The list of World Series MVP winners reads like a 70-year Hall of Fame roster … with plenty of interesting lesser-knowns thrown into the mix.
But the first Series MVP wasn’t handed out until 1955, with SPORT Magazine doing the honors.
As it happens, that season was the last before the Topps monopoly took hold in the hobby, so we thought it would be fun to run through all the Series hardware winners over the quarter-century of Topps’ dominance (plus that first year, when Bowman was still in play).
Here then, are the World Series MVP award winners from 1955 through 1980, along with their Topps cards from their crowning seasons.
1955 World Series MVP – Johnny Podres (1955 Topps #25)
The Brooklyn Dodgers finally got off the snide and captured their first World Series title in 1955.
You would have expected their hero to be one of the standard Bums, right?
Roy Campanella? Gil Hodges? Duke Snider? Pee Wee Reese? Jackie Robinson?
Some of those guys did fine, with Snider, especially, living up to his star billing (.320, 4 HR, 7 RBI).
But it was Johnny Podres who took home the hardware, holding the vaunted Yankees lineup to just three runs over 18 innings in pitching two complete-game victories.
Fans could gander at this gorgeous Podres card while he was doing his work on the mound that fall.
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1956 World Series MVP – Don Larsen (1956 Topps #332)
Larsen pitched just 10.2 innings in the ’56 Fall Classic, but nine of those came in that historic perfect game in Game 5.
Good enough to cop MVP honors, complemented nicely by this classic Topps card.
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1957 World Series MVP – Lew Burdette (1957 Topps #208)
If you’re getting the feeling that pitchers ruled the World Series hardware in the 1950s … well, you’re right.
It was always an upset in those days when the Yanks dropped the Series, and Burdette polished off the 1957 Bombers with three October wins — including a 3-0 gem in Game 7.
A beautiful performance to go with a beautiful baseball card.
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1958 World Series MVP – Bob Turley (1958 Topps #255)
Turley played a hand in the decision for four of the seven Classic games in 1958 as the Yanks exacted revenge on the Milwaukee Braves.
After dropping Game 2, Turley won Game 5, saved Game 6, and sealed the deal with a 6-2 victory over Burdette in Game 7.
This striking, orange-background card was befitting of Turley’s striking MVP performance.
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1959 World Series MVP – Larry Sherry (1960 Topps Rookie Card #105)
Sherry did his best impression of Turley, but the Dodgers rookie did old Bob one better …
Sherry saved Games 2 and 3 for the Dodgers before taking the win in Games 4 and 6 to close out the Series.
Collectors would have to wait until the next year to get a Turley RC, though, courtesy of Topps (who else?).
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1960 World Series MVP – Bobby Richardson (1960 Topps #405)
Finally, a non-pitcher took home the World Series MVP award!
Unfortunately, the trophy went to the wrong team, as Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off heroics lifted the Pirates over the Yankees.
Richardson’s 12 RBI and .367 average were nice … but still not enough.
We do get our second 1960 Topps card on this list, though.
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1961 World Series MVP – Whitey Ford (1961 Topps #160)
Back to the mound for 1961, where Ford beat the Reds twice and overshadowed slugging teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
Whitey looks unfazed by it all on his Topps card from that season.
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1962 World Series MVP – Ralph Terry (1962 Topps #48)
More heroics from Yankees pitchers in ’62, as Terry won Games 5 and 7 after dropping Game 2 to the Giants.
Terry’s 1962 Topps card is a solid snapshot of the era and an in-the-moment legend.
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1963 World Series MVP – Sandy Koufax (1963 Topps #210)
Koufax won two complete-game masterpieces and struck out 23 in 18 innings as the Dodgers swept