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Gary Charles Peters
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher
Born: April 21, 1937, Grove City, PA
Signed: Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1959-1969; Boston Red Sox 1970-1972
Died: January 26, 2023, Sarasota, FL (age 85)
Between 1959 and 1962, lefty Gary Peters saw limited game action with the White Sox, appearing in 12 games and pitching just 21 innings over those four seasons. He earned a spot on the White Sox pitching staff to begin the 1963 season and was used as a swing man for the club until earning a permanent job in their starting rotation that June. Peters made the most of the opportunity, finishing the season with a 19-8 record and a league-leading 2.33 ERA. He bested teammate Pete Ward (#155) for Rookie of the Year honors, receiving ten first place votes to Ward's six. Peters would make his first of two All-Star teams in 1964 while compiling a 20 win season. Despite a record of 12-10 in 1966 for the fourth place White Sox, Peters would earn his second ERA title with an impressive 1.98 mark. He'd win 16 games in 1967 and pitched three scoreless innings in that year's All-Star Game, striking out four batters - Willie Mays (#190), Roberto Clemente (#50), Orlando Cepeda (#385) and Dick Allen (#350).
Between 1959 and 1962, lefty Gary Peters saw limited game action with the White Sox, appearing in 12 games and pitching just 21 innings over those four seasons. He earned a spot on the White Sox pitching staff to begin the 1963 season and was used as a swing man for the club until earning a permanent job in their starting rotation that June. Peters made the most of the opportunity, finishing the season with a 19-8 record and a league-leading 2.33 ERA. He bested teammate Pete Ward (#155) for Rookie of the Year honors, receiving ten first place votes to Ward's six. Peters would make his first of two All-Star teams in 1964 while compiling a 20 win season. Despite a record of 12-10 in 1966 for the fourth place White Sox, Peters would earn his second ERA title with an impressive 1.98 mark. He'd win 16 games in 1967 and pitched three scoreless innings in that year's All-Star Game, striking out four batters - Willie Mays (#190), Roberto Clemente (#50), Orlando Cepeda (#385) and Dick Allen (#350).
Peters spent his final three seasons with the Red Sox, retiring in 1972. In 359 career games, Peters was 124-103 with a 3.25 ERA and 1,420 strikeouts. Also a threat at the plate, Peters batted .222 and was often used by the White Sox as a pinch-hitter. He had 19 career home runs with 102 RBIs. Peters, along with 26 other players, was named to the Chicago White Sox All-Century Team in 2000.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #93
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
This was to be Peters' last season in Chicago, his 11th and final year with the club. He went 10-15 with a 4.53 ERA in 36 games, including 32 starts. It was one of the worst seasons of his career, likely caused by a rotator cuff injury he had suffered in spring training. Still, he was a solid number three starter for the fifth place club, behind Joe Horlen (#328) and lefty Tommy John (#465). On December 13th, Peters and Don Pavletich (#179) were traded to the Red Sox for Billy Farmer, Syd O'Brien (#628) and Gerry Janeski.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #407
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1960-1961, 1963-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1989 Pacific Legends II #159
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 111 in the Beckett online database as of 5/15/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 16th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me less than a dollar. If I stick to composing posts five times a week, and I'm already slipping off that pace a little, I should go through the stack and be caught up by the week of January 22, 2024!
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is a good example of Topps using a photo that works perfectly with the 1969 Topps design. The card is well-balanced with the photo cropped to fit the design. The photo itself could date from 1965 or 1966, as Peters' photos on his 1966 and 1967 Topps cards are similar. The back of the card highlights his 1967 All-Star Game outing and the grand slam he hit against the Yankees on May 5, 1968. The big hit came off Yankees' starting pitcher Al Downing (#292).
Accuracy Index: Peters' card scores a five for featuring him in a White Sox uniform (and hat).
1969 Season
This was to be Peters' last season in Chicago, his 11th and final year with the club. He went 10-15 with a 4.53 ERA in 36 games, including 32 starts. It was one of the worst seasons of his career, likely caused by a rotator cuff injury he had suffered in spring training. Still, he was a solid number three starter for the fifth place club, behind Joe Horlen (#328) and lefty Tommy John (#465). On December 13th, Peters and Don Pavletich (#179) were traded to the Red Sox for Billy Farmer, Syd O'Brien (#628) and Gerry Janeski.
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First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #407
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1960-1961, 1963-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1989 Pacific Legends II #159
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 111 in the Beckett online database as of 5/15/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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