The 1964 Topps baseball card #50 features pitcher Claude Osteen of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Claude Edward Osteen was an American baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 through 1977 for the Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.

Born in 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri, Osteen grew up dreaming of playing professional baseball. He debuted in MLB in 1962 with the Dodgers and quickly established himself as a reliable starting pitcher. His rookie season was solid, as he finished with a 10-10 record and 3.62 ERA in 27 games started. Osteen had breakout seasons in 1963 and 1964, establishing himself as one of the top left-handed pitchers in the National League.

In 1963, Osteen led the NL in wins with 21, while posting an excellent 2.60 ERA. His outstanding season helped the Dodgers win the NL pennant before falling to the New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series. Osteen received NL Comeback Player of the Year honors that season for his dominant performance. His 1964 campaign was nearly as good, with an 18-11 record and 2.85 ERA in 39 games started, helping the Dodgers repeat as NL champions.

Osteen is featured on the 1964 Topps card #50 sporting hisDodgers uniform. The classic black and white photograph shows Osteen in a three-quarter pitching motion from the stretch. He has a serious expression on his face as he eyes home plate, ready to deliver the ball. The design of the 1964 Topps set featured bold black borders around each card with the player’s name, position and team written in all caps at the top. Osteen’s statistics from 1963 are listed on the back of the card.

After his superb ’63 and ’64 seasons leading the Dodgers staff, Osteen enjoyed many more productive campaigns throughout the 1960s. He won 15+ games four times between 1963-1969 for Los Angeles, serving as the team’s ace and workhorse during their championship era. By the late 1960s, injuries began affecting Osteen’s production and he started to decline. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1969 season.

Osteen rebounded with St. Louis, enjoying a career renaissance over the next few years. He recorded 16 wins for the Cardinals in both 1971 and 1972, helping them reach the World Series both years. He earned NL Comeback Player of the Year honors again in 1971. Osteen wrapped up his career in 1977 at age 37 with a record of 146-119, 3.30 ERA in 460 career games started. He was respected around the league for his consistency, durability and competitive spirit.

After retiring, Osteen spent several years as a pitching coach for the Cardinals and Yankees. He was later inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum in 2014. Sadly, Osteen passed away in 2003 at the age of 63 from emphysema and heart disease. He remains one of the most memorable pitchers from the 1960s Dodgers dynasty teams. The 1964 Topps card #50 featuring Osteen stands as an iconic representation of his excellent playing career during that golden era.

The 1964 Topps baseball card #50 is a classic representation of pitcher Claude Osteen’s accomplishments during the peak of his MLB tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early 1960s. It highlights his status as one of the top left-handed starters in baseball during the franchise’s championship dynasty years. The card provides historical context about Osteen’s career statistics and achievements both before and after his Dodgers tenure.