1968
TOPPS BASEBALL CARD #390 BILL MAZEROSKI PITTSBURGH PIRATES HOF ALL-STAR WORLD
SERIES CHAMPION GOLD GLOVE
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Additional Information from
Internet Encyclopedia
William Stanley Mazeroski (born
September 5, 1936), nicknamed "Maz" and "The Glove", is an
American former second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his
entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1956 to 1972. A seven-time
All-Star known during his career primarily for his spectacular defensive play,
he has come to be better known for perhaps the most memorable home run in
baseball history, a dramatic ninth-inning drive in Game 7 of the 1960 World
Series that beat the favored New York Yankees. It was the first time that the
major league season ended with a home run, and remains the only walk-off home run
to clinch a World Series championship in Game 7. ESPN ranked the World Series
winner at the top of its list of the 100 Greatest Home Runs of All Time, while
Sports Illustrated had it eighth in its compilation of the 100 Greatest Moments
in Sports History. Mazeroski received the Babe Ruth Award for his play in the
Series, during which he batted .320.
An eight-time Gold Glove Award
winner, Mazeroski was particularly noted for his ability to make the pivot in
turning double plays. His 1,706 career double plays remain a major league
record for a second baseman, and were the most by any non-first baseman in
history until shortstop Omar Vizquel passed him in 2009. Mazeroski led the
National League (NL) in double plays eight consecutive years, and recorded over
100 double plays eleven times, both also major league records. His 161 double
plays in 1966 remain the major league record for second basemen; when he
retired, he held the top three marks in NL history. He led the major leagues in
assists a record nine times, and led the NL in putouts five times and in
fielding percentage three times. Mazeroski set NL records for career games
(2,094), putouts (4,974), assists (6,685) and total chances (11,863) by a
second baseman, all of which were later broken by Joe Morgan; his career
fielding percentage of .983 ranked second in NL history when he retired, less
than a quarter of a point behind Red Schoendienst.
Mazeroski also provided
contributions on offense which were not typical for his position; his 138
career home runs and 853 runs batted in (RBI) were the most by any second
baseman during the period between 1944 and 1974, with his home run total
putting him behind only Rogers Hornsby among NL second basemen when his career
ended. His home run production was particularly impressive due to the Pirates
playing in cavernous Forbes Field, where the distant reaches in left and center
field made it typically the league's most difficult home run stadium until the
mid-1960s; Mazeroski hit more than twice as many homers on the road (93) than
at home (45) in his career. He closed out his career by helping the Pirates to
three consecutive division titles; he and Roberto Clemente were the only
members of the 1960 champions who were on the team when they picked up another
title in 1971, beating the favored Baltimore Orioles in seven games. Mazeroski
later became a coach for the Pirates and the Seattle Mariners. The Pirates
organization retired his uniform number in 1987; he is now the only living
person so honored. Mazeroski was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of
Fame in 2001.
