#235 Jim Hunter - Oakland Athletics

James Augustus Hunter
Oakland Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  April 8, 1946, Hertford, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent before, June 8, 1964
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1965-67; Oakland Athletics 1968-74; New York Yankees 1975-79

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1972-74; New York Yankees 1976-78
Died:  September 9, 1999, Hertford, NC (age 53)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1987

Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, winning the Cy Young Award in 1974, earning eight All-Star Game bids and winning a total of five World Series rings with the Athletics and Yankees.  Hunter pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968, the ninth in baseball history.  He won 20 games or more in five straight seasons, including 25 in his Cy Young winning year of 1974.  He also led the league that season with a 2.49 ERA.  Hunter won 224 games, had a career ERA of 3.26 and tallied 181 complete games with 42 shutouts.  He struck out 2,012 in a career cut short by arm injuries and diabetes.  Hunter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 and had his #27 retired by the Athletics in 1991.  He passed away in 1999 after a battle with ALS.

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

Building the Set / Card #637

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Richie's Sports Cards)

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.  After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set from Richie's my fourth stop of the show.  This is the third of those six cards and it cost about $9 after a discount.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +2

Topps hat to go with a hatless photo of Hunter, given he had been wearing a now outdated Kansas City Athletics hat when the photo was taken, likely in 1966 or 1967.  The cartoon imagines Hunter crying over his 1967 All-Star Game loss, but I'm sure he was fine.  He had allowed a solo home run to Tony Perez (#295) in the top of the 15th inning to break a 1-1 tie.  His 1968 perfect game is highlighted in the write-up.

Accuracy Index:  Hunter's card earns five points for the accurate uniform, but loses three points for the lack of a hat.

1969 Season
Still only 23 years old, Hunter was 12-15 with a 3.35 ERA in 38 games and 247 innings pitched for the Athletics.  Only Blue Moon Odom (#195) with a 2.7 mark had a higher bWAR on the team's pitching staff than Hunter's 2.3.

1965 Topps #526

1970 Topps #565

1974 Topps #7

1976 Topps #100

1979 Topps #670

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #526
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1965-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Wicked Curves #WC-30
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  733 in the Beckett online database as of 2/22/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#234 Dave Bristol MG - Cincinnati Reds / #236 Manny Mota - Montreal Expos

#450 Billy Williams - Chicago Cubs

Billy Leo Williams
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 15, 1938, Whistler, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1959-74; Oakland Athletics 1975-76

Hall of Fame Induction:  1987

Billy Williams was as automatic, consistent and reliable as any outfielder of his era.  For 16 seasons with the Cubs, Williams batted third and played left field (except for a two-year detour to right field), appearing in at least 150 games or more in 12 straight seasons.  He was called an Iron Man before Cal Ripken, Jr. came along, as he played in 1,117 consecutive games between 1963 and 1970.  Williams was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1961, and in 1962 he was named to the first of six All-Star teams.  He batted over .300 in five seasons, and collected at least 25 home runs in 10 seasons.  He enjoyed a career year in 1970, batting .322 with 42 home runs and 129 RBIs, finishing second in the league's MVP voting behind Johnny Bench (#95).  Williams led the league that season in runs scored (137) and hits (205).  He won the league's batting crown in 1972 with a .333 average, again finishing as the MVP runner-up behind Bench.  Williams was dealt to the Athletics after the 1974 season for Manny Trillo, Darold Knowles and Bob Locker (#548).  He spent the final two seasons of his career as the designated hitter for Oakland, finally reaching the postseason in 1975 with the club.

Williams retired with a .290 average, 2,711 hits, 426 home runs and 1,475 RBIs.  He served as a long-time coach for the Cubs (1980-82, 1986-87, 1992-01) with another brief tenure as a coach for the Athletics (1983-85).  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and his #26 was retired by the Cubs that same year.  In 1999, Williams was selected to the Cubs All-Century Team and a statute of the long-time outfielder was installed outside Wrigley Field in 2010.

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

Building the Set / Card #631

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

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 third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the ninth of those 12, and the 72nd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  I paid $11 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

There's a ballpark cop forever immortalized with a cameo behind Williams on this card.  The cartoon on the back highlights his 1961 Rookie of the Year win, while the write-up touts his team-leading totals in 1968 for RBIs, doubles and triples.  Williams appears earlier in the set on the National League RBI Leaders card (#4).  As far as I can tell, this card has never been reprinted by Topps.

Accuracy Index:  The model of consistency, like Williams himself, his card scores a +5.

1969 Season
Williams played in all 163 Cubs games, batting .293 with 21 home runs and 95 RBIs.  His 188 hits were fifth best in the league, his 33 doubles were third best and he lead all National League left fielders with 11 assists.  From his SABR biography, written by Mark Armour: 

The 1969 Cubs finally put it all together . . . for five months.  On September 2 they led the surprising New York Mets by five games and appeared to have the race in hand.  Shockingly, the Cubs dropped the next eight while the Mets were going 8-2.  The Cubs lost the lead and finished eight games behind the rampaging New Yorkers.  Chicago finished with 92 wins, its best record since 1945.  Although Williams hit .278 with six home runs during that fateful September, his team hit just .215 with 17 homers.  On September 5, Williams hit two doubles and two home runs off Pittsburgh's Steve Blass (#104), but these were the only four hits Blass allowed in a complete game 9-2 victory.  Losing or winning, Williams just kept playing every day, playing the same game he always played.  "I am not tough to live with after the loss," he admitted.  "I don't carry the game home.  I do what I can, and when I'm done I leave the park.  I leave my glove and I leave my spikes and everything about the game behind me."

The Cubs honored Billy Williams with a "day" on June 29, 1969.  The Cubs hosted the Cardinals in a double-header, and in the second game Williams broke Stan Musial's NL record by playing in his 896th consecutive game.  In the first game, when Williams tied the record, he finished 1-for-4 while Ferguson Jenkins (#640) bested Bob Gibson (#200), 3-1.  In the nightcap, Williams celebrated his record by finishing four-for-five, including a double and two triples, in a 12-1 rout.  Between games the Cubs held a ceremony, for which they had flown Williams' mother and aunt in from Whistler.  Williams was showered with gifts, including a Chrysler Imperial automobile, capping one of the most memorable days of Williams' career.

1961 Topps #141

1968 Topps #37

1970 Topps #170

1972 Topps #439

1976 Topps #525

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #141
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1961-76
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #76RO-BW
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  938 in the Beckett online database as of 2/6/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#449 Paul Lindblad - Oakland Athletics / #451 Rich Rollins - Seattle Pilots

#428 Lou Brock AS - St. Louis Cardinals

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #630

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

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 third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the eighth of those 12, and the 71st of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  I paid less than $1.50 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Pete Rose Puzzle

Lou Brock (#85), teammate Curt Flood (#540) and Pete Rose (#120) each get outfield spots on The Sporting News National League All-Star team.  Flood, Henry Aaron (#100) and Willie Mays (#190) were the starting outfielders in the actual 1968 All-Star Game, with Matty Alou (#490), Aaron and Cleon Jones (#512) starting in the outfield in the 1969 game.  I wonder what made Topps give the nod to Brock for this card over Aaron?  Brock was a six-time All-Star, earning a spot on the team in 1967, 1971-72, 1974-75 and 1979.

Linked below is a great article from Sports Collectors Daily, and the author did his best in tracking down the origins of the action photos appearing on these All-Star subset cards.  There's some fantastic detective work explained in the article, but there are six All-Stars cards, including this Brock card, where the author has had no success yet in identifying the background photo.  Ironically, Brock does actually appear as the background photo on the All-Stars card of Rod Carew (#419).

The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Rose or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Brocks's card features Rose's batting grip.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (3):  1968-69, 1976

1968 Topps #372

1976 Topps #10

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#427 Tony Oliva AS - Minnesota Twins / #429 Willie Horton AS - Detroit Tigers

#295 Tony Perez - Cincinnati Reds

Atanacio Perez
Cincinnati Reds
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  175
Born:  May 14, 1942, Camaguey, Cuba
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent, March 12, 1960
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1964-76; Montreal Expos 1977-79; Boston Red Sox 1980-82; Philadelphia Phillies 1983; Cincinnati Reds 1984-86

World Series Appearances:  Cincinnati Reds 1970, 1972, 1975-76; Philadelphia Phillies 1983
As a Manager:  Cincinnati Reds 1993; Florida Marlins 2001
Hall of Fame Induction:  2000

As the first baseman for the Big Red Machine in the mid-1970s, and often cited as the team's leader, Tony Perez helped the Reds win back-to-back World Championships in 1975 and 1976.  Perez drove in over 100 runs in seven seasons between 1967 and 1980, and drove in at least 90 runs between 1967 and 1977.  He was a seven-time All-Star and the MVP of the 1967 game due to his game-winning home run in the 15th inning off Catfish Hunter (#235).  Nicknamed "Big Dog" or "Doggie," Perez helped propel Cincinnati to its first of four World Series throughout the 1970s with a career year in 1970.  He batted .317 that season with 40 home runs and 129 RBIs, with all three marks career bests.  His RBI tally of 954 in the 1970s was second for the decade behind his teammate Johnny Bench (#95).

Perez was dealt to Montreal following the 1976 season, and he continued his steady hitting with the Expos and later the Red Sox between 1977 and 1982.  In 1983, he was reunited with his Big Red Machine teammates Pete Rose (#120) and Joe Morgan (#35), as all three helped the Phillies reach the World Series.  He spent the final three seasons of his playing career back in Cincinnati, playing for player-manager Rose and serving mainly as a successful pinch-hitter.  Perez retired with a lifetime .279 average, 2,732 hits, 505 doubles, 379 home runs and 1,652 RBIs.

From the 1983 Phillies Yearbook

He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1998 and had his #24 retired by the team in 2000.  Perez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.  He briefly managed in the majors with the Reds (1993) and Marlins (2001), and coached for the Reds between 1987 and 1992.  He served as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Marlins between 1993 and 2017.

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

Building the Set / Card #627

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

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 third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the fifth of those 12, and the 68th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  The card was marked at $5, but I paid a little under $4 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied.

The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Perez's card uses a similar pose as seen on his 1968 Topps card, but the two photos were taken at two different ballparks.  His heroics in the 1967 All-Star Game and his team-leading triple and RBI totals are mentioned on the back of the card.

Accuracy Index:  Perez scores a +5.

1969 Season
Perez enjoyed his third straight All-Star season, and his third straight season as the everyday third baseman for the Reds.  In 160 games, he batted .294 with 37 home runs and 122 RBIs, finishing 10th in the league MVP voting.  He was among all league leaders in home runs (4th), RBIs (3rd), run (7th with 103), hits (6th with 185), doubles (7th with 31), and led the league with 32 errors committed.  Perez would abandon third base for good beginning with the 1972 season.

Phillies Career
Perez was released by the Red Sox on November 1, 1982, and signed with the Phillies on January 31, 1983.  Rose had been with the club since 1979, helping the team win its first World Championship in 1980, and Morgan had been acquired from the Giants in mid-December 1982.  With the three former teammates reunited, and an aging core of veterans starting for the Phillies, the 1983 squad was dubbed the Wheeze Kids, playing off the Whiz Kids nickname for the 1950 team.  Perez, now 41 years old, was with the Phillies for only the one season, appearing in 91 games and batting .241 with six home runs and 43 RBIs.

He was the club's opening day first baseman, with Rose moving temporarily to right field.  Perez started 63 games in total at first base, and also made two starts at first during the 1983 World Series against the Orioles.  Overall he batted .273 (3 for 11) in the postseason, as the Phillies fell in five games.  Coming full circle, he was sold to the Reds on December 6, 1983.

1965 Topps #581

1970 Topps #380

1976 Topps #325

1983 Topps Traded #85T

2002 Topps #303

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #581
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1965-86, 1993, 2002, 2010
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Heritage Undefeated #U-2
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  1,167 in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room

#294 Jim Lemon MG - Washington Senators / #296 Andy Messersmith - California Angels

#347 Randy Hundley - Chicago Cubs

Cecil Randolph Hundley
Chicago Cubs
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  170
Born:  June 1, 1942, Martinsville, VA
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1964-65; Chicago Cubs 1966-73; Minnesota Twins 1974; San Diego Padres 1975; Chicago Cubs 1976-77

He played his first eight big league games with the Giants, but Randy Hundley is best known as the long-time leader and catcher for the Cubs, the team he played in 947 games with over ten seasons.  Blocked behind Tom Haller (#310) in San Francisco, Hundley got the chance to start for the Cubs when the team acquired him before the 1966 season.  His 19 home runs in 1966 set a National League record for rookie catchers, and he'd finish fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.  He'd enjoy arguably his best season in 1967, winning a Gold Glove, and batting .267 with 25 doubles, 14 home runs and 60 RBIs.  He'd make the All-Star team in 1969, his last great season before the heavy workload behind the plate started taking a toll on him.  Between 1970 and 1976, Hundley was injured more often than not, although he did regain the starting catcher's job for the Cubs in 1972 and 1973.

Hundley briefly spent time with the Twins and Padres before returning to the Cubs in 1976 for his swan song.  He served as the team's bullpen coach in 1977, activated late in the season and appearing in his final two games before retiring as a player.  In 1,061 career games, Hundley batted .236 with 82 home runs and 381 RBIs.  He managed in the Cubs' minor league system between 1979 and 1981, and was a part of a large inaugural class of Cubs Hall of Fame inductees in 2021.  Hundley is also credited with starting and running fantasy camps, now prevalent throughout the spring trainings of many big league teams.

Building the Set / Card #616
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 22nd of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 57th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Unsleeved, this card cost less than $1 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

It's a great pose, but collectors had already seen this photo on Hundley's first solo card in the 1967 Topps set.  A few highlights from the 1967 season are covered on the back of the card - his 13-game hitting streak and his record-setting low of only four errors all season.

Accuracy Index:  Again, great card, but it scores only a +1 due to the repeat photo.

1969 Season
Hundley batted .255 with 18 home runs and 64 RBIs, starting 145 of the Cubs' 163 regular season games behind the plate.  From his SABR biography, written by Steve Dunn: 

For Randy and other Cub mainstays such as Ernie Banks (#20), [Ron] Santo (#570) and [Billy] Williams (#450), the 1969 season was the highlight and lowlight of their time in Chicago.  On August 14, the Cubs enjoyed a nine-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and a 10-game cushion over the New York Mets after being in first place for 155 straight days. 

But the lead had shrunk to a half-game in early September when the Mets beat the Cubs twice in New York . . . It only got worse for the Cubs when they lost twice to the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Mets rolled over the Montreal Expos four times, putting the upstart New Yorkers in first place for good.  Like most of the other Cub regulars, Randy’s performance at the plate declined greatly in September.  On June 1, he was hitting .307 with eight homers, but he hit only .151 in the last month of the season. 

Nevertheless, the ironman catcher was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time and led the league's catchers in fewest errors and double plays turned by a catcher and tied for most games and assists.  He also hit a grand slam and a double on May 28, 1969, in a 9-8 win over the Giants.

1966 Topps #392

1967 Topps #106

1972 Topps #258

1976 Topps #351

1977 Topps #502

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #392
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1966-74, 1976-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Fleer Greats of the Game #73
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  85 in the Beckett online database as of 1/19/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#346 Wayne Comer - Seattle Pilots / #348 Steve Hargan - Cleveland Indians

#262 Mike Kekich - New York Yankees

Michael Dennis Kekich
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  196
Born:  April 2, 1945, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965, 1968; New York Yankees 1969-73; Cleveland Indians 1973; Texas Rangers 1975; Seattle Mariners 1977

Mike Kekich pitched in nine different seasons, primarily with the Yankees, and he's best known for swapping wives and kids with fellow Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson (#46).  Kekich was a 10-game winner for the Yankees in 1971 and 1972, throwing at least 170 innings in both seasons.  He hung on through the 1977 season as one of the more frequently used veteran relievers for the expansion Mariners.  Kekich also pitched in Japan and Mexico along the way.  In 235 career games, Kekich was 39-51 with a 4.59 ERA and 497 strikeouts.

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

Building the Set / Card #609
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 14th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 50th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Unsleeved, this card cost less than $1 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Kekich had last appeared in a Topps set way back in 1965, and he's very likely wearing a Dodgers jersey and on this card.  The back of the card contains an uncorrected error, as Topps misspelled the name of the player traded by the Yankees for Kekich - see below.  The cartoon highlights the shutout he threw against the Mets on August 4, 1968.  He struck out 11 and allowed only one hit - a seventh inning single to Rob Swoboda (#585).  It was the only shutout of Kekich's big league career.

Accuracy Index:  It's been a while since we've had a -8 score for a former team jersey and a hat without a logo.

1969 Season
On December 4, 1968, Kekich was traded by the Dodgers to the Yankees for outfielder/first baseman Andy Kosco (#139).  In his first season with the Yankees, Kekich pitched in 28 games, making 13 starts, and was 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA, throwing 105 innings.  He was wild throughout his career, and this season was no different, as he struck out 66 but walked 49.

1965 Topps #561

1971 Topps #703

1973 Topps #371

1974 Topps #199

1976 Topps #582

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965, 1969-74, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Pacific Senior League #73
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  33 in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#261 Bob Johnson - Atlanta Braves / #263 Jerry May - Pittsburgh Pirates