Dale Coogan appears in the 1952 Topps set, though it was a couple years after he played his last MLB game. The text on the card’s back plays up his minor league batting skill and promises a return to the Pirates that never arrived.
He hit his first, and only, home run in an insane June 24, 1950 game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Batting sixth in the lineup, he hit a 3-run shot to right field in the first inning. The game quickly became a slugfest with starting pitchers knocked out early and lead changes taking place with regularity. All that hitting took a significant amount of time. Umpires called for a suspension of the game just before midnight as local laws prohibited the Saturday afternoon game from continuing into Sunday morning. The two teams picked up again in August and Brooklyn prevailed with a lopsided score of 21-12. By the time play had resumed Coogan was no longer with the Pirates, having been sent back to the minor league Indianapolis Indians.
