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John Morgan Boozer
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher
Born: July 6, 1938, Columbia, SC
Signed: Signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, July 9, 1958
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1962-64, 1966-69
Died: January 24, 1986, Lexington, SC (age 47)
John Boozer spent his entire professional career within the Phillies' organization, pitching in 12 seasons overall with the club, including parts of seven seasons in the majors. His best season came in 1961 with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, when he went 19-9 with a 2.61 ERA, and four shutouts over 35 games. Primarily used as a middle reliever, Boozer pitched in at least 20 games for the Phillies in five different seasons, reaching a career high 46 appearances during his final year playing in 1969. Boozer was ejected from a game on May 2, 1968, when he was accused by home plate umpire Ed Vargo of throwing a spit ball with manager Gene Mauch (#606) also getting tossed. In 171 games with the Phillies, Boozer was 14-16 with a 4.09 ERA and 15 saves.
John Boozer spent his entire professional career within the Phillies' organization, pitching in 12 seasons overall with the club, including parts of seven seasons in the majors. His best season came in 1961 with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, when he went 19-9 with a 2.61 ERA, and four shutouts over 35 games. Primarily used as a middle reliever, Boozer pitched in at least 20 games for the Phillies in five different seasons, reaching a career high 46 appearances during his final year playing in 1969. Boozer was ejected from a game on May 2, 1968, when he was accused by home plate umpire Ed Vargo of throwing a spit ball with manager Gene Mauch (#606) also getting tossed. In 171 games with the Phillies, Boozer was 14-16 with a 4.09 ERA and 15 saves.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #504
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Boozer went to spring training with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee, spending April and May pitching for the Eugene Emeralds, his fourth Triple-A team within the Phillies organization. He earned a promotion at the start of June, eventually pitching in 46 games and going 1-2 with a 4.28 ERA and six saves. That tied him for the team lead in saves with Bill Wilson (#576). Following the season, Boozer announced his retirement at the age of 30.
Phillies Career
Boozer's Baseball Reference page lists five different uniform numbers for the pitcher, which I find fascinating. Either he was constantly requesting the change, or he was considered a marginal player who had his existing number taken away on numerous occasions by new, more experienced teammates. There's also the fact Boozer was frequently shuttled between Triple-A and the Phillies, so that probably contributed to the frequent number changes too. He started out with #29, then switched to #19 in 1964. Rookie Pat Corrales (#382) made his debut in August 1964, getting assigned #29. Boozer wore #19 until switching to #28 for the 1967 season. Veteran Tito Francona (#398) arrived in 1967 and took #19. Finally, in 1969, Boozer started with #28, switched to #21 and ended his Phillies career with #42. Pitcher (and rookie) Luis Peraza wore #28 briefly at the start of the season, so I'm assuming it was Boozer's choice to switch to #21. But then no one else assumed #21, and Boozer apparently decided on his own to switch again to #42?
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #29
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1963-66, 1968-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #599
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 21 in the Beckett online database as of 5/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 60th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $1.50.
The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Boozer's sixth and final appearance in a Topps flagship set. The cartoon on the back shows Boozer's offseason hobby - fishing.
Accuracy Index: It's a solid +5 for Boozer's card.
1969 Season
Boozer went to spring training with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee, spending April and May pitching for the Eugene Emeralds, his fourth Triple-A team within the Phillies organization. He earned a promotion at the start of June, eventually pitching in 46 games and going 1-2 with a 4.28 ERA and six saves. That tied him for the team lead in saves with Bill Wilson (#576). Following the season, Boozer announced his retirement at the age of 30.
Boozer's Baseball Reference page lists five different uniform numbers for the pitcher, which I find fascinating. Either he was constantly requesting the change, or he was considered a marginal player who had his existing number taken away on numerous occasions by new, more experienced teammates. There's also the fact Boozer was frequently shuttled between Triple-A and the Phillies, so that probably contributed to the frequent number changes too. He started out with #29, then switched to #19 in 1964. Rookie Pat Corrales (#382) made his debut in August 1964, getting assigned #29. Boozer wore #19 until switching to #28 for the 1967 season. Veteran Tito Francona (#398) arrived in 1967 and took #19. Finally, in 1969, Boozer started with #28, switched to #21 and ended his Phillies career with #42. Pitcher (and rookie) Luis Peraza wore #28 briefly at the start of the season, so I'm assuming it was Boozer's choice to switch to #21. But then no one else assumed #21, and Boozer apparently decided on his own to switch again to #42?
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #29
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1963-66, 1968-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #599
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 21 in the Beckett online database as of 5/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
#598 Ruben Amaro - California Angels / #600 Tony Oliva - Minnesota Twins
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