In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, my collection is going to be the subject of this year-long series.
Shortly after starting my obsession in 1971, the goal was to have at least one Topps card from every year.
Although the 1952 set is considered to be the first released by Topps, the company issued two series that was a part of the game a year earlier.
As a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, two of my favorite cards in my entire collection belong to two managers.
In 1960, Sparky Anderson was sent back to the minors after his only season in the big leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies. Fred Hutchinson was in his first full year as the Reds manager after taking over the helm in 1959.
It’s likely that 1960 wasn’t a very memorable year for either of these Cincinnati legends. Anderson spent the season in Toronto and batted .227 with five homers and 21 RBI, while Hutchinson’s Reds were posting a 67-87 mark that would be the worst record during his six years in Cincinnati.
However, these cards depict two great men that left quite a legacy in the history of baseball.
Anderson would manage Cincinnati and the Detroit Tigers to world championships, while Hutchinson won the National League pennant with the Reds in 1961.
While Anderson would be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, Hutchinson’s brother, Dr. William Hutchinson founded the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Major League Baseball also honors Hutchinson with the annual Hutch Award that began in 1965.
Playing Careers
During the 1959 season, Anderson was the starting second baseman for the Phillies as he batted .218 with 34 RBI. Perhaps his best day in the majors was during a doubleheader in Shibe Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 19. In the opener, Anderson had three singles and two RBI as the Phillies lost 8-4. He added a RBI single in the second game in a 3-2 victory.
Hutchinson played 10 seasons for the Tigers from 1939-1940 and 1946-1953. He was an American League All-Star in 1951, but his top season came in 1947 when he was 18-10 with a 3.08 ERA. He finished his career with a 95-71 record.
As Managers
The Cincinnati Reds hired Anderson after the 1969 season. He had been a successful manager in the minors with the Reds and St. Louis Cardinals organizations.
With the Reds from 1970 to 1978, he led the team to World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.
He was hired by Detroit in 1979 and was with the Tigers until 1995. While with the Tigers, he won his final world championship in 1984.
Hutchinson was a player manager for the Tigers in 1952-1953 and then for another season after his retirement.
He was in charge of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1956 to 1958 before joining the Reds.
Retired Numbers
Both managers had their numbers retired by the Reds.
Hutchinson’s No. 1 was honored in 1964 just before he died in November of that year.
Anderson’s No. 10 was recognized by the Reds in 2005. The Tigers also retired No. 11 for Anderson in 2011, a year after he passed away.