throughout the season - 70 in right field, 16 in left field and seven at first base. Shamsky is rightfully remembered for his successful NLCS for the Amazin' Mets, and I was surprised to see he made only one start in the World Series and went 0 for 6. Still, this quote from the start of his SABR biography is fantastic, "I’ll walk down the street in New York now and people will say, 'There’s Art Shamsky of the Mets.' People used to laugh. They won’t anymore."
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #398
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1965-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #278
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 61 in the Beckett online database as of 8/10/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#220 Sam McDowell - Cleveland Indians / #222 Duane Josephson - Chicago White Sox
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