1966 TOPPS #99 "BUC BELTERS" WILLIE STARGELL & DONN CLENDENON, PSA 4 VG-EX

Description: This 1966 Topps #99 "Buc Belters" trading card features baseball HOF legends Willie Stargell and Donn Clendenon of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The vintage card has had only one owner and it is in great condition. It has been graded PSA 4 VG-EX, ensuring its authenticity and value. Don't miss out on this investment opportunity--buy it today and watch its value continue to climb! PSA CardFacts excerpts:Donn Alvin Clendenon (July 15, 1935 - September 17, 2005) enjoyed an experience like no other when attending Atlanta’s Morehouse College as a freshman in 1952, when he had the honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. serving as his “Big Brother.” But this was only a tiny part of the story of Donn Clendenon. After Donn’s mathematics professor father died of leukemia when he was only six months old, Donn’s mother married former Negro League player Nish Williams, who helped develop Clendenon’s already natural talent on the baseball diamond. Despite his mother’s insistence for academia, something in which Donn also found solace, Nish implored many of his Negro League friends, including Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Sad Sam Jones and Joe Black, to assist with Clendenon’s development. As the story goes, Williams took the 10-year old Clendenon to a high school field where he faced pitches from both Paige and Jones and was instructed to identify the pitches as they hurled past him. Though he burgeoned into an excellent ball player, he also played football and basketball. But, academia seemed the more prudent direction and he attended Morehouse College where he was able to play sports and get an exceptional education. Though he was offered contracts to play football for the Cleveland Browns and basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters, Clendenon signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957. After playing five years of minor league ball that saw him win the 1960 Southern Atlantic League MVP Award with the Savannah Pirates, Clendenon was called up in 1961 and soon became manager Danny Murtaugh’s choice to face left-handed pitchers. He hit .302 with 67 hits and 28 RBI in 80 games as a rookie and finished second to Chicago Cubs Ken Hubbs near unanimous vote as NL Rookie of the Year. Clendenon received one first place vote and Hubbs earned the remainng 19 votes. Though he platooned in his first couple seasons in The Steel City, Clendenon won the starting first baseman’s job in 1963 and did not relinquish it until he was lost to expansion in 1968. From 1963 to 1969, Donn knocked double-digit home runs with his best year coming in 1966 when he hammered out 28 round-trippers. Sadly, despite all of his success in Pittsburgh (1961-1969), a championship eluded him and in 1969, he was traded to the Montreal Expos (1969). After some dispute over his refusal to reports, Clendenon played part of the 1969 campaign north of the border before the New York Mets came calling. New York acquired the big first baseman, at the behest of former mentor and current Mets manager Gil Hodges. Donn made an immediate impact on a young lineup that was pitching-rich with the likes of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan and Tommy Agee and Cleon Jones bringing the offense. Clendenon, now a nine-year veteran, helped lead the “Miracle Mets” to the first World Series championship in franchise history, defeating the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles in five games. Clendenon not only inspired the young club to rally after losing Game 1, but hit three home runs and drove in 4 RBI to win the World Series MVP award. Donn played two more seasons with the Mets (1969-1971) and one final year with the St. Louis Cardinals (1972) before retiring. Donn Clendenon finished his career with 1,273 hits including 159 home runs, 594 runs scored, 90 stolen bases and 682 RBI as he hit .274 over 12 seasons. He also posted an exceptional .987 fielding percentage with 825 assists and 1,138 double plays. Show Less ▲Wilver Dornel Stargell (March 6, 1940 - April 9, 2001) is the oldest player to earn either league’s Most Valuable Player Award when he captured it in 1979 at the age of 39. Called "Pops’ by his teammates for his father-figure like nature, Stargell starred for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 21 seasons (1962-1982) where he led by example. Willie became the Pirates leader after the untimely death of teammate and Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Willie was one of the premier home runs hitters of his era, blasting 475 tape-measure shots that reached heights and distances that remain legendary. Stargell was one of two players to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium, and he did it twice. Willie and his bat guided the Bucs to two World Series titles (1971, 1979) and was a seven-time All-Star selection. In 1979, he became the first player to sweep the MVP awards honors when he shared the National League MVP Award with Keith Hernandez, and captured both the NLCS MVP Award and the 1979 World Series MVP Award. With a career riddled with injuries and nagging pain, Willie Stargell retired in 1982 after posting 2,232 hits, 1,195 runs, 1,540 RBI, 475 home runs and a career .282 batting average. Wilver Dornel Stargell was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.

Price: 39.99 USD

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

End Time: 2024-12-16T17:04:40.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD