On August 18, 1964, Roberto Clemente turned 30 years old, and he was at the top of his game.
After hitting “just” .312 and .320 in the two years prior, Clemente won his second National League batting title that summer of ‘64 with a robust .339 — good enough to lead not just the NL, but the majors.
To get there, he recorded a career-high 211 hits, including 40 doubles, also a personal best.
Clemente also won his fourth of 12 straight Gold Gloves that season, adding yet another building block to a Hall of Fame resume that would lead him to Cooperstown in 1973 just months after his death on New Year’s Eve of ‘72.
And, by most accounts, “The Great One” could just has easily have described Clemente’s arm as the man himself.
Hey! Here’s one of those accounts now …
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Yep, with all that Clemente could do on the diamond … for all his prowess with the bat … for all his grace in the field and on the basepaths … his entry in the 1964 Topps Stand Ups set showcases that golden arm of his.
Go ahead, we dare you to run on “Bob.”
Unfortunate familiarity with the given name aside, this was a solid and fitting design choice even though another batting title was in the offing as the card was popping out of packs (one card and a stick of gum for a penny, or six cards and a stick of gum for a nickel).
Today, this is about a $500 card in PSA 7 condition, $1000+ in PSA 8, and all-bets-are-off in PSA 9 or above.
No matter the price, though, it’s a striking and fitting tribute to a man who still had plenty of great baseball in him, including a National League MVP award in 1966.
Turns out, Arriba and is Stand Up were unbeatable standOUTS.
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1964 Topps Baseball # 8 AL Leaders LOW GRADE (Paper loss-back) *ValueBC.eStore*
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1964 Topps #8 Leaders (Carl Yastrzemski / Al Kaline / Rich Rollins) *G-VG*
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