How many lineup cards per game in MLB?

[roarfrom34]

Here is the lineup card that hung in the Orioles dugout during Game 3 of the 1970 World Series....After the game it was saved by a fan (with the help of an usher) who then taped their ticket stub to the back of it.

This game was significant for two reasons, one being Dave McNally hit a Grand Slam becoming the first and only pitcher in WS History to hit one and secondly it was the game that Brooks Robinson made a diving catch to his left off the bat of Johnny Bench...The image of Brooks holding the ball up in the air while prone on the ground is iconic to this day....

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by whitehse

As you know Jeff...I love your collection!!

These things are a history of each game and should be preserved but sadly many are lost to the garbage can. I may have mentioned this previously but I remember a time when I was walking the concourse of Wrigley Field near the Umpires room I saw a grounds crew member looking at two pieces of paper that he tore in half and let the pieces flutter to the ground. I knew right away what they were and picked them up and taped them back together. What the grounds crew guy tore up was the umpire's line up cards for that days game, one of which was signed by Pete Rose. I kept this and all of my other line up cards for years until I liquidated everything a few years ago.

I was able to find a photo of some of the dugout lineup cards I was able to save from the trash heap in my time working for the Chicago Cubs. These would be left taped to the dugout wall only to be tossed the next day when the teams arrived back at the ball park. I would simply go down to the dugout after the ball park was cleaned and pulled them off the wall. Nobody cared as these were going to be trashed anyway and I gained a very cool collectible.

Keep up the great work Jeff. I love seeing your collection grow.

Awesome story. Happy to keep sharing the one's I've picked up. Have a couple of really interesting ones coming in the mail.

Originally Posted by roarfrom34

Here is the lineup card that hung in the Orioles dugout during Game 3 of the 1970 World Series....After the game it was saved by a fan (with the help of an usher) who then taped their ticket stub to the back of it.

This game was significant for two reasons, one being Dave McNally hit a Grand Slam becoming the first and only pitcher in WS History to hit one and secondly it was the game that Brooks Robinson made a diving catch to his left off the bat of Johnny Bench...The image of Brooks holding the ball up in the air while prone on the ground is iconic to this day....

I've seen you post that one in the past. What a spectacular piece. I know it's part of your PC, or I'd be trying to come up with an offer to get it from you

[bbcard1]

the best one I ever saw was in Salem VA, but it could not be obtained. The Prince William Pirates manger had written his lineup one the visitors dugout wall in sharpie (I was friends with the GM at the time, the field is now a high school facility) and Barry Bonds was in the lineup.

[DannyNoonan]

I thought it would be good to revisit the question that started this thread since the answer has changed:

- Dugout cards: Still 2 per game.

- Bullpen cards: Still 2 per game if both teams have bullpen cards, but not all do.

- "Other" cards: More and more "other" lineup cards are being sold, including clubhouse and replica cards. Many of these are "authenticated" for marketing purposes even though the replica cards are made after the fact.

Batting order cards: Pre-2020, there were there typically 3 batting order cards per team per team, per game, so six in total: one for each team to the home plate ump, and each manager keeps one of his and gets one for the opposing team.

Since Covid, batting order cards are now longer traded at home plate right before the game. Lineups are now submitted to the league office a couple/few hours before the game, and then sent back to the stadium where the cards are computer-printed. (I was told by an MLB umpire there were still a couple teams submitting handwritten cards through the 2019 season. That is no longer allowed.) So the umpire cards go directly to the home plate umpire in the locker room before they enter the field. This means that the managers no longer need to sign their cards. In fact, they can't sign the opposing team's card or home plate umpire's card because they don't touch them. So in the attached example, Scott Servais's signature is computer printed rather than hand-written.

Also, there is now a "version number" printed on the card. This way, if a change is made after the initial lineup is sent to MLB, there will be a new version. The version number is supposed to help the managers and home plate umpire be sure that they have the correct version of the card when they meet at home plate.

The "A" in the upper right hand corner of the card is for "Away". I'm not sure why this is necessary since the "away" cards continue to be light blue, and home cards are still white.

Finally, because umpires now need to track more things because of rules changes (e.g., mound visits, who the runner on 2nd should be in extra innings, etc), at least one of the base umpires also has a card and keep notes. Each umpire crews chooses how it wants to do it, so one crew may have just one additional card, while another crew may have two or even all three base umpires have cards. So there now could be as many as 6 batting order cards for each team for a regular season game (1 for each manager, and 1 for each umpire), or 12 in total.

- Tom O'Reilly

[DannyNoonan]

I should add that I am currently in the process of doing research and interviews for a book on the history of lineup cards. Lineup cards have played a small but important and unique role in the history of baseball, and I was surprised that no one has ever written anything in-depth about them, so I am doing it myself. But I look at this as a group effort, and have been very fortunate to already collect a lot of great info from collectors like yourselves among many others in and around baseball. If you have any knowledge to share about lineup cards, especially before the year 2000, please let me know.

Also, I'm including sections profiling high-end lineup cards (e.g., the cards from Ripken's 2,131 game, the 2004 World Series G4 dugout card bought for $165k, etc) as well as lineup card collections (I'm interested in all sorts of collections, not just high end ones). If you have a high-end card or an interesting collection and are up for it, please message me or email me at oemtom at aol . com.

Thank you!

- Tom O'Reilly

[ibuysportsephemera]

Jeff Lazarus (Topnotchsy) and I talk all the time about line-up cards. I probably have 400 or more (many Mets related) line-up and dugout cards and would be happy to share any information I can with you.


Jeff G.

[perezfan]

If anyone has a Reds Lineup Card (signed by Sparky) between the years of 1970-76, I would definitely be interested. The game needn't carry any historical significance, and it doesn't matter who won. But preferably one from a game in which Tony Perez was listed as a starter.

Would love to have just one from that era, as I regret letting mine go a while back. Thanks!

[DannyNoonan]

Originally Posted by ibuysportsephemera

Jeff Lazarus (Topnotchsy) and I talk all the time about line-up cards. I probably have 400 or more (many Mets related) line-up and dugout cards and would be happy to share any information I can with you.


Jeff G.

Thanks, Jeff. PM send. - Tom