#545 Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirates

Wilver Dornel Stargell
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  March 6, 1940, Earlsboro, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1958
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-82

World Series Appearances:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1971, 1979
Died:  April 9, 2001, Wilmington, NC (age 61)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1988

Willie Stargell spent his entire 21-year career with the Pirates, and was one of the most feared power hitters of his generation.  As the club's regular left fielder throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Stargell made his first of seven All-Star teams in 1964.  In 1971, he helped lead the Pirates to a World Championship title over the Orioles, batting .295 during the season with a league leading 48 home runs and 125 RBIs.  He'd continue to slug home runs throughout the 1970s, with his tally of 296 home runs leading all players during the decade.  His blasts were often moonshots, and he holds the distinction of hitting the longest home run in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium history.  In 1973, he crossed the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth and final time, leading the league with 119 RBIs, and also leading the league in home runs (44), doubles (23) and slugging percentage (.646).

Moving to first base in the mid-1970s, he emerged as a veteran team leader, earning his affectionate nickname of "Pops."  In 1979, he again won the league's MVP award, to go along with NLCS MVP and World Series MVP honors as his Pirates again defeated the Orioles in the World Series.  He retired following the 1982 season with a career average of .282, 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBIs.  The Pirates had retired his #8 a month before his final game, and Stargell was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1988.

Stargell briefly served as the first base coach for the Braves (1986-88) following his retirement, and he'd also later work in the Pirates front office.  Two days before he passed away, the Pirates unveiled a statute of Stargell at their new PNC Park.

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

Building the Set / Card #634

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 12th of those 12, and the 75th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  The card was marked at $10, but I paid a little over $7 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photo for this card was likely taken at the same time as the photo used for Stargell's 1968 Topps card.  The back of the card notes his 33 home runs in 1966, setting a club record for left handers.  The cartoon depicts the three home runs Stargell hit on June 24, 1965, victimizing the Dodgers' Don Drysdale (#400) twice and reliever John Purdin (#161) once.

Accuracy Index:  Pops scores a +5.

1969 Season
Again as the everyday left fielder, Stargell enjoyed his best season to date with the Pirates, batting .307 in 145 games with 29 home runs and 92 RBIs.  His average was 8th best in the league, and his .382 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage were 9th and 4th best respectively.  Stargell was also solid on defense, with his .968 fielding percentage ranking second among all National League left fielders.

1963 Topps #553

1971 Topps #230

1975 Topps #100

1979 Topps #55

1982 Topps #715

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1963-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Relics #AGR-WST
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  1,391 in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

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

#544 Tigers Rookie Stars / #546 Jim Nash - Oakland Athletics

#380 Stan Bahnsen - New York Yankees

Stanley Raymond Bahnsen
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  December 15, 1944, Council Bluffs, IA
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4th round of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1966, 1968-71; Chicago White Sox 1972-75; Oakland Athletics 1975-77; Montreal Expos 1977-1981; California Angels 1982; Philadelphia Phillies 1982

A workhorse early in his career and appropriately nicknamed "Bahnsen Burner," Stan Bahnsen was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1968 before going on to have his most success with the White Sox in the early 1970s.  Bahnsen was 17-12 with a 2.05 ERA in 267 1/3 innings pitched in his rookie campaign, earning him nearly unanimous rookie accolades.  He'd suffer a sophomore slump in 1969, and he wouldn't fully regain his rookie form until a trade to the White Sox before the 1972 season.  Bahnsen won 21 and 18 games respectively for Chicago in 1972 and 1973, making over 40 starts each season.  Wear and tear started showing in the mid-1970s, and Bahnsen gradually shifted to a full-time relief role after a few seasons in Oakland and then moving on to the Expos in 1977.  He'd pitch in more games for the Expos (204) than any of the other five teams he'd appear with in the majors, bolstering their bullpen for five seasons.

Bahnsen's last action in the majors came in 1982, as he pitched in seven games with the Angels and his final eight big league games with the Phillies as a September call-up.  He was 146-149 lifetime, with a 3.60 ERA in 574 games pitched.  Bahnsen struck out 1,359, threw 73 complete games, including 16 shutouts, and had 20 career saves.

2015 Chachi Phillies Missing
Links of the 1980s #4

Building the Set / Card #617
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 23rd of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 58th 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 +5

Bahnsen shared Rookie Stars cards in the 1967 and 1968 Topps sets, and this is his first solo baseball card, which is appropriate given his Rookie of the Year accolades.  The back of the card highlights his rookie season success, and notes only Mel Stottlemyre (#470) had more wins on the Yankees than Bahnsen, with 21.

Accuracy Index:  Bahnsen's card earns a +5.

1969 Season
From Bahnsen's SABR biography, written by John Gabcik: 

For the 1969 season, Major League Baseball enacted two major changes in an attempt to adjust what was perceived as a disproportionate advantage to pitchers - the height of the mound was lowered from 15 to ten inches, and the strike zone was officially tightened. Bahnsen, who at times had difficulty controlling his curve, and whose fastball had benefited from the higher mound, was skeptical.  "I don’t like the lower mound, but the smaller strike zone doesn’t bother me since I’m not a spot pitcher," he told The Sporting News.  Bahnsen knew himself well.  He struggled with the lower mound throughout 1969, as his record dropped to 9-16 and his ERA almost doubled. A significant factor, given the times, was that Bahnsen tended to tire in later innings.  He completed only five of his 33 starts, a performance that magnified the weakness of the New York bullpen.

Phillies Career
Bahnsen began the 1982 season in the Angels' bullpen, pitching relatively well in five of his seven outing with the club.  But the team released him on May 14th, and the Phillies picked him up two weeks later on May 31st.  Bahnsen spent the summer with the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers, then the Phillies' top farm team, and was 4-3 with a 4.89 ERA in 23 games and 46 innings pitched.  Surprisingly, with the team still somewhat in a pennant race, he was called up in September and pitched better than expected.  In his final eight games in the majors, Bahnsen had a 1.35 ERA, allowing two earned runs in 8 2/3 innings pitched.  Looking at the bWAR of every Phillies' reliever used in 1982, only Ron Reed (2.6) (#177) and Bahnsen (0.6) had scores above zero.

He'd start the 1983 season with the team's new Triple-A team in Portland, struggling mightily with a 11.37 ERA in 25 1/3 innings pitched.  At some point, the Phillies cut ties with Bahnsen, ending his career.

Bahnsen is perhaps best remembered by Phillies fans as the pitcher who surrendered Mike Schmidt's 48th home run of the 1980 season, leading the Phillies to the National League East division title.  Audio of that blast, featuring Andy Musser's call, can be found here.

1967 Topps #93

1972 Topps #662

1975 Topps #161

1977 Topps #383

1982 Topps #131

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #93
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1967-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Upper Deck Vintage Special Collection Game Jersey #S-STB
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  82 in the Beckett online database as of 1/25/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#379 Ken Boyer - Los Angeles Dodgers / #381 Ed Kranepool - New York Mets

#338 Del Unser - Washington Senators

Delbert Bernard Unser

Washington Senators
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  December 9, 1944, Decatur, IL
Drafted:  Drafted by the Washington Senators in the 1st round (18th pick) of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams:   Washington Senators 1968-71; Cleveland Indians 1972; Philadelphia Phillies 1973-74; New York Mets 1975-76; Montreal Expos 1976-78; Philadelphia Phillies 1979-82

World Series Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 1980

Del Unser played 15 seasons in the majors, and was an everyday center fielder for the Senators, Indians, Phillies and Mets between 1968 and 1975, but most fans will remember him for his late-career pinch-hitting prowess that contributed to the Phillies' first World Championship title in 1980.  Unser first earned regular playing time with the Senators in 1968, and although he batted just .230 with a home run and 30 RBIs in his rookie season, he finished as Rookie of the Year runner-up to Stan Bahnsen (#380).  He batted .286 with a league-leading eight triples in 1969 and overall spent four strong seasons with the Senators.  Dealt to the Indians prior to the 1972 season, Unser's stay in Cleveland would last one year before he began his first stint with the Phillies in 1973.  He'd bat a career-high .294 with the Mets in 1975, essentially his last full season as an everyday player.

After two and half seasons in Montreal, Unser was reacquired by the Phillies in 1979 via free agency and he'd settle into an almost full-time role as a pinch-hitter.  He batted .455 (5 for 11) in the 1980 postseason, with two clutch pinch-hit doubles helping the Phillies defeat the Royals in Games 2 and 5 of the World Series.  Unser retired in 1982 with a .258 career average, 179 doubles, 42 triples, 87 home runs and 481 RBIs.  He'd serve as a coach with the Phillies between 1985 and 1988, and then as the team's farm director between 1990 and 1999.

From the 1980 Phillies Yearbook

Building the Set / Card #615
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 21st of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 56th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Unsleeved, this card cost less than $1 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Senators Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Unser's rookie card, and most importantly, as celebrated I think a few times over on the wonderful and prolific Night Owl Cards blog, this could be the first baseball card to feature an actual photograph taken at night.  I had always known of Unser because of his heroics while with the Phillies, so it's even cooler to know he graces a landmark baseball card.  The back of the card explains how Unser's hot spring in 1968 led to him landing a regular job with the Senators on his way to a solid rookie campaign.

Accuracy Index:  Unser's card scores a +5, although I'd give it a few extra points for the night-related awesomeness.

1969 Season
Under new manager Ted Williams (#650), Unser played in 153 games and had one of the strongest seasons of his career.  His 57 RBIs would ultimately be the second highest total of his career, behind the 61 he drove in with the Phillies in 1974.

Phillies Career
On November 30, 1972, the Indians traded Unser and minor leaguer Terry Wedgewood to the Phillies for Roger Freed and Oscar Gamble.  Unser would be the club's opening day center fielder in 1973 and 1974, batting .276 overall in 278 games with 22 home runs and 113 RBIs.  On December 3, 1974, Unser was packaged with Mac Scarce and John Stearns in a trade with the Mets that brought the Phillies Don Hahn, Dave Schneck and most importantly, reliever Tug McGraw (#601).  Unser would return to the Phillies for a second time, signing with the club as a free agent on March 29, 1979.

Unser played all three outfield positions and some first base during his second stint with the Phillies, but his biggest contribution was as a pinch-hitter.  He'd set a record on July 10, 1979, hitting his third of three consecutive pinch-hit home runs.  Unser's heroics in the 1980 postseason are well-known to all Phillies fans.  Along with his two huge pinch-doubles in the World Series, Unser's pinch-single off the Astros' Ken Forsch in NLCS Game 5 tied the game, and he'd score the eventual winning run a few innings later in the top of the 10th.  In 550 games overall with the Phillies, Unser batted .268 with 55 doubles, 28 home runs and 158 RBIs.

He was manager John Felske's and Lee Elia's (#312) first base and hitting coach for four seasons.  And in his role as the team's farm director in the 1990s, he helped oversee the development of Mike Lieberthal, Jimmy Rollins and Scott Rolen, among many others.

1970 Topps #336

1975 Topps #138

1978 Topps #348

1980 Topps #6

1982 Topps #713

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #338
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1969-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1982 Topps #713
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  79 in the Beckett online database as of 1/18/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#337 Marty Martinez - Houston Astros / #339 Reds Rookie Stars

#619 Royals Rookie Stars - Bill Butler / Pat Kelly / Juan Rios

William Franklin Butler
Kansas City Royals
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  210
Born:  March 12, 1947, Hyattsville, MD
Drafted:  Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Royals 1969-71; Cleveland Indians 1972; Minnesota Twins 1974-75, 1977

Harold Patrick Kelly
Kansas City Royals
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 30, 1944, Philadelphia, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent, September 11, 1962
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1967-68; Kansas City Royals 1969-70; Chicago White Sox 1971-76; Baltimore Orioles 1977-80; Cleveland Indians 1981

World Series Appearances:  Baltimore Orioles 1979
Died:  October 2, 2005, Chambersburg, PA (age 61)

Juan Onofre Velez Rios
Kansas City Royals
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 14, 1942, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1965 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Royals 1969

Died:  August 28, 1995, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (age 53)

Bill Butler was a mainstay in the Royals' starting pitching rotation over the first two years of the franchise's existence.  Drafted from the Tigers as the 22nd pick in the 1968 expansion draft, Butler spent the entire 1969 season with the Royals, making 29 starts and 34 appearances overall.  He tied with Roger Nelson (#279) for the second most starts on the club, with only Wally Bunker (#137) and his 31 starts eclipsing Butler and Nelson.  Butler returned to the rotation in 1970, slotted as the number three starter behind Bunker and Dick Drago (#662).  He pitched in the minors for most of 1972 and 1973, joining the Twins following the 1973 season.  Butler appeared in 55 games for the Twins over parts of three seasons, last pitching in the majors in 1977.  In 134 big league games, he was 23-35 with a 4.21 ERA.

Pat Kelly was a 15-year big leaguer, finding the most success over six seasons as the regular right fielder for the White Sox.  Kelly appeared in 20 games for the Twins in 1967 and 1968, before becoming a regular with the expansion Royals.  He had one of the best seasons of his career in the Royals' inaugural year of 1969, batting .264 with 20 doubles, eight home runs and 32 RBIs.  He'd join the White Sox in 1971, earning an All-Star Game nod in 1973.  Kelly moved on to the Orioles in 1977, hitting career highs for RBIs in 1977 with 49 and for home runs in 1978 with 11.  Now a bench player, he helped the Orioles reach the World Series in 1979, and he was 1 for 4, with a walk, in pinch-hitting appearances in the Fall Classic against the Pirates.  Kelly retired following the 1981 season, having appeared in 1,385 games and batting .264 with 76 home runs, 418 RBIs and 250 stolen bases.  A born again Christian, Kelly became an ordained minister following his playing days.

1970 Topps #89

Juan Rios' sole season in the majors came in 1969 as a back-up middle infielder for the Royals.  Originally signed by the Mets, he played in three minor league seasons in their organization before the Expos selected him in the annual rule 5 draft.  On March 15, 1969, the Expos sold his contract to the Royals, and he was required to remain on their big league roster all season or be returned to the Mets.  Rios made 43 starts throughout the year - 30 at second base, 10 at shortstop and three at third base.  In 87 games overall, he batted .224 with five doubles, a home run and five RBIs.  Rios played for six more seasons after his stint with the Royals, last playing professionally in 1975 for the Bravos de Reynosa in the Mexican League

Building the Set / Card #587
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime)

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.  The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.  

I took my time and found 32 commons and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set.  It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to my second stop.  This was the 28th of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 28th of 91 cards for set added overall on the day, and it cost a little over $4 after the dealer discount.

The Card / Royals Team Set

Butler Accuracy Index -8 / Kelly Accuracy Index +10 / Rios Accuracy Index -8
This is the rookie card for all three players.  I'm guessing Butler is wearing a Tigers hat here, and I'll take a wild stab that Rios is actually wearing an Expos uniform.  Topps would have had time to get a picture of Rios in his Expos garb during spring training, and then pivoted to the logo less hat once he joined the Royals.

Accuracy Index:  It's interesting Topps had a perfectly good photo of Kelly for this card, but they went the blotched out logo route for the photo used on his 1970 Topps card.

1969 Season - Butler
Butler was a pleasant surprise for the expansion club, going 9-10 with a 3.90 ERA in 193 2/3 innings pitched, in what was by far his best season in the majors.  His 156 strikeouts were 10th best in the league, and his four shutouts were fourth best.  Butler's efforts landed him a spot on the Topps 1969 All-Star Rookie team as the squad's left-handed pitcher.

1970 Topps #377

1971 Topps #681

1975 Topps #549

1976 Topps #619

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Butler
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #619
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1969-71, 1975-76
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 SSPC 270 #61
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  27 in the Beckett online database as of 10/25/25.

Sources - Butler:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1969 Season - Kelly
Kelly played his way into a regular outfield role for the Royals, starting more games in right field (60) than any other player while tying Bob Oliver (#662) with 44 starts in center field.  Kelly led the Royals with 40 stolen bases in 53 attempts.

1969 Season - Rios
Rios gave manager Joe Gordon (#484) a defensive and pinch-running option late in games, although he did commit nine errors in 221 chances for a .959 fielding percentage.

1970 Topps #57

1972 Topps #326

1975 Topps #82

1979 Topps #188

1982 Topps #417

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kelly
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #619
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1969-80, 1982
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1982 Topps #417
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  53 in the Beckett online database as of 10/25/25.

Sources - Kelly:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Rios
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #619
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #89
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  10 in the Beckett online database as of 10/25/25.

Sources - Rios:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#618 Ramon Webster - Oakland Athletics / #620 Dean Chance - Minnesota Twins

#614 Astros Rookie Stars - Tom Griffin / Skip Guinn

Thomas James Griffin
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  210
Born:  February 22, 1948, Los Angeles, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 1st round (4th pick) of the 1966 amateur draft, January 29, 1966
Major League Teams:  Houston Astros 1969-76; San Diego Padres 1976-77; California Angels 1978; San Francisco Giants 1979-81; Pittsburgh Pirates 1982

Dragon Eugene Guinn
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 25, 1944, St. Charles, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Atlanta Braves 1968; Houston Astros 1969, 1971

A star high school athlete from Los Angeles, Tom Griffin pitched in 14 big league seasons, primarily with the Astros.  Griffin's rookie season was perhaps his best, as he was 11-10 with a 3.54 ERA in 31 starts.  He had exactly 200 strikeouts in 188 1/3 innings pitched.  Griffin would move back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen with the Astros over the next 6 1/2 seasons, winning 14 games in 1974 and crossing the 200 inning plateau for the only time in the majors with 211 innings pitched.  Picked up on waivers by the Padres in August 1976, Griffin spent a year and a half in San Diego.  He'd finish his career with the Angels, Giants and Pirates, having a mini resurgence with the Giants in 1980, going 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA mostly in relief.  For his career, Griffin was 77-94 in 401 games pitched, with a 4.07 ERA.  He had 1,054 strikeouts in 1,494 2/3 innings pitched.  His 81 career wild pitches currently rank 200th on the all-time list, and he twice led the league in hit batters in 1980 (8) and 1981 (7).

Skip Guinn made 35 relief appearances with the Braves and Astros between 1968 and 1971.  He pitched in three games with the Braves in 1968, was left unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft, and was the 17th pick overall by the Expos.  Guinn was then dealt to the Astros on April 8, 1969 when Donn Clendenon (#208) refused to report to Houston following his trade from Montreal.  Guinn pitched in a career-high 28 games for the Astros in 1969, and a series of rough outings saw his ERA at 6.67 for the season.  He'd spend all of 1970 in the minor leagues and make four more relief appearances with the Astros in 1971.  Guinn pitched in the Astros, Cubs and Royals organizations through the 1973 season before retiring.  His grandson, Kyle Harrison, has pitched with the Giants and Red Sox the past three seasons.

Building the Set / Card #584
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime)

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.  The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.  

I took my time and found 32 commons and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set.  It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to my second stop.  This was the 25th of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 25th of 91 cards for set added overall on the day, and it cost a little over $1.50 after the dealer discount.

The Card / Astros Team Set / Griffin Accuracy Index -3 / Guinn Accuracy Index +5
This is the rookie card for both.  Griffin may be wearing an Astros hat, and Guinn definitely is.  Kudos to Topps for rushing a photo of Guinn, as he was acquired by the Astros on opening day.

Accuracy Index:  Griffin loses points for the mystery hat, and Guinn's half of the card scores a +5.

1969 Season - Griffin
Griffin won a roster spot out of spring training, and slotted into the starting pitching rotation behind Don Wilson (#202) and Larry Dierker (#411).  All three pitchers would finish the season with at least 200 strikeouts, as Griffin reached the mark with nine strikeouts in his final start of the season on September 28th.  Griffin led all National League pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings with a 9.558 mark.

1969 Season - Guinn
Guinn was 1-2 with the aforementioned 6.67 ERA for the Astros.  In four different outings, he allowed runs without recording an out.  With the Double-A Savannah Senators, Guinn made one start and threw seven shutout innings. 

1970 Topps #578

1973 Topps #468

1975 Topps #188

1978 Topps #318

1982 Topps #777

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Griffin
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #614
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1969-71, 1973-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1982 Topps #777
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  52 in the Beckett online database as of 10/24/25.

Sources - Griffin:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Guinn
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #614
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1969-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #741
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  9 in the Beckett online database as of 10/24/25.

Sources - Guinn:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1970 Topps #316

1971 Topps #741

#613 Jim Beauchamp - Cincinnati Reds / #615 Len Gabrielson - Los Angeles Dodgers