Ralph Houk (#468)

Ralph Houk was the man who replaced the legendary Casey Stengel as the Yankees' manager in 1961.

Houk was signed by the Yankees in 1939 as a catcher, and played 3 seasons in the minors before missing 1942-1945 while in the Army.

He was an Army Ranger, rising to the rank of Major (also his nickname while in baseball). Houk fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart.

He returned to the minors for the 1946 season, then spent the 1947 season as the 3rd string catcher behind Aaron Robinson and Yogi Berra. (Although Houk and Berra were both rookies, at age 27 Houk was 5 years older than Yogi, having missed 4 seasons.)

Ralph shuttled between the Yankees’ AAA team in Kansas City for the ’48 and ’49 seasons (spending most of that time in the minors), then was the Yankees’ 3rd-string catcher (behind Berra and Charlie Silvera) for all of 1950-53. His final season with the Yanks was 1954, where he was limited to 1 pinch-hitting appearance in May, but was also the team’s bullpen coach.

He was a player/manager for the Yankees’ AAA team in Denver during the 1955-57 seasons, then was Stengel’s 1st base coach from 1958-60.

Houk assumed the Yankees’ helm for the 1961 season. The team responded with 3 consecutive AL pennants (as was the Yankees’ custom back then), and winning the World Series in his first 2 years.

After the 1963 season, Houk was kicked upstairs to the GM role, with Berra taking over as manager. The Yankees went to the World Series in ’64 but lost, costing Berra his job after only 1 season. Next up was Johnny Keane, who lasted only 1 month into his 2nd year, whereby Houk returned to the manager’s chair on May 7th, 1966 with the team at 4-16.

Ralph managed the Yankees through the 1973 season, but never finished higher than 2nd place during his 2nd stint. He also managed the Tigers (1974-78) and Red Sox (1981-84).

After his managing days were over, he worked in the Twins’ front office from 1987-89.

“The Major” passed away in 2010 at age 90.

Final Card: Sam Mele

Sam Mele (#418) had a 7-year managing career, all with the Minnesota Twins.

In the Twins' first season in Minnesota (1961), Mele (then a Twins' coach) filled in for 7 games during manager Cookie Lavagetto's mid-June leave of absence. Ten days after Cookie returned, he was out, and Mele was elevated to manager.

 
Although the Twins finished in 7th place that season, Sam was retained, and brought the team to 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the next 2 seasons. A 6th-place finish in 1964 almost cost him his job (in favor of one of his coaches - Billy Martin).

1965 was the Twins' best season to date. They won 102 games, and went to the World Series, losing to the Dodgers in 7 games. The team finished in 2nd place for the next 2 seasons, but that was not enough for Mele to keep his job. The Twins added pitcher Dean Chance and rookie 2nd baseman Rod Carew, so expectations were high. After 50 games, they were 25-25, so Mele got the boot, replaced by Cal Ermer. (Ermer lasted through the '68 season, when he was replaced by Billy Martin.)

Mele never managed again, but spent 25 years as a scout for the Red Sox. In his playing days, Sam was an outfielder for several teams from 1947-56, primarily the Red Sox, Senators, and White Sox.


Well team, that's it for the "Final card" series: 77 players and 3 managers. If you missed any, you can browse through the "final card" label below (or wait for an upcoming re-cap of all 80 cards).

Wes Westrum (#593)

I always thought that the name "Wes" was a nickname derived from Westrum's last name, but his first name really is Wesley! By the time this card appeared in the 7th series in 1967, Wes was about to be fired.

Westrum was a catcher for the New York Giants from 1947 to 1957, with most of his playing time coming between 1950 and 1953.

Wes managed the Mets from 1965 to 1967. After 95 games in 1965, he took over the reins from Casey Stengel. Westrum was dismissed 151 games into the 1967 with the team in last place. In the team's first 6 seasons, they finished 10th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 9th (thanks to the Cubs!), and 10th. Westrum should have gotten a honeymoon after bringing them in 9th in 1966!



The Mets carried on with an interim manager (Salty Parker, if I recall correctly) and then brought in Gil Hodges in 1968.

Westrum also managed the Giants for the 2nd half of 1974 and all of 1975. He appeared on a manager's inset photo on the 1975 Giants Team card.