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George Raymond Culver
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: July 8, 1943, Salinas, CA
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent, May 9, 1963
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1966-67; Cincinnati Reds 1968-69; St. Louis Cardinals 1970; Houston Astros 1970-72; Los Angeles Dodgers 1973; Philadelphia Phillies 1973-74
George Culver spent nine seasons in the big leagues and pitched a no-hitter against the Phillies on July 29, 1968 while a member of the Reds. That was his best season in the majors, as he went 11-16 with a 3.23 ERA over 42 apperances. Serving mainly as a reliever throughout his career, Culver was popular among his teammates and known as a team comic. After being released by the Phillies in 1974, Culver spent part of the 1975 season in Japan playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. In 335 career games, he was 48-49 with a 3.62 ERA and 23 saves. After retiring as a player, Culver began his second career as a minor league manager and coach. For 30 years, Culver served in various roles throughout the Phillies and Dodgers organizations.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #524
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 / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Culver slumped after his successful 1968 campaign, going 5-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 32 games, including 13 starts. He served as the Reds' closer occasionally, earning four saves. On November 5th, Culver was traded to the Cardinals for Ray Washburn (#415).
Phillies Career
Culver was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers by the Phillies on August 10, 1973, and Dodgers pitcher Tommy John (#465) credited Culver's departure as the reason his team didn't reach the playoffs that season. John maintained Culver's departure upset the chemistry of the Dodgers. With the Phillies, Culver was used sparingly and appeared in 14 games in 1973, going 3-1 with a 4.82 ERA. He made the team's opening day roster in 1974 and again was used infrequently, getting into only 14 games in April, May and June. He had a 6.65 ERA over 21 2/3 innings pitched when the Phillies released him on June 28th.
Culver returned to the Phillies in 1981 as a roving minor league instructor and for the next decade-plus he spent time as a coach or manager for the team's Double-A team in Reading or their Triple-A teams in Portland, Maine and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #166
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1965, 1967-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1993 Fleer ProCards #2558
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 51 in the Beckett online database as of 6/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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| From the 1974 Phillies Yearbook |
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 80th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me a little less than $1.50.
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
I'm assuming this photo was taken during spring training in 1969, as Topps likely didn't have any pictures available of Culver with the Reds. The write-up on the back of the card highlights his no-hitter in 1968, and an 18-strikeout game in 1963.
Accuracy Index: Culver's card scores a solid +5.
1969 Season
Culver slumped after his successful 1968 campaign, going 5-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 32 games, including 13 starts. He served as the Reds' closer occasionally, earning four saves. On November 5th, Culver was traded to the Cardinals for Ray Washburn (#415).
Culver was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers by the Phillies on August 10, 1973, and Dodgers pitcher Tommy John (#465) credited Culver's departure as the reason his team didn't reach the playoffs that season. John maintained Culver's departure upset the chemistry of the Dodgers. With the Phillies, Culver was used sparingly and appeared in 14 games in 1973, going 3-1 with a 4.82 ERA. He made the team's opening day roster in 1974 and again was used infrequently, getting into only 14 games in April, May and June. He had a 6.65 ERA over 21 2/3 innings pitched when the Phillies released him on June 28th.
Culver returned to the Phillies in 1981 as a roving minor league instructor and for the next decade-plus he spent time as a coach or manager for the team's Double-A team in Reading or their Triple-A teams in Portland, Maine and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #166
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1965, 1967-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1993 Fleer ProCards #2558
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 51 in the Beckett online database as of 6/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
#634 Andy Etchebarren - Baltimore Orioles / #636 Woodie Held - Chicago White Sox
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