Hal Woodeshick, RIP

[GA Russell]

I remember Hal Woodeshick well as a reliever for the Senators. I had his bubble gum card in 1960.

Here's his LA Times obituary.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...0,1677663.story

Hal Woodeshick

All-Star pitcher led NL in saves in 1964

Hal Woodeshick, 76, who pitched for five major league teams during an 11-year career in which he was an All-Star and part of a World Series championship team, died Sunday in his hometown of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Woodeshick has been in failing health for some time, according to an announcement from the Houston Astros.

Known as a durable reliever, Woodeshick went 44-62 with 61 saves and a 3.56 ERA with Detroit, Cleveland, the Washington Senators, Houston (when the expansion team was known as the Colt .45s) and St. Louis. He was an original member of the Colt .45s and posted the second victory in Houston history. He later led the National League with 23 saves in 1964 as a member of the Colt .45s and was named to the National League All-Star team.

Woodeshick had a quirk on the mound: Although he had an excellent pickoff move to first base, he had trouble throwing there after fielding comebackers. The problem became so pronounced that he eventually trotted toward the bag before making a soft toss.

Woodeshick threw his final pitch in the majors for St. Louis, retiring Boston star Carl Yastrzemski on a grounder late in Game 6 of the 1967 World Series.

The next day, the Cardinals won the title.

[Hot Ptah]

As soon as I read this news, this image popped into my mind:

I had several copies of this card. It was one of those common ones that everyone seemed to have in 1965. You couldn't get rid of your duplicates of it.

Simon, the judge on American Idol, looks like him a little bit.

[

Edited June 16, 2009 by Hot Ptah

[JSngry]

That was a man what took care of his flattop, that man there was.

[Dave James]

That has to be about a number five burr kept ruly with maybe a dollop or two of Lucky Tiger Butch Hair Wax. Wonder if there's any chance that Mr. Woodeshick spent time in the Marines. He kind of has that look.

As to the card. Crisp corners. Centering, North South 50/50, but the 20/80 East West kills it. PSA 6.

Up over and out.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Dave James

[JSngry]

[JSngry]

Wonder if there's any chance that Mr. Woodeshick spent time in the Marines. He kind of has that look.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Hal_Woodeshick

Seventeen-year-old Hal Woodeschick was signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies before the 1950 season. The 6' 3" Woodeshick spent nine up-and-down seasons in the minors between 1950 and 1961 and built a handsome record of 62 wins and 40 losses with a matching 3.67 ERA. The young left-hander would spend his first two years (1950-1951) with 3 different teams, going 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA. In 1952 he landed with the Kingsport Cherokees of the class D Appalachian League and won 13 games while losing 6 with a 4.54 ERA. As he was just getting adjusted when the Military Service would call him up for duty. Hal would spend the next two years (1953-1954) in the United States Army during the Korean War.

[JSngry]

[Dave James]

You may have noticed that several of the Hal Woodeshick cards Jim posted show him without a hat. In case you're wondering why, most often it's a reflection of the issuing card company's uncertainty as to what team a player might wind up with during the upcoming season. That's why you very rarely see stars shown hatless unless it's very late in their careers.

Up over and out.

[GA Russell]

Dave, I'm going to disagree. I think they took a hatless photo of everybody. Most of the cards were printed before spring training photos could be taken. Topps did not want the card to show the player wearing a cap from a different team. (I can think of a few exceptions. I think Gino Cimoli's 1960 card was one.) So if a player was traded or played for a first-year expansion team, the hatless photo was used.

For example, after the 1960 season the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota. For 1961 the new Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Angels expansion teams were created. So in 1961, all of the players for those three teams were hatless until about card #500.

In regard to Hal Woodeshick, the 1961 hatless card has him with the expansion Washington Senators. The 1962 hatless card has him with the expansion Houston Colts/Colt .45s. The Astro card (1965?) was the first year that the team was called the Astros, so Topps didn't want to show everyone wearing a cap with ".45s" on it.

Another trick they used (I remember the 1959 Vic Wertz card) was to have the player tilt his cap back, so that you saw the green underside of his visor, which blocked the logo.

[JSngry]

Or else they would try to airbrush(?) the old logo off, which was always good for a laugh.