#402 Ken Boswell - New York Mets

Kenneth George Boswell
New York Mets
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  February 23, 1946, Austin, TX
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Mets i the 4th round of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1967-74; Houston Astros 1975-77

World Series Appearances:  New York Mets 1969, 1973

Ken Boswell spent 11 seasons in the majors, seeing World Series action twice with the Mets in 1969 and 1973.  Boswell was a September call-up in 1967, never to return to the minor leagues, and one of his best season statistically was his rookie campaign of 1968.  In 75 games, Boswell batted .261 with four home runs and 11 RBIs while getting the majority of playing time at second base.  He was a member of the 1969 Amazin' Mets team that won the World Series, and his five RBIs in the NLCS against the Braves led the team.  Strong seasons followed in 1970 and 1971, with Boswell driving in a career-high 44 runs in 1970 and hitting a career-best 20 doubles in 1971.  Consistently working on his infield defense, Boswell put together an 85-game errorless streak in 1970.

He settled into a pinch-hitting role with the Mets in 1973, and was 3 for 3 in that year's World Series as a pinch-hitter against the Athletics.  Dealt to the Astros following the 1974 season, Boswell would play three seasons in Houston before retiring.  In 930 big league games, Boswell batted .248 with 91 doubles, 31 home runs and 244 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #620
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 26th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 61st of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Boswell's rookie card, and his Topps 1968 All-Star Rookie trophy is front and center.  Topps was high on the prospect given his success in the minor leagues and during his rookie season, as evidenced by the write-up and cartoon on the back of the card.  The cartoon has an uncorrected error, as Boswell's home run at Dodger Stadium came on September 30, 1967, not during the 1966 season.  Boswell connected off Don Drysdale (#400) for his first big league home run.

Accuracy Index:  Boswell's card earns a +5.  It's a great looking card, even if it's a Mets card.

1969 Season
Boswell played in 102 games overall with the Mets, making 91 starts at second base.  He batted .279 with three home runs and 32 RBIs, but was hot for the Mets down the stretch.  From his SABR biography, written by Mike Bender: 

He hit .407 over his last 29 games, with 12 multi-hit efforts, including six in a row from September 9 through September 18 . . . Boswell had arguably the biggest hit in Mets history, up to that time, on September 10.  His 12th-inning, two-out single scored the winning run in the first game of a doubleheader against the Expos - a win that put the Mets into first place for the first time in team history . . .

The Atlanta Braves, the Mets' opponent in the inaugural National League Championship Series, were scheduled to start three right-handed pitchers in the series.  Boswell and the rest of Gil Hodges's (#564) left-handed platoon would start each of the games.  It was a quick series.  After going hitless and making an error in the first game, Boswell hit two-run homers (his first since mid-July) in Game Two and Game Three, driving in four runs, as the Mets completed an unexpected three-game sweep.  He finished the series with a .333 average and a team-high five RBIs. 

On the field one last time in '69, Boswell started against Jim Palmer (#573) at Shea Stadium in Game Three, the first World Series game in New York since 1964 and the first ever-Series game at Shea Stadium.  Batting fifth, he had a single and run scored in three at-bats, as the Mets shut out the Orioles in a game best remembered for Tommie Agee’s (#364) acrobatics in the outfield.  Boswell did not play in either of the final two games of the Series, both wins in the team’s final at-bat . . . The 1969 season was Boswell’s finest year. He set career highs in runs (48), triples (7), batting average (.279), and slugging percentage (.381), and tied his career high for stolen bases with seven.

1970 Topps #214

1971 Topps #492

1972 Topps #306

1974 Topps #645

1977 Topps #429

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #402
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1969-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Upper Deck Legends of New York #71
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  59 in the Beckett online database as of 1/25/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#401 Jake Gibbs - New York Yankees / #403 Bob Miller - Minnesota Twins

#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

#237 Bobby Cox - New York Yankees

Robert Joe Cox
New York Yankees
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  May 21, 1941, Tulsa, OK
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1968-69

As a Manager:  Atlanta Braves 1978-81; Toronto Blue Jays 1982-85; Atlanta Braves 1990-10
Hall of Fame Induction:  2014

As a player, Bobby Cox appeared in 220 games for the Yankees in 1968 and 1969, batting .225 with 22 doubles, nine home runs and 58 RBIs.  He was the club's most regularly used third baseman in 1968, and his full season at the hot corner earned him a place on the Topps 1968 All-Star Rookie team.  Cox began his minor league managerial career in 1971 in the Yankees' farm system.  After guiding teams to winning records in each of his six seasons at the helm, Cox was the first base coach for Billy Martin's (#547) World Champion Yankees club in 1977.  Named the new Braves manager prior to the 1978 season, Cox's first stint with the club saw steady improvement, but he was fired following the 1981 season and quickly snatched up by the Blue Jays to be their manager.  Cox led the Blue Jays to their first winning season in franchise history in 1983 and a division title in 1985.  He'd re-join the Braves in 1986 as their general manager.

Cox returned to the dugout in 1990, and he'd guide the Braves for the next 21 seasons.  He led the team to 14 division pennants during that time, with the Braves getting to the World Series in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999.  They'd win one World Championship in 1995, defeating the Indians in six games.  Cox recorded 100-win seasons six times and his lifetime win total of 2,504 is currently fourth all-time.  He won Manager of the Year honors in 1985, 1991, 2004 and 2005, and his 158 life-time ejections is tops all-time among all big league managers.  His #6 was retired by the Braves in 2011, and Cox was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 by the Expansion Era Committee.

Building the Set / Card #592
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 33rd of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 33rd of 91 cards for set added overall on the day.  Cox was the first of four star cards I'd add from America's Pastime, and the only card I feel I overpaid for from the show.

The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Cox's rookie card and the first and last card of his in a Topps flagship set as a player.  The back of the card explains how he had come to the Yankees.  Cox bounced around throughout the 1960s, spending time in the organizations of the Dodgers (1959-64), Cubs (1965-66), and Braves (1966-67).  On December 7, 1967, he was traded by the Braves to the Yankees for Dale Roberts and Bob Tillman (#374).  Topps reprinted this card in its 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Reprints insert set.

Accuracy Index:  Cox's rookie card earns a +5.

1969 Season
Cox served as a bat off the bench for the Yankees, not earning a start until May 4th.  In 85 games, he batted .215, making 50 starts at third base and six starts at second base.  He'd spend all of 1970 with the Triple-A Syracuse club, having seen his last big league action as a player.

1978 Topps #93

1985 Topps #411

1992 Topps #489

2005 Topps #269

2009 Topps #17

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #237
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (23):  1969, 1978-81, 1983-86, 1990-93, 2001-10
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps Heritage #137
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  127 in the Beckett online database as of 11/8/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#236 Manny Mota - Montreal Expos / #238 Ken Johnson - Atlanta Braves

#526 Hector Torres - Houston Astros

Hector Epitacio Torres
Houston Astros
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  September 16, 1945, Monterrey, Mexico
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent, March 25, 1962
Major League Teams:  Houston Astros 1968-70; Chicago Cubs 1971; Montreal Expos 1972; Houston Astros 1973; San Diego Padres 1975-76; Tortono Blue Jays 1977

Hector Torres was originally drafted by the Giants in 1962 (as a 16-year-old), traded to the Angels in 1966, and traded again to the Astors in 1967.  He won the opening day shortstop job for the Astros in 1968, and he'd appear in a career-high 128 games, batting .223 with 11 doubles, a home run and 24 RBIs.  Torres was fifth in the league in errors committed at shortstop with 24.  He'd bounce around the next five years, spending time with the Cubs, Expos and back with the Astros for part of the 1973 season.  After a full season in the minors in 1974, Torres re-emerged with the Padres in 1975, making 90 starts at either shortstop, third base or second base.  In his best season in the majors, Torres batted .259 with five home runs and 26 RBIs for the fourth place club.  He'd finish up his career with the expansion Blue Jays, as their opening day shortstop in 1977.  Torres became the first player to appear with both Canadian-based major league teams, and he hit the first grand slam in Blue Jays history on June 27, 1977 off the Yankees' Ron Guidry.

After a few more years in the minors, Torres retired as a player and began his minor league managerial career.  He managed in the Blue Jays' system (1982, 1985-86, 1993), with the Brewers' organization (2003) and in Mexico (2005).  Torres was a coach for the Cito Gaston (#304) managed Blue Jays in 1990 and 1991.  In his 622 games in the majors, Torres batted .216 with 46 doubles, 18 home runs and 115 RBIs. 

Building the Set / Card #574
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 15th of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 15th of 91 cards for set added overall on the day, and it cost a little over $2 after the dealer discount.

The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The rookie shortstop pool must have been shallow in 1968, as Topps named Torres to its All-Star Rookie team for the year.  The cartoon on the back highlights Torres' heroics in the Little League World Series.  He starred in the 1958 series as a member of the Monterrey, Mexico Little League team.

Accuracy Index:  Torres' card earns a +5.

1969 Season
It would appear as if Torres was hurt for much of the 1969 season, as he played in a combined 63 games with the Astros and the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers.  Having lost his starting shortstop job to Denis Menke (#487), Torres played in 34 games for the Astros, batting .159 with two extra-base hits.  With the 89ers, he played in 29 games and batted .238.

1970 Topps #272

1971 Topps #558

1972 Topps #666

1976 Topps #241

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #526
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1969-72, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Fleer ProCards #988
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  50 in the Beckett online database as of 10/11/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#525 Earl Wilson - Detroit Tigers / #527 Al Lopez MG - Chicago White Sox

#579 Dave Nelson - Cleveland Indians

David Earl Nelson
Cleveland Indians
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  June 20, 1944, Fort Sill, OK
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1968-69; Washington Senators 1970-71; Texas Rangers 1972-75; Kansas City Royals 1976-77

Died:  April 23, 2018, Milwaukee, WI (age 73)

Dave Nelson played professionally for 14 seasons, spending six seasons with the Senators/Rangers, before moving on to a long coaching and broadcasting career.  Nelson was a light-hitting infielder when he first arrived in the majors in 1968, ending the season as the Indians' regular second baseman.  He'd spend the entire 1969 season in Cleveland in a back-up role, and following the season was dealt to the Senators with Ron Law and Horacio Pina for Dennis Higgins (#441) and Barry Moore (#639).  Nelson had his best seasons in the majors with the Senators/Rangers, stealing 51 bases in 1972 and representing the Rangers (with Jim Spencer) at the 1973 All-Star Game.  He was the franchise's first third baseman, and he'd finish the Rangers' inaugural season with a career-best .286 batting average.  After two seasons with the Royals, Nelson would retire following the 1977 season and pivot to coaching.

Nelson coached at the major league level with the White Sox (1981-84), Indians (1992-97) and Brewers (2003-06).  In between coaching gigs, he worked as a broadcaster with the Royals, Cubs, Indians and Brewers.  In 813 big league games, Nelson batted .244 with 630 hits, 187 stolen bases, 77 doubles and 211 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #488
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 44th 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 a dollar.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Topps must have needed a second baseman for its 1968 All-Star Rookie team, and Nelson got the job by default.  He batted .233 in 88 games in 1968, with four doubles, five triples and 19 RBIs.  This is Nelson's rookie card, taken during spring training in 1969, with a photo from the same session used for his 1970 Topps card.  In the write-up on the back, Topps highlights Nelson's speed on the base paths.  He finished in the top ten for stolen bases in the American League in four different seasons, with his 51 stolen bases in 1972 second behind Bert Campaneris (#495), who had one more with 52.

Accuracy Index:  Nelson's card earns a +5 for the accurate uniform.

1969 Season
In just 52 games, Nelson batted .203 (25 for 123) with no extra base hits and six RBIs.  On the roster the entire season, Nelson made 30 starts at second base, starting 24 games in a row for Al Dark's (#91) team between July 24th and August 16th.  He batted .196 during that stretch.

1970 Topps #112

1971 Topps #241

1973 Topps #111

1974 Topps #355

1976 Topps #535

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #579
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1969-76
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1976 Topps #535
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  48 in the Beckett online database as of 3/21/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#578 Don Bosch - Montreal Expos / #580 Jim Northrup - Detroit Tigers