#159 Jerry Adair - Kansas City Royals

Kenneth Jerry Adair
Kansas City Royals
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  December 17, 1936, Sand Springs, OK
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent, September 2, 1958
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1958-1966; Chicago White Sox 1966-1967; Boston Red Sox 1967-1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-1970

World Series Appearances:  Boston Red Sox 1967
Died:  May 31, 1987, Tulsa, OK (age 50)

Jerry Adair was a veteran of 13 big league seasons known best for his solid defense as a middle infielder.  He first got a chance as an everyday player with the Orioles in 1961, winning playing time at second base after the Orioles' opening day second baseman, Marv Breeding, struggled at the plate.  Adair would move to shortstop in 1962 and then back to second in 1963 with the arrival of Luis Aparicio (#75).  He was the Orioles opening day second baseman for three seasons in a row between 1963 and 1965, and he set a then-record for highest fielding percentage at second base in 1964 with a .994 mark and fewest errors at the position with five.  He led the league again in fielding percentage in 1965 and Adair set records for consecutive errorless games at second base (89) and consecutive chances handled without an error (458) between July 22, 1964 and May 6, 1965.

1973 Topps #179

Dealt to the White Sox in 1966 and then the Red Sox in 1967, Adair's strong second half of 1967 helped the Red Sox to clinch the American League pennant.  He batted .291 for the Red Sox over 89 games, filling in for the injured Rico Petrocelli (#215) at shortstop and also receiving regular playing time at second and third base.  Adair was dubbed "Mr. Clutch" by the Boston media.  Later, Adair would serve as the first second baseman in Royals history, starting 105 games at the position for the expansion club in 1969.  In 1,165 career games, Adair had 1,022 hits, 57 home runs and 366 RBIs to go along with his .985 career fielding percentage, which is currently 41st all-time among second baseman.  He played in Japan in 1971 for the Hankyu Braves.  Adair coached for his former Red Sox manager Dick Williams (#349) with the Athletics (1972-1974) and Angels (1975-1976).

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

Building the Set / Card #186
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 109th 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 less than a dollar.

The Card / Royals Team Set / Accuracy Index -12

Adair is wearing an Orioles' road jersey here, and the photo could be several years old from either 1964 or 1965.  Topps used the exact same photo on his 1968 Topps card.  The cartoon on the back is strange.  The characters are bundled up (because the draft took place over the winter?) and the executive is handing Adair an A's jersey?  Did the cartoonist forget the new Kansas City team wouldn't be called the Athletics?

As mentioned above, Adair was a key contributor to the Red Sox reaching the World Series in 1967.  The write-up mentions a game-winning home run he hit to wrap up a 9-8 come from behind win, but there's not enough room for any more details.  The home run came on August 20th at Fenway Park against the Angels.  With the score tied 8-8, after the Red Sox had trailed 8-0, Adair hit his second home run of the season off reliever Minnie Rojas (#502) to give Boston a 9-8 lead.

Accuracy Index:  Adair's card suffers a -12 for the repeat photo (-4), the Orioles jersey (-5) and the lack of a hat (-3).

1969 Season
Adair was left unprotected by the Red Sox and selected by the Royals as the 51st pick in the 1968 expansion draft.  Adair owns the first RBI in Royals team history, singling home Lou Piniella (#394) who had singled in the bottom of the first on opening day.  He made 105 starts at second base and eight starts at shortstop for the new club, and his .984 fielding percentage was second among all American League second baseman, behind the Athletics' Dick Green (#515).  Adair batted .250 with 108 hits, five home runs and 48 RBIs.

1961 Topps #71

1964 Topps #22

1967 Topps #484

1968 #346

1970 Topps #525

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Leaf #28
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1961-1970, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1973 Topps #179
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  65 in the Beckett online database as of 11/18/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#158 Joe Gibbon - San Francisco Giants / #160 Vada Pinson - St. Louis Cardinals

#156 Astros Rookie Stars - Hal Gilson / Leon McFadden

Harold Gilson
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  195
Born:  February 9, 1942, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1968; Houston Astros 1968

Died:  June 20, 2022, Scottsdale, AZ (age 80)

Leon McFadden
Houston Astros
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  April 26, 1944, Little Rock, AR
Signed:  Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  Houston Astros 1968-1970

Hal Gilson pitcher professionally in the Cubs and Cardinals minor league system, before making his major league debut on April 14, 1968 with the Cardinals.  He relieved in 13 games, pitching to an 0-2 record with a 4.57 ERA in 21 2/3 innings pitched.  On June 15, 1968, Gilson was dealt with Dick Simpson (#608) to the Astros for Ron Davis (#553).  He pitched in two games for the Astros that July, the final two major league appearances of his career, and Gilson would retire from baseball following the season.  In 25 1/3 innings pitched, Gilson recorded 20 strikeouts.

Leon McFadden played in parts of three seasons with the Astros, seeing the most action in 1969 when he made it into 44 games.  In 1970, he was used a pinch-runner twice in the only major league games he appeared in that season, his last action in the big leagues.  He batted .215 in 62 games for the Astros, with three doubles.  McFadden's best season professionally came in 1971 with the Triple-A Tacoma Cubs, when he batted .285 with five home runs and 49 RBIs.  He spent the 1972 season in Japan, appearing in 54 games for the Hanshin Tigers.

Building the Set / Card #185
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 108th 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 less than a dollar.

The Card / Astros Team Set / Gilson Accuracy Index -10 / McFadden Accuracy Index -3
I'm willing to bet Gilson is wearing a Cardinals jersey here, and the photo was likely taken at the same time as the photo used on his 1968 Rookie Stars card, shared with Mike Torrez (#136).  This is Gilson's final appearance on cardboard.

Who knows what jersey McFadden is wearing here, but it's safe to assume it's likely not an Astros jersey.  This is his rookie card, and he'd appear in the 1970 Topps set posed against the same wall, but this time donning a hat.

Accuracy Index:  Gilson scores a -10 since he didn't play for the Astros in 1969 (-2), he's likely wearing a Cardinals jersey (-5) and he's hatless (-3).  McFadden earned a ? for "uniform on card" in my tracking schedule, meaning he only drops to -3 for being hatless.

1969 Season - Gilson
Gilson was out of baseball by the time this card was appearing in packs of 1969 Topps.  He had finished the 1968 season with the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers, going 3-9 with a 5.00 ERA in 16 appearances, including 13 starts.

1969 Season - McFadden
McFadden played in 44 games for the Astros and in 54 games for Oklahoma City.  Looking at his game log, he was with the Astros in April, mid-June through mid-July, and then late August through the end of the season.  McFadden made 10 starts in right field, six starts at shortstop and one start in left field.  He batted .176 (13 for 74) while with Houston.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Gilson
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #162
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1968-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #156
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  9 in the Beckett online database as of 11/18/23.

Sources - Gilson:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - McFadden
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #156
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #672
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  7 in the Beckett online database as of 11/18/23.

Sources - 2nd Name:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1968 Topps #162

1970 Topps #672

#155 Pete Ward - Chicago White Sox / #157 Bob Rodgers - California Angels

#155 Pete Ward - Chicago White Sox

Peter Thomas Ward
Chicago White Sox
Third Base-Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 26, 1937, Montreal, Canada
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1962; Chicago White Sox 1963-1969; New York Yankees 1970

Died:  March 16, 2022, Lake Oswego, OR (age 84)

Born in Montreal, Pete Ward is the son of former professional hockey player Jimmy Ward, who played 11 seasons in the NHL.  Ward came up through the Orioles system, but with Brooks Robinson (#550) ahead of him in the team's third base depth chart, a change of scenery was needed.  He was swapped to the White Sox before the 1963 season with Hoyt Wilhelm (#565), Ron Hansen (#566) and Dave Nicholson (#298) for Luis Aparicio (#75) and Al Smith.  Ward had a fantastic rookie season in 1963, batting .295 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs and finishing second in the A.L. Rookie of the Year voting behind teammate Gary Peters (#34).  He had an even better season in 1964, batting .282 with career highs in both home runs (23) and RBIs (94), finishing in sixth place in the league's MVP voting.  His production fell off after that season and the rest of his playing days were marred by a back injury.  Ward played in 973 big league games, batting .254 with 776 hits, 98 home runs and 427 RBIs.

After playing a final year with the Yankees in 1970, he stayed with the club as a minor league manager between 1972 and 1977.  Ward also served on the big league staff of manager Bobby Cox (#237) with the Braves in 1978.  He was a long-time manager of the Portland Beavers and was ultimately inducted into both the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

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

Building the Set / Card #184
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 107th 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 less than a dollar.

The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Ward is posed in front of the White Sox batting cages, showing off his swinging motion while looking into the sun.  If the player behind him is wearing #4, that's infielder Hansen who wore that number with White Sox between 1964 and 1968.  The cartoon on the back is a little misleading.  Peters won the official Rookie of the Year Award, with Ward being named The Sporting News American League Rookie of the Year in 1963.  His 15 home runs in 1968 did in fact lead the White Sox, and amazingly enough, given it was the "Year of the Pitcher," Ward and Tommy Davis (#135) led the White Sox with only 50 RBIs.

Accuracy Index:  Ward scores a solid +5 and his pose here works really well with the 1969 Topps card design.

Inserts:  Ward is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  

1969 Season
In his final season with the White Sox, Ward served in a super utility role, playing first base, third base, right field and left field.  He appeared in 105 games, but made only 46 starts throughout the season.  Ward batted .246 with six home runs and 32 RBIs, and found great success as a pinch-hitter, batting .370 (17 for 46) with a pair of home runs.  On December 18th, the White Sox sent him to the Yankees in exchange for lefty reliever Mickey Scott and cash.

1963 Topps #324

1964 Topps #85

1965 Topps #215

1966 Topps #25

1971 Topps #667

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #324
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1963-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #120
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  83 in the Beckett online database as of 11/18/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#154 Jim Britton - Atlanta Braves / #156 Astros Rookie Stars

#154 Jim Britton - Atlanta Braves

James Allan Britton
Atlanta Braves
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  225
Born:  March 25, 1944, North Towawanda, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Atlanta Braves 1967-1969; Montreal Expos 1971

Jim Britton pitched in parts of four seasons with the Braves and Expos, with arm troubles curtailing his career.  Britton made his big league debut on September 20, 1967 and in the sixth inning of that game he surrendered a three-run home run to Reds' catcher Johnny Bench (#95), the first of the future Hall of Famer's career.  He spent all of 1968 and 1969 on the Braves pitching staff, serving as a reliever and spot starter.  Britton pitched in a career-high 34 games in 1968, making nine starts and throwing a pair of complete game shutouts.  In 1969 he pitched in 24 games, making 13 starts and winning a career best seven games.

Dealt to the Expos following the 1969 season, Britton missed all of 1970 with an arm injury and returned in 1971 to pitch in the final 16 games of his big league career.  He spent all of 1972 with Montreal's top farm team in Peninsula before retiring.  In 76 major league games, including 30 starts, Britton was 13-16 with 4.02 ERA.

Building the Set / Card #183
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 106th 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 less than a dollar.

The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Britton's rookie card came way back in the 1964 Topps set, and he'd wait until the 1968 Topps set to receive a second card.  This is his first solo Topps flagship card.  Britton is shown wearing #49 here, but his Baseball Reference page indicates he wore only #41 and #42 while in game action for the Braves.

On the back, Topps mentions Britton pitching his Richmond Braves team to victory in the International League playoffs in 1967.  What Topps doesn't mention, and what seems incredibly cruel, is that Britton's father passed away from a fatal heart attack while watching the game in the stands.  Just truly awful.

Accuracy Index:  Britton's card scores a +5 for the accurate depiction in a Braves uniform.

1969 Season
Britton was 7-5 with a 3.78 ERA, with two complete games, a shutout and a save.  He saw his sole postseason action in NLCS Game 2 against the Mets, recording just one out in the sixth inning in an eventual 11-6 win by the Mets.  On December 2nd, he was dealt with minor leaguer Donald Johnson to the Expos for lefty pitcher Larry Jaster (#496).

1964 Topps #94

1968 Topps #76

1970 Topps #646

1971 Topps #699

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #94
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1964, 1968-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #699
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  17 in the Beckett online database as of 11/16/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#153 Ed Brinkman - Washington Senators / #155 Pete Ward - Chicago White Sox

#153 Ed Brinkman - Washington Senators

Edward Albert Brinkman
Washington Senators
Shortstop

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  December 8, 1941, Cincinnati, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1961-1970; Detroit Tigers 1971-1974; St. Louis Cardinals 1975; Texas Rangers 1975; New York Yankees 1975

Died:  September 30, 2008, Cincinnati, OH (age 66)

1987 Topps #356

A Gold Glove winner in 1972 and an All-Star in 1973 with the Tigers, Ed Brinkman was a steady fielding shortstop over 15 big league seasons.  A teammate of Pete Rose (#120) in high school, Brinkman signed with the Senators in 1961 and spent 10 seasons with the club as their regular shortstop.  Under the tutelage of manager Ted Williams (#650), Brinkman hit .266 for the Senators in 1969, a career high.  Traded to the Tigers in October 1970 in the deal that sent Denny McLain (#150) to the Senators, Brinkman was one of the top players for the club despite his low batting average.  He helped lead the Tigers to the 1972 ALCS and was named Tiger of the Year that season even though he hit just .203.

Brinkman was consistently among the league leaders in defensive categories throughout his career, but in 1,846 career games he hit only .224.  Later as a minor league manager in the Tigers system for the Montgomery Rebels, he helped develop young infield prospects Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker.  He spent a season with the Tigers in 1979 on their coaching staff, and was the infield coach for the White Sox between 1983 and 1988.  Brinkman made a cameo on the White Sox Team Leaders card with Julio Cruz in the 1987 Topps set.  If I had to guess, I'd say I personally own at least 10 copies of this card based on the number of 1987 Topps packs I opened as a kid and how familiar I am with this particular card.

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

Building the Set / Card #182
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 105th 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 less than a dollar.

The Card / Senators Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photo for Brinkman's card was likely taken in 1967, and at the same time as the photo used for his 1968 Topps card.  There's a teammate making a cameo behind Brinkman, but the player's uniform number on his back is just blurry enough to result in his anonymity.  Topps focuses on Brinkman's strong glove work on the back, touting his skills in the field with the cartoon and in the write-up.

Accuracy Index:  After a few misses in a row, Brinkman's card receives a solid +5.

1969 Season
As mentioned above, Brinkman hit a career-best .266 for the Senators as their everyday shortstop.  He made 149 starts at short, and was one of the best defensive players at that position in the game.  His most frequent double play partner was Bernie Allen (#27) at second base.

1963 Topps #479

1968 Topps #49

1970 Topps #711

1973 Topps #5

1975 Topps #439

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #479
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1963-1975, 1987
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1987 Topps #356
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  72 in the Beckett online database as of 11/15/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

Merry Christmas!  Here's a selection from Johnny Mathis' 1969 Christmas album, Give Me Your Love for Christmas.  I hope this Christmas finds you safe, happy and healthy.

#152 Tommie Sisk - Pittsburgh Pirates / #154 Jim Britton - Atlanta Braves

#152 Tommie Sisk - Pittsburgh Pirates

Tommie Wayne Sisk
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Born:  April 12, 1942, Ardmore, OK
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1960
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Chicago White Sox 1970

Tommie Sisk found early success as a reliever with the Pirates, appearing in 57 games during his rookie season of 1963 and pitching to a 2.92 ERA over 108 innings pitched.  He struggled over the next few seasons to regain that form, and was ultimately moved to the starting pitching rotation.  Sisk enjoyed a career year in 1967, going 13-13 with a 3.34 ERA and accumulated 11 complete games with two shutouts.  He struck out a career high 85 batters over 207 2/3 innings.  He was used again in 1968 as a swing-man for the Pirates, making 11 starts and appearing in 33 games overall and pitching to a 3.28 ERA.  In March 1969, Sisk was dealt with Chris Cannizzaro (#131) to the expansion Padres for Ron Davis (#553) and Bobby Klaus (#387).  One of the most frequently used pitchers by the Padres in their inaugural year, Sisk appeared in 53 games and went 2-13 with a 4.78 ERA.  Sisk appeared in 17 games for the White Sox in 1970 before his big league career came to an end.  In 316 games, Sisk was 40-49 with a 3.92 ERA, 10 saves and 441 strikeouts over 928 1/3 innings pitched.

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

Building the Set / Card #181
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 104th 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 less than a dollar.

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index -7

This photo was likely taken at the same time as photos used for Sisk's 1967 and 1968 Topps cards.  And his 1966 Topps card has Sisk posing in essentially the exact same pitching stance.  The cartoon on the back highlights his 57 appearances in 1963, which was his career high.  His 11 complete games in 1967 were 10th most in the National League.

Accuracy Index:  My scoring may be a little harsh in the case of Sisk's card, but he gets a rare (so far) -7 score for the former team uniform (-5) and not actually playing for the Pirates in 1969 (-2).

1969 Season
As mentioned above, Sisk moved from Pittsburgh to San Diego right before the start of the season, which had to have an upgrade at least weather wise.  Manager Preston Gomez (#74) wasn't shy about bringing Sisk into games and he was one of four pitchers with over 50 appearances, joining Frank Reberger (#637), Jack Baldschun and Billy McCool (#129).  McCool led the staff with seven saves, with Sisk and Reberger tied for second place with six saves each.

1963 Topps #169

1964 Topps #224

1967 Topps #84

1968 Topps #429

1970 Topps #374

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #169
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1963-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #374
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  31 in the Beckett online database as of 11/15/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#151 Clay Dalrymple - Baltimore Orioles / #153 Ed Brinkman - Washington Senators