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When Frank Robinson hit for the cycle on May 2, 1959, he did it in style. The Hall of Famer victimized four different Dodger pitchers and hit his homer off of the Left Arm of God, Sandy Koufax.

Robinson walked and singled off of Dodger starter Gene Snyder, doubled off of Carl Erskine, tripled off of Johnny Klippenstein, and homered off of Koufax. It was one of 7 career dingers Robinson hit off of Koufax.

Though he hit just .233 in 121 career plate appearances against Koufax, Robinson slugged .505. Among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances agains the Dodger great, only Hank Aaron (.647), Roberto Clemente (.550), and Willie Mays posted a higher slugging percentage.

In the photo here Koufax shakes hands with 21-year old Joe Moeller after preserving the win for the young righty. The save was the seventh of Sandy’s career. It was a three-inning performance and came after Moeller scattered three hits over six innings. Moeller also signed the photo.

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The Reds’ trade of Frank Robinson to the Orioles remains one of the worst in baseball history. His first season in Baltimore Robinson won the Triple Crown, the regular-season and World Series MVP awards.

Termed by the Reds to be too old at age 30, Robinson was a star for the Orioles. In six seasons in Baltimore he hit an even .300 with a .401 on-base percentage and a .543 slugging mark.

Pitcher Milt Pappas was the centerpiece the deal masterminded by Oriole GM Harry Dalton. Reducing the hurler to merely a man in a regrettable trade sells Pappas short.

Born Miltiades Stergios Papastergios, Pappas won 110 games in Baltimore during his first nine big league seasons, pitching in the All Star game in 1962 and 1965.

Overall, Pappas finished with career numbers quite similar to those of Don Drysdale. The two hurlers finished with the same career win total of 209 though Drysdale finished with two more losses than Pappas.

Of course Pappas was never the dominant pitcher that Big D was. The most wins Pappas ever recorded in a single season was 17, a mark eclipsed by Drysdale four times, highlighted by Drysdale’s 25-win Cy Young season on 1962.

Shown here is a 1962 Topps baseball card that Pappas has autographed.

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Frank Robinson burst onto the big league scene as the NL Rookie of the Year for the Reds in 1956. An All Star in his first season, he was just 20 years old.

Ten of his first 14 years he slugged over 30 homers. Robinson’s first decade in the majors came with Cincinnati. In each of his first seven seasons Robinson received support in MVP balloting.

In 1961 he hit 37 homers with 124 RBI with a .323 average and a .404 on-base percentage. His .611 slugging mark, 1.015 OPS topped the Senior Circuit. For his efforts, writers voted him the National League MVP

Robinson’s time in the Queen City included .303 with a 154 OPS+. The outfielder averaged 32 homers and 100 RBI per year with the Reds.

After the 1965 season Robinson was traded to the Orioles. His first season in Baltimore was magnificent. Robinson batted .316 with 49 homers and 122 runs batted in to earn the Triple Crown. By earning the AL MVP he became the first man to claim the award in both leagues.

He capped off the campaign by slugging two homers with a 1.232 OPS in the four-game sweep over the Dodgers in the World Series. His performance earned him the World Series MVP.

After the ’71 season he left Baltimore. Over the next five years Robinson played for the Dodgers, Angles, and Indians.

In 1975 he broke the managerial color line when he was named player/manager of the Tribe. Showing his usual flair, he hit a home run in his first at bat in that capacity.

By the time he retired as a player in 1976, Robinson had 2,943 hits, 528 doubles, 586 homers, and 1,812 RBI. When he left the game his home run total was surpassed by only three men – Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays.

Shown here is a Topps 1966 batting leaders card autographed by the top three finishers, Robinson, Tony Oliva, and Al Kaline.

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After a fine big league career, Frank Robinson continued to leave his mark on Major League Baseball. A trailblazer, he will always be remembered as the first African-American manager of a big league club.

Robinson broke the managerial color barrier when he piloted the Indians in 1975 as a player/manager. In fact, he hit a homer in his first at bat in that capacity.

In the collection is a lineup card from Robinson’s time as skipper of the Baltimore Orioles. The game was near the middle of Cal Ripken’s consecutive game streak, the 1,142nd straight game for the Iron Man.

Robinson ended his Major League managerial career with more than 1,000 wins.

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Frank Robinson had one of baseball’s greatest careers. His accolades career stats include 2,943 hits, 586 homers, 1,812 RBI, and a 154 OPS+. Robinson also earned the 1966 American League Triple Crown.

After waiting the required 5 years upon retirement, Robinson was a first-ballot selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame. As part of the induction class of ’82, he went in with fellow first-ballot man, 25-time All Star Hank Aaron.

The pair was joined by Veterans Committee selections Commissioner Happy Chandler, and longtime New York Giants shortstop Travis Jackson.

The quartet was inducted on August 1, 1982 on a hot summer day in Cooperstown. Shown here is an invitation to the festivities signed by Jackson at the bottom.