#235 Jim Hunter - Oakland Athletics

James Augustus Hunter
Oakland Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  April 8, 1946, Hertford, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent before, June 8, 1964
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1965-67; Oakland Athletics 1968-74; New York Yankees 1975-79

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1972-74; New York Yankees 1976-78
Died:  September 9, 1999, Hertford, NC (age 53)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1987

Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, winning the Cy Young Award in 1974, earning eight All-Star Game bids and winning a total of five World Series rings with the Athletics and Yankees.  Hunter pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968, the ninth in baseball history.  He won 20 games or more in five straight seasons, including 25 in his Cy Young winning year of 1974.  He also led the league that season with a 2.49 ERA.  Hunter won 224 games, had a career ERA of 3.26 and tallied 181 complete games with 42 shutouts.  He struck out 2,012 in a career cut short by arm injuries and diabetes.  Hunter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 and had his #27 retired by the Athletics in 1991.  He passed away in 1999 after a battle with ALS.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #637

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Richie's Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set from Richie's my fourth stop of the show.  This is the third of those six cards and it cost about $9 after a discount.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +2

Topps hat to go with a hatless photo of Hunter, given he had been wearing a now outdated Kansas City Athletics hat when the photo was taken, likely in 1966 or 1967.  The cartoon imagines Hunter crying over his 1967 All-Star Game loss, but I'm sure he was fine.  He had allowed a solo home run to Tony Perez (#295) in the top of the 15th inning to break a 1-1 tie.  His 1968 perfect game is highlighted in the write-up.

Accuracy Index:  Hunter's card earns five points for the accurate uniform, but loses three points for the lack of a hat.

1969 Season
Still only 23 years old, Hunter was 12-15 with a 3.35 ERA in 38 games and 247 innings pitched for the Athletics.  Only Blue Moon Odom (#195) with a 2.7 mark had a higher bWAR on the team's pitching staff than Hunter's 2.3.

1965 Topps #526

1970 Topps #565

1974 Topps #7

1976 Topps #100

1979 Topps #670

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #526
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1965-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Wicked Curves #WC-30
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  733 in the Beckett online database as of 2/22/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#234 Dave Bristol MG - Cincinnati Reds / #236 Manny Mota - Montreal Expos

#200 Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals

Robert Gibson
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  189
Born:  November 9, 1935, Omaha, NE
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1959-75

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1964, 1967-68
Died:  October 2, 2020, Omaha, NE (age 84)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1981

One of the best, most feared and most competitive pitchers of his generation, Bob Gibson was a nine-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner (1964 and 1967), a two-time Cy Young Award winner (1968 and 1970) and the second pitcher in history to reach the 3,000 strikeout plateau.  Along with his 1968 Cy Young Award, he also took home that season's MVP award as he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA, 28 complete games, 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts in one of the most dominant seasons of pitching in baseball history.  Gibson won 20 or more games five times.  If that wasn't enough, he also won nine Gold Gloves for his fielding and was a lifetime .206 batter with 24 home runs.  He retired after 17 seasons with 251 wins, 56 shutouts and 3,117 strikeouts and the Cardinals retired his #45 in September 1975.

Gibson was a first ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame in 1981, the same year he returned to baseball as a Mets coach on the staff of former teammate and Mets manager Joe Torre (#460).  He moved with Torre to the Braves in 1982 where he stayed through 1984.  He coached one last time for Torre with the Cardinals in 1995.  Gibson passed away on October 2, 2020, 52 years after his dominant performance in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series in which he pitched a complete game shutout and struck out 17 Tigers batters.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #636

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Richie's Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set from Richie's my fourth stop of the show.  This is the second of those six cards and it cost about $36 after a discount.  This was one of four cards I spent more than $30 on at the show, along with Bobby Cox (#237), Harmon Killebrew (#375) and Rod Carew (#510).

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

I feel this is one of the more iconic Gibson cards, as it captures him following his incredible 1968 season.  He's all over the 1969 Topps set, and this is one seven cards of Gibson in the set.  He's on three League Leaders cards (#8, #10, #12), the 2nd Series Checklist (#107), the World Series Game #1 card (#162), this base card and an All-Star card (#432).  The back of the card justifiably focuses on his prior season.

Gibson's 1959 and 1968 Topps cards have been reprinted by Topps a ton over the years, and I was surprised to see this card has never been reprinted, at least as far as I can tell.

Accuracy Index:  Gibson's card easily earns a +5.

Inserts:  Gibson is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
There was really nowhere to go but down after Gibson's all-time great season in 1968, but he still led the league with a 10.4 bWAR and 28 complete games.  From his SABR biography, written by Terry Sloope: 

Things went downhill for the Cardinals after 1968, although Gibson still had some productive seasons ahead of him. [Orlando] Cepeda (#385), their clubhouse cheerleader, was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre before the 1969 season.  As the players union threatened to delay the start of the 1969 season with a strike, owner [August] Busch publicly blasted his team in spring training for being complacent and too concerned with monetary matters, further lowering club morale.  Although Gibson went 20-13 with a 2.18 ERA, the Cardinals dropped to fourth place in the National League’s new Eastern Division.

1959 Topps #514

1965 Topps #320

1968 Topps #100

1971 Topps #450

1975 Topps #150

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #514
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18):  1959-75, 1988
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Archives #297
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2,253 in the Beckett online database as of 2/15/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#199 Jim French - Washington Senators / #201 Russ Snyder - Cleveland Indians

#166 1968 World Series Game 5 - Kaline's Key Hit Sparks Tiger Rally

The 1968 World series marked the last time two teams faced off in the Fall Classic without having to first advance via a playoff series.  With Major League Baseball expanding to 24 teams in 1969, the two leagues were split into four divisions and a League Championship Series would determine the World Series opponents between 1969 and 1993.

The Cardinals and Tigers were powerhouses in their respective leagues, easily advancing to the World Series.  This was a rematch of the 1934 World Series, when the Gashouse Gang of the Cardinals had bested the Tigers in seven games.  The Tigers would prevail this time, winning their first title since 1945, and their third World Series title overall as the Cardinals couldn't repeat after winning in 1967 against the Red Sox.

World Series cards were a key subset in Topps flagship sets throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.  Topps designed its World Series cards in its 1969 set to have the appearance of the front page of a newspaper, with The Sporting News getting some free publicity as the paper's banner.

Building the Set / Card #635

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Richie's Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set from Richie's my fourth stop of the show.  This is the first of those six cards, and it cost less than $6 after a discount.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Tigers Team Set  

With the Cardinals leading the series three games to one, it was do or die time for the Tigers.  Mickey Lolich (#270), the Tigers' Game 2 winner, again took the mound and pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out eight.  All three runs allowed by Lolich came in the first inning, and he settled down after that.  The Tigers chipped away against Cardinals' starter Nelson Briles (#60) with a pair of runs in the fourth inning on RBIs from Norm Cash (#80) and Jim Northrup (#580).  Trailing 3-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh, Briles allowed Lolich to reach with a single, chasing him from the game to be relieved by Joe Hoerner (#522).

Needing seven outs to secure the World Series title, Hoerner allowed four straight baserunners, coughing up the lead and giving the Tigers the momentum shift they needed.  Dick McAuliffe (#305) singled and Mickey Stanley (#13) walked to load the bases.  Al Kaline (#410) brought two runs home with a single to center, giving the Tigers the lead.  Cash added another RBI single and the inning would end with the Tigers now ahead, 5-3.

I was able to find the image Topps used for the card fairly quickly from the Getty Images website, and the photo actually depicts Kaline hitting his Game 3 home run off the Cardinals' Ray Washburn (#415) in a losing effort.  Tim McCarver (#475) was behind the plate for the Cardinals throughout the series, but that's home plate umpire Stan Landes shown here, while Doug Harvey was actually behind the plate for Game 5.

Sources:

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

#165 1968 World Series Game 4 / #167 1968 World Series Game 6

#545 Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirates

Wilver Dornel Stargell
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  March 6, 1940, Earlsboro, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1958
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-82

World Series Appearances:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1971, 1979
Died:  April 9, 2001, Wilmington, NC (age 61)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1988

Willie Stargell spent his entire 21-year career with the Pirates, and was one of the most feared power hitters of his generation.  As the club's regular left fielder throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Stargell made his first of seven All-Star teams in 1964.  In 1971, he helped lead the Pirates to a World Championship title over the Orioles, batting .295 during the season with a league leading 48 home runs and 125 RBIs.  He'd continue to slug home runs throughout the 1970s, with his tally of 296 home runs leading all players during the decade.  His blasts were often moonshots, and he holds the distinction of hitting the longest home run in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium history.  In 1973, he crossed the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth and final time, leading the league with 119 RBIs, and also leading the league in home runs (44), doubles (23) and slugging percentage (.646).

Moving to first base in the mid-1970s, he emerged as a veteran team leader, earning his affectionate nickname of "Pops."  In 1979, he again won the league's MVP award, to go along with NLCS MVP and World Series MVP honors as his Pirates again defeated the Orioles in the World Series.  He retired following the 1982 season with a career average of .282, 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBIs.  The Pirates had retired his #8 a month before his final game, and Stargell was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1988.

Stargell briefly served as the first base coach for the Braves (1986-88) following his retirement, and he'd also later work in the Pirates front office.  Two days before he passed away, the Pirates unveiled a statute of Stargell at their new PNC Park.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #634

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the 12th of those 12, and the 75th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  The card was marked at $10, but I paid a little over $7 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photo for this card was likely taken at the same time as the photo used for Stargell's 1968 Topps card.  The back of the card notes his 33 home runs in 1966, setting a club record for left handers.  The cartoon depicts the three home runs Stargell hit on June 24, 1965, victimizing the Dodgers' Don Drysdale (#400) twice and reliever John Purdin (#161) once.

Accuracy Index:  Pops scores a +5.

1969 Season
Again as the everyday left fielder, Stargell enjoyed his best season to date with the Pirates, batting .307 in 145 games with 29 home runs and 92 RBIs.  His average was 8th best in the league, and his .382 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage were 9th and 4th best respectively.  Stargell was also solid on defense, with his .968 fielding percentage ranking second among all National League left fielders.

1963 Topps #553

1971 Topps #230

1975 Topps #100

1979 Topps #55

1982 Topps #715

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1963-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Relics #AGR-WST
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  1,391 in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#544 Tigers Rookie Stars / #546 Jim Nash - Oakland Athletics

#504 6th Series Checklist 513-588 / Brooks Robinson

It's Valentine's Day as I compose this post, and I can't think of anything more romantic than a baseball card checklist.  I kid, of course, and I'm taking a break from work on a Saturday in an attempt to keep this blog up to date as it chugs towards its conclusion.  Similar to where I was when I wrote about the 7th Series checklist (#582) back in October, we're 16 cards away from a complete 1969 Topps set, and the goal is to complete the set in 2026.  I've been good at keeping up a somewhat regular posting schedule here, on my new 1955 Bowman blog and my occasionally neglected 1934-36 Diamond Stars blog.  The latter should/could wrap up in 2026 as well, as long as I can find the last two cards needed for my set, including the pricey Hank Greenberg card.

Phillies spring training has started in Clearwater, but the snow and ice from almost a month ago is still piled up outside our house.  It was a brutal January, a better February and I'm hoping for a calmer March.

Once the Phillies season begins in earnest, and as I turn my attention to the daily exercise of posting game recaps, a hobby I thoroughly enjoy, my set building blogs could get less attention.  With the hope of wrapping up this blog and my Diamond Stars blog in the coming months, I need to start to plan what's next.  I've already unofficially started collecting cards for a 1959 Topps set build, but I don't want to neglect the 1960s, and committing to collecting the 1966 Topps set seems like a logical next step.  We shall see.

I continue to be grateful for my health, my family's health, and the ability to spend time each week writing about old baseball cards.

Building the Set / Card #633

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the 11th of those 12, and the 74th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  The card was marked at $10, but I paid a little over $7 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Orioles Team Set / Checklists

Brooks Robinson (#550) is likely the biggest name to appear in the set's sixth series, nudging out Willie Stargell (#545) for the cameo spot on the front of the card.  Nolan Ryan (#533) would eventually surpass them both, but in 1969 he had yet to throw any of his seven no-hitters, and he was only 139 strikeouts in to a career that would eventually lead him to strike out an all-time record of 5,714.  

I found it funny that Topps couldn't seem to fit in Yankees Rookies for card #519, shortening it instead to "Yank Rookies."  Robinson appears three times in the set, a base card, an All-Star card (#421) and this checklist card.

#503 Larry Brown - Cleveland Indians / #505 Bobby Bolin - San Francisco Giants

#456 Bud Harrelson - New York Mets

Derrel McKinley Harrelson
New York Mets
Shortstop

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  160
Born:  June 6, 1944, Niles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent, June 7, 1963
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965-77; Philadelphia Phillies 1978-79; Texas Rangers 1980

World Series Appearances:  New York Mets 1969, 1973
As a Manager:  New York Mets 1990-91
Died:  January 10, 2024, East Northport, NY (age 79)

Mets legend Bud Harrelson is the only person to have played a part in both Mets' World Series titles - in 1969 as their starting shortstop, and in 1986 as a coach.  Harrelson played in 16 big league seasons, 13 of those seasons with the Mets.  He was their everyday shortstop for most of the 1970s, and was selected to be an All-Star in 1970 and 1971.  Harrelson's career year came in 1971 when he won a Gold Glove while batting .252 with 16 doubles and 28 stolen bases.  He famously invoked the ire of the Reds' Pete Rose (#120) during the 1973 NLCS, when Harrelson compared the Big Red Machine's hitting prowess to his own.  Rose took exception and his hard slide into Harrelson during Game 3 sparked a bench-clearing brawl.  Harrelson and Rose would become teammates in 1979 with the Phillies, burying the hatchet.  Harrelson wrapped up his lengthy career with a stint with the Rangers in 1980 as a back-up infielder.  In 1,533 career games, he batted .234 with 123 doubles, six home runs, 242 RBIs and 115 stolen bases.

From the 1978 Phillies Yearbook

Harrelson coached in the Mets' minor and major league system between 1982 and 1990.  He replaced Davey Johnson (#203) as the club's manager a little over a month into the 1990 season upon Johnson's dismissal.  Harrelson found some success in 1990, but a second half Mets collapse in 1991 cost him his job.  Harrelson's record at the helm was 145-129.  He'd become part-owner of the Long Island Ducks in 2000, managing the team in its inaugural season.  Harrelson was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1986.

Building the Set / Card #632

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the tenth of those 12, and the 73rd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  I paid less than a dollar for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The write-up on the back of the card using the adjectives "hustling" and "flashy" to describe Harrelson.  He apparently taught himself how to switch-hit in 1966 while at Triple-A Jacksonville.  That's pretty impressive to learn how to switch-hit at the age of 22!

Accuracy Index:  Harrelson's card holds steady with a +5.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Eric Aron: 

Harrelson arrived in St. Petersburg in 1969 having spent the winter lifting weights and quitting smoking.  He came in weighing 165 pounds and ceded the lightest-Met prize to 157-pound Amos Otis (#31).  Gil Hodges (#564) favored platoons for his club at the corners in the outfield and infield, plus second base.  Catcher, center field, and shortstop were too important to Hodges to tinker with, even though Jerry Grote (#55) was no great shakes with the bat and Tommie Agee (#364) in center had a lower 1968 batting average than Harrelson (.217). 

Harrelson was sorely missed when he had to serve his military obligation starting in July.  Al Weis (#269) filled in at shortstop and - true to form for the Mets that year - hit both of his home runs for the season in a huge series at Wrigley Field.  Harrelson started just one game in a five-week span because of his obligation, and his batting average, which had surpassed .290 at the beginning of June, got over .250 only a couple of times the rest of the season; he finished at .248.  His .341 on-base percentage was crucial since he usually batted second against right-handers and slid down to eighth against southpaws.  But on a team with the pitching the '69 Mets had, his glove was more important than what he generated with his bat.  Harrelson committed just 19 errors in 119 games at shortstop; his best remembered play of that season was grabbing Joe Torre's (#460) grounder and starting the double play that clinched the first Eastern Division title in National League history and set off a riot at Shea Stadium on September 24.  Harrelson’s game-winning single the night before against Bob Gibson (#200) had set the party in motion by assuring the Mets of at least a tie for the division title. 

Harrelson was practically flawless in the field in the miraculous postseason.  His only error in 44 chances came with one out and no one on in the seventh inning of New York's 11-6 win over the Braves in Game Two of the National League Championship Series.  Though he was only 2-for-11 in the NLCS, he drove in three runs and both his hits went for extra bases - giving Harrelson, who would have a lifetime .288 slugging percentage, a stunning .455 slugging mark in the Mets' three-game sweep.  He batted .176 in the World Series against the Orioles, but he had three singles and three walks to give him a .300 on-base percentage.

Phillies Career
With Tim Foli handed the Mets' shortstop job for the 1978 season, Harrelson was dealt to the Phillies on March 24, 1978, towards the end of spring training, for Fred Andrews and cash.  He was reunited with his former teammate Tug McGraw (#601), and expected to fill in behind a solid infield of Ted Sizemore (#552) at second base and Larry Bowa at shortstop.  Harrelson played in 71 games in 1978, hitting .214 and making 22 starts all season.  Manny Trillo took over for Sizemore at second in 1979, and Harrelson appeared in only 53 games.  He did bat .282 and have an OBP of .395, both high marks for his career, but he made one less start than the year before with 21.  He was released following spring training in 1980, with the team opting to go with Luis Aguayo and Ramon Aviles as their back-up infielders.  In 124 total games with the Phillies, Harrelson batted .241 with seven doubles and 16 RBIs.

1967 Topps #306

1971 Topps #355

1975 Topps #395

1981 Topps #694

1991 Topps #261

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #306
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1967-81, 1990-91
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2021 Topps x ESPN 30-for-30: "Once Upon a Time in Queens" #33
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  152 in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#455 Sonny Siebert - Cleveland Indians / #457 Dalton Jones - Boston Red Sox

#450 Billy Williams - Chicago Cubs

Billy Leo Williams
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 15, 1938, Whistler, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1959-74; Oakland Athletics 1975-76

Hall of Fame Induction:  1987

Billy Williams was as automatic, consistent and reliable as any outfielder of his era.  For 16 seasons with the Cubs, Williams batted third and played left field (except for a two-year detour to right field), appearing in at least 150 games or more in 12 straight seasons.  He was called an Iron Man before Cal Ripken, Jr. came along, as he played in 1,117 consecutive games between 1963 and 1970.  Williams was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1961, and in 1962 he was named to the first of six All-Star teams.  He batted over .300 in five seasons, and collected at least 25 home runs in 10 seasons.  He enjoyed a career year in 1970, batting .322 with 42 home runs and 129 RBIs, finishing second in the league's MVP voting behind Johnny Bench (#95).  Williams led the league that season in runs scored (137) and hits (205).  He won the league's batting crown in 1972 with a .333 average, again finishing as the MVP runner-up behind Bench.  Williams was dealt to the Athletics after the 1974 season for Manny Trillo, Darold Knowles and Bob Locker (#548).  He spent the final two seasons of his career as the designated hitter for Oakland, finally reaching the postseason in 1975 with the club.

Williams retired with a .290 average, 2,711 hits, 426 home runs and 1,475 RBIs.  He served as a long-time coach for the Cubs (1980-82, 1986-87, 1992-01) with another brief tenure as a coach for the Athletics (1983-85).  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and his #26 was retired by the Cubs that same year.  In 1999, Williams was selected to the Cubs All-Century Team and a statute of the long-time outfielder was installed outside Wrigley Field in 2010.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #631

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the ninth of those 12, and the 72nd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  I paid $11 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

There's a ballpark cop forever immortalized with a cameo behind Williams on this card.  The cartoon on the back highlights his 1961 Rookie of the Year win, while the write-up touts his team-leading totals in 1968 for RBIs, doubles and triples.  Williams appears earlier in the set on the National League RBI Leaders card (#4).  As far as I can tell, this card has never been reprinted by Topps.

Accuracy Index:  The model of consistency, like Williams himself, his card scores a +5.

1969 Season
Williams played in all 163 Cubs games, batting .293 with 21 home runs and 95 RBIs.  His 188 hits were fifth best in the league, his 33 doubles were third best and he lead all National League left fielders with 11 assists.  From his SABR biography, written by Mark Armour: 

The 1969 Cubs finally put it all together . . . for five months.  On September 2 they led the surprising New York Mets by five games and appeared to have the race in hand.  Shockingly, the Cubs dropped the next eight while the Mets were going 8-2.  The Cubs lost the lead and finished eight games behind the rampaging New Yorkers.  Chicago finished with 92 wins, its best record since 1945.  Although Williams hit .278 with six home runs during that fateful September, his team hit just .215 with 17 homers.  On September 5, Williams hit two doubles and two home runs off Pittsburgh's Steve Blass (#104), but these were the only four hits Blass allowed in a complete game 9-2 victory.  Losing or winning, Williams just kept playing every day, playing the same game he always played.  "I am not tough to live with after the loss," he admitted.  "I don't carry the game home.  I do what I can, and when I'm done I leave the park.  I leave my glove and I leave my spikes and everything about the game behind me."

The Cubs honored Billy Williams with a "day" on June 29, 1969.  The Cubs hosted the Cardinals in a double-header, and in the second game Williams broke Stan Musial's NL record by playing in his 896th consecutive game.  In the first game, when Williams tied the record, he finished 1-for-4 while Ferguson Jenkins (#640) bested Bob Gibson (#200), 3-1.  In the nightcap, Williams celebrated his record by finishing four-for-five, including a double and two triples, in a 12-1 rout.  Between games the Cubs held a ceremony, for which they had flown Williams' mother and aunt in from Whistler.  Williams was showered with gifts, including a Chrysler Imperial automobile, capping one of the most memorable days of Williams' career.

1961 Topps #141

1968 Topps #37

1970 Topps #170

1972 Topps #439

1976 Topps #525

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #141
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1961-76
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #76RO-BW
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  938 in the Beckett online database as of 2/6/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#449 Paul Lindblad - Oakland Athletics / #451 Rich Rollins - Seattle Pilots