Topps Called Their Shot with 1964 Cardinals Rookies
How a teenage bonus baby led to the Legends of the Fall
Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1964 Topps Cardinals Rookie Stars (#479) - Card of the Day
The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals were one of those “teams of destiny” that fought through an epic baseball battlefield to emerge as world champions.
For one thing, the Cards scrapped with three other teams to squeak out a National League pennant as the Phillies collapsed and the Reds and Giants took their own shots at the title.
Then St. Louis faced off against an aging but legendary Yankees team that featured Mickey Mantle coming off his last great season, not to mention still-potent versions of Roger Maris, Elston Howard, and Whitey Ford.
In the end, though, the Cards took a thrilling World Series thanks in no small part to the MVP performance of Bob Gibson, not to mention the heavy hitting of Ken Boyer, Tim McCarver, and others.
But back on June 20 of 1964, the cards were hovering around .500 and stuck in fifth place in the Senior Circuit. That day, they took a 14-3 drubbing at the hands of the Giants.
The game was already out of hand when manager Johnny Keanne brought in rookie right-hander Dave Bakenhaster to pitch the top of the 8th inning.
Bakenhaster had been a bonus baby out of high school in 1963 and was still just 19 years old when he debuted at Busch Stadium. The Cards were apparently pretty impressed with his prospect status, and they weren’t the only ones.
Topps bought into the youngster enough to perch him atop the Cardinals Rookie Stars card you see above. The Real One batted a thousand with this one, as Johnny Lewis made his debut in April, a couple months before Bakenhaster took the mound in St. Louis.
Alas, Bakenhaster’s first foray into the lair of major league hitters was predictable — he gave up four runs over two innings to finish out the game.
The Cards had seen enough of Bakenhaster for the time being, but a little over a month later, St. Louis had fallen to sixth in the N.L. and were once again getting their tail feathers handed to them at home.
So in came Bakenhaster to face the Pirates in the top of the ninth of the massacre, and he promptly coughed up a double to Willie Stargell and a two-run home run to Bill Mazeroski.
The youngster would finish the game, a 13-2 laugher, and then headed back to the minors.
He’d never return.
After spending every summer through 1967 on the farm, Bakenhaster lost 1968 to the military, then logged two more years in the bushes. He retired in 1970 and headed back to Ohio to resume his “civilian” life.
Bakenhaster passed away in 2014, but today, we get to celebrate what would have been his 79th birthday with the aid of his baseball birthday Cards card.
1964 Topps Giant Bob Gibson (#41)
Bob Gibson was the subject of some masterful baseball cards over the course of his career, and this one captures Hoot right in his prime.
Issued as Gibson was gearing up for his first round of postseason heroics, this beauty shows the powerful righthander in his follow-through and puts the glorious Cardinals uniform, logo, and hat on full display.
The 1964 Topps Giants set features 60 players and at least roughly mimics the 1963 All-Star rosters. Measuring 3 1/8" X 5 1/4", these cards can be challenging to store with other standard-size cards, but the clean design, stellar photography, and star power make it worth the effort.
Add in the fact that Topps wasn’t stingy with their production and distribution, and you have an affordable vintage set. You can often find nice copies of this Gibson card for less than $20.
(affiliate link)
—
Just before Bakenhaster made his debut, the 1964 Cardinals got a boost that changed not only their season, but their franchise. The June 15 trade that brought Lou Brock to town still stands as one of the most lopsided trades in history.
And Brock even made the Cards’ new digs feel just like home a couple years later — read all about it right here.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go bathe my Reds soul in a couple gallons of Schottzie slobber to cleanse myself of all these redbird thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam