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Donald Eugene Cardwell
New York Mets
Pitcher
Born: December 7, 1935, Winston-Salem, NC
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1957-60; Chicago Cubs 1960-62; Pittsburgh Pirates 1963-66; New York Mets 1967-70; Atlanta Braves 1970
World Series Appearances: New York Mets 1969
Died: January 14, 2008, Winston-Salem, NC (age 72)
Don Cardwell was a starting pitcher for most of his 14 years in the majors, winning at least 13 games in three different seasons and earning a World Series ring with the 1969 Amazin' Mets. Cardwell was signed by the Phillies and struggled somewhat during his first three seasons in the majors. Dealt to the Cubs on May 13, 1960, Cardwell threw a no-hitter in his first start for his new team becoming the first player to accomplish that feat. He led the league with 38 starts in 1961, and threw a career-high 259 1/3 innings while winning a career-high 15 games. Cardwell crossed the 200-inning plateau in four different seasons. Effectively wild, he led the league in hit batters twice, in 1963 and 1965. As a member of the Mets pitching staff in 1969, he went 8-10 with a 3.01 ERA in 30 appearances, throwing a shutout inning in Game 1 of the World Series against the Orioles.
Cardwell retired in 1970 with a career record of 102-138 in 410 appearances. He recorded 1,211 career strikeouts over 2,123 innings pitched.
Died: January 14, 2008, Winston-Salem, NC (age 72)
Don Cardwell was a starting pitcher for most of his 14 years in the majors, winning at least 13 games in three different seasons and earning a World Series ring with the 1969 Amazin' Mets. Cardwell was signed by the Phillies and struggled somewhat during his first three seasons in the majors. Dealt to the Cubs on May 13, 1960, Cardwell threw a no-hitter in his first start for his new team becoming the first player to accomplish that feat. He led the league with 38 starts in 1961, and threw a career-high 259 1/3 innings while winning a career-high 15 games. Cardwell crossed the 200-inning plateau in four different seasons. Effectively wild, he led the league in hit batters twice, in 1963 and 1965. As a member of the Mets pitching staff in 1969, he went 8-10 with a 3.01 ERA in 30 appearances, throwing a shutout inning in Game 1 of the World Series against the Orioles.
Cardwell retired in 1970 with a career record of 102-138 in 410 appearances. He recorded 1,211 career strikeouts over 2,123 innings pitched.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #605
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
1969 Season
Cardwell appeared in 30 games for the eventual World Champions, making 21 starts. From his SABR biography, written by Matthew Silverman:
Phillies Career
Cardwell made his big league debut with the Phillies on April 21, 1957, pitching the final three innings of an 8-5 win over the Giants at the Polo Grounds, and saving the game for starter Jack Sanford. He'd be used primarily as a starter for the Phillies, and his best season with the club came in 1959 when he was 9-10 with a 4.06 ERA in 25 games, including 22 starts. Cardwell began the 1960 season with the Phillies, but was dealt to the Cubs in mid-May with first baseman Ed Bouchee for infielder Tony Taylor (#108) and catcher Cal Neeman. He'd throw his no-hitter in his first start with the Cubs, but I'd say the Phillies eventually won the trade given the Wall of Fame career of Taylor, and his role as an ambassador for the club until his passing in 2020.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #374
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1957-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1990 Swell Baseball Greats #72
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 72 in the Beckett online database as of 1/1/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table. I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2. I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.
I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop. This was the 10th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 46th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day. Unsleeved, this card cost less than $1 after a dealer discount - a surprising price given the premium usually paid for Mets cards from this set.
The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
This is yet another card featuring the same photo used in Topps' 1967 set. The back of the card highlights Cardwell's 1960 no-hitter, while the cartoon digs deep, going all the way back to his 1954 season.
Accuracy Index: Cardwell's card scores a +1 - accurate uniform, but a repeat photo.
1969 Season
Cardwell appeared in 30 games for the eventual World Champions, making 21 starts. From his SABR biography, written by Matthew Silverman:
He started off at 0-4 as the Mets scored just twice in his first 28 innings of work. He finally got himself a win by taking matters into his own hands, allowing only a Lee May (#405) home run to Cincinnati while breaking the game open with a three-run blast of his own (it turned out be his last major league home run).
Cardwell's most famous moment with the bat, however, came in the back end of an extraordinary doubleheader in September. With the Mets remarkably having taken over first place from the Cubs, the Mets hit Pittsburgh for a Friday night doubleheader. Left fielder Cleon Jones (#512) was injured and platoon right fielder Art Shamsky (#221) missed the twin bill because it was Rosh Hashanah. The Mets had little offense to begin with and they snuck out a win in the opener with pitcher Jerry Koosman (#90) singling in the only run and protecting the lead with a shutout. Cardwell, who’d driven in just one run since his three-run homer against the Reds in May, singled in Bud Harrelson (#456) against Dock Ellis (#286) in the second inning in the nightcap. Cardwell danced through trouble and the lead held up, with ninth-inning help from Tug McGraw (#601). The twin 1-0 wins with pitchers driving in the only runs of each game - part of 36 consecutive scoreless innings by the club - pushed the Mets to 2 1/2 games in front of Chicago. It seemed like further proof that baseball was in the midst of a miracle.
Cardwell made his big league debut with the Phillies on April 21, 1957, pitching the final three innings of an 8-5 win over the Giants at the Polo Grounds, and saving the game for starter Jack Sanford. He'd be used primarily as a starter for the Phillies, and his best season with the club came in 1959 when he was 9-10 with a 4.06 ERA in 25 games, including 22 starts. Cardwell began the 1960 season with the Phillies, but was dealt to the Cubs in mid-May with first baseman Ed Bouchee for infielder Tony Taylor (#108) and catcher Cal Neeman. He'd throw his no-hitter in his first start with the Cubs, but I'd say the Phillies eventually won the trade given the Wall of Fame career of Taylor, and his role as an ambassador for the club until his passing in 2020.
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First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #374
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1957-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1990 Swell Baseball Greats #72
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 72 in the Beckett online database as of 1/1/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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