#223 Tom Dukes - San Diego Padres

Thomas Earl Dukes
San Diego Padres
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  August 31, 1942, Knoxville, TN
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Houston Astros 1967-1968; San Diego Padres 1969-1970; Baltimore Orioles 1971; California Angels 1972

World Series Appearances:  Baltimore Orioles 1971

Originally drafted by the Yankees, pitcher Tom Dukes pitched 7 1/2 seasons in the minor league systems of the Yankees and Braves before making his major league debut with the Astros in August 1967.  Dukes was a frequently used reliever for Houston in 1968, appearing in 43 games and claiming four saves.  He was left unprotected for the 1968 expansion draft and chosen by the Padres.  Dukes spent much of 1969 in the minor leagues, but was one of the Padres' most reliable relievers in 1970.  He was 1-6 that season with a 4.04 ERA and 10 saves in a career-high 53 appearances.  Dealt to the Orioles with Pat Dobson (#231) in December 1970, Dukes would appear in 28 games for the pennant-winning team in 1971, and he appeared in two World Series games against the victorious Pirates.

Dukes pitched in seven games for the Angels in 1972 before retiring.  He was 5-16 lifetime with a 4.35 ERA in 161 relief appearances, converting 22 saves.

Building the Set / Card #223
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 146th 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, somewhat surprisingly, a little over $2.

The Card / Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Dukes never played for the Braves during the regular season, but he appears to be wearing a Braves hat and jersey here.  The cartoon on the back credits Dukes with three saves for the Astros in 1968, but his official record shows him with four.

Accuracy Index:  Dukes' card scores a -8 for the Braves jersey (-5) and logo less hat (-3).

1969 Season
Dukes was the 33rd pick in the 1968 expansion draft, and while he was a member of the Padres' opening day roster, he'd make just one appearance out of the bullpen before a demotion to the minors.  Dukes served as the closer for the Triple-A Elmira Pioneers, going 6-1 with a 2.67 ERA and leading the team with 14 saves.  That success earned him a September call-up back to San Diego.  In 13 games overall with the Padres, Dukes was 1-0 with a 7.25 ERA over 22 1/3 innings pitched.

1968 Topps #128

1971 Topps #106

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #128
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1968-1969, 1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #106
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  13 in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#222 Duane Josephson - Chicago White Sox / #224 Angels Rookie Stars