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Joseph Lowell Gordon
Kansas City Royals
Manager
Born: February 18, 1915, Los Angeles, CA
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1936 season
Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1938-43, 1946; Cleveland Indians 1947-50
World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1938-39, 1940-43, 1948
As a Manager: Cleveland Indians 1958-60; Detroit Tigers 1960; Kansas City Athletics 1961; Kansas City Royals 1969
Died: April 14, 1978, Sacramento, CA (age 63)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2009
Joe Gordon starred as one his era's best second baseman throughout the 1940s, possessing a unique combination of power and outstanding defensive skill. He helped the Yankees reach the World Series five times between 1938 and 1943, winning championships four times, in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1943. Gordon was the American League MVP in 1942, his career year, when he batted .322 with 29 doubles, 18 home runs and 103 RBIs. He reached double digits in home runs every year he played in the majors, and exceeded the 20 home run plateau in seven different seasons. Gordon would later lead the Indians to a World Series title in 1948, leading that club in home runs (32) and RBIs (124). He was a nine-time All-Star and upon his retirement was among the leaders in just about every major offensive and defensive category for second baseman.
Gordon became a player-manager with the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League in 1951. He'd scout for the Tigers between 1953 and 1955, before returning as a minor league manager for the San Francisco Seals in 1956 and 1957. Gordon managed the Indians between 1958 and the middle of the 1960 season, when he was traded to the Tigers in exchange for their manager, Jimmy Dykes. He briefly managed the Athletics in 1961 and was named the first manager in Royals' franchise history before the start of their 1969 season. Gordon was 305-308 as a big league manager. He was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2009.
As a Manager: Cleveland Indians 1958-60; Detroit Tigers 1960; Kansas City Athletics 1961; Kansas City Royals 1969
Died: April 14, 1978, Sacramento, CA (age 63)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2009
Joe Gordon starred as one his era's best second baseman throughout the 1940s, possessing a unique combination of power and outstanding defensive skill. He helped the Yankees reach the World Series five times between 1938 and 1943, winning championships four times, in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1943. Gordon was the American League MVP in 1942, his career year, when he batted .322 with 29 doubles, 18 home runs and 103 RBIs. He reached double digits in home runs every year he played in the majors, and exceeded the 20 home run plateau in seven different seasons. Gordon would later lead the Indians to a World Series title in 1948, leading that club in home runs (32) and RBIs (124). He was a nine-time All-Star and upon his retirement was among the leaders in just about every major offensive and defensive category for second baseman.
Gordon became a player-manager with the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League in 1951. He'd scout for the Tigers between 1953 and 1955, before returning as a minor league manager for the San Francisco Seals in 1956 and 1957. Gordon managed the Indians between 1958 and the middle of the 1960 season, when he was traded to the Tigers in exchange for their manager, Jimmy Dykes. He briefly managed the Athletics in 1961 and was named the first manager in Royals' franchise history before the start of their 1969 season. Gordon was 305-308 as a big league manager. He was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2009.
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 133rd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over a dollar. Not bad for a former Yankee Hall of Famer.
The Card / Royals Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Gordon is clearly not wearing a Royals' uniform, but it's hard for me to tell what team's uniform he is wearing. Maybe it's an Angels uniform, where he served as a scout between 1962 and 1968? On the back, Topps short-changed Gordon four All-Star Game appearances, as he was a nine-time All-Star.
Accuracy Index: Gordon's card scores a -8 for the mystery jersey and logo-less hat.
1969 Season
Gordon was hired to guide the expansion Royals in their inaugural season. He managed the team to a fourth place finish in the American League West, finishing ahead of the White Sox and Pilots with a 69-93 record. Gordon had had enough of managing though, and following the season he'd return to the scouting ranks for a few more years.
Left fielder Lou Piniella (#394) led the Royals with a .282 average, and Piniella fell a few RBIs short for the team lead in that category too. Piniella had 68 RBIs, while third baseman Joe Foy (#93) had 71. Center fielder Bob Oliver (#662) led the club with only 13 home runs. Pitching was the strength of the 1969 Royals, with Wally Bunker (#137) and Dick Drago (#662) winning 12 and 11 games, respectively, while both threw more than 200 innings. Moe Drabowsky (#508) led the club with 11 saves.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1939 Goudey Premiums
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1960-61, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy #1629
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 166 in the Beckett online database as of 11/29/24.
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First Mainstream Card: 1939 Goudey Premiums
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1960-61, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy #1629
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 166 in the Beckett online database as of 11/29/24.
Update Cards
For my 1965 Topps blog, I used the team card posts to come up with five or six candidates per team for an imaginary update series. With no team cards in the 1969 Topps set, I'll use each manager card for this exercise, and come up with a list of deserving cards to be included in an 8th/update series. There are four Rookie Stars cards for the Royals in the set, featuring 10 different players, and I had to limit which players received solo cards in my update set. Still, I went a few cards over my limit here.
- Lou Piniella (lf) - Piniella is on a Pilots Rookie Stars card, but I'd give him a Royals solo card in my update set.
- Bob Oliver (cf) - Oliver gets his own card in my set too.
- Pat Kelly (rf) - Rounding out the starting outfield, right fielder Pat Kelly (#619) is deserving of his own card.
- Ellie Rodriguez (c) - Catcher Ellie Rodriguez (#49) and first baseman Mike Fiore (#376) are the fourth, fifth and final of the starting eight who appeared on Rookie Stars cards in the regular set.
- Mike Fiore (1b)
- Buck Martinez (c) - Back-up catcher Buck Martinez is the only one listed here not already in the main set in some form. He'd get his rookie card in the 1970 Topps set.
- Dick Drago (rhp) - Drago is the only pitcher I'm giving a solo card to, although Bill Butler (#619) and Jim Rooker (#376) are both deserving candidates.
Baseball Reference - Gordon / Baseball Reference - 1969 Royals / SABR / Wikipedia
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