#130 Carl Yastrzemski - Boston Red Sox

Carl Michael Yastrzemski
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  August 22, 1939, Southampton, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, November 29, 1958
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1961-83

World Series Appearances:  Boston Red Sox 1967, 1975
Hall of Fame Induction:  1989

For over two decades, Carl Yastrzemski was a mainstay at Fenway Park, as the team's regular left fielder, then first baseman and finally designated hitter.  One of the all-time Red Sox fan favorites, Yastrzemski made his first of 18 All-Star teams in 1963, while also being awarded his first of seven Gold Gloves.  That was also the season he won his first of three batting titles with a .321 average.  He'd produce consistently stellar seasons throughout the 1960s, culminating with his triple crown win in 1967 (.326 average, 44 home runs, 121 RBIs) en route to the league MVP award and an American League pennant for his Impossible Dream Red Sox.  Yastrzemski continued his superstar output throughout the 1970s, again helping to lead the Red Sox to the World Series in 1975.  On September 12, 1979, he became the first American League player with 3,000 career hits and 400 home runs.

He retired at the end of the 1983 season having appeared in 3,308 games, second on the all-time list behind Pete Rose (#120).  His career at-bats (11,988), hits (3,419), doubles (646) and walks (1,845) are all currently in the top ten all-time.  Yastrzemski tallied 452 home runs and 1,844 RBIs, and along with Ted Williams (#650), the player he replaced, is at the top of just about every offensive category on the Red Sox all-time lists.  His #8 was retired by the Red Sox in 1989, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot.

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

Building the Set / Card #641

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Crazy Boxes)

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.  I'm not even sure how best to describe the fifth table I visited.  I typically steer clear of tables that look incredibly disorganized or tables that look as if the dealer put minimal effort into his/her display.  This table was both.  But the crudely designed, hand-made sign advertising "Entire Table is 50% Off" made me stop and at least look at what was in the 1969 Topps hodgepodge of cards.  And I'm glad I did.  It took me a solid 20-25 minutes to go through the cards that were loosely in order, but I found seven cards I needed with either mislabeled prices (?) or prices that hadn't been updated since the 1980s.  I paid $7.50 for this perfectly decent Yastrzemski card, the first of seven cards purchased from what I'm calling the Crazy Boxes table, and I wished I had made this table my first stop.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

Collectors had already seen this photo on Yastrzemski's 1968 Topps card.  The write-up on the back highlights his Triple Crown win in 1967 and his recent back-to-back batting titles.  His two opening day home runs in 1968 came off the Tigers' Pat Dobson (#231) and Daryl Patterson (#101) in a 7-3 win.

Yastrzemski signed reprints of this card for the 2018 Topps Heritage set.

Accuracy Index:  The card slips to a +1 for the repeat photo.

Inserts:  Yastrzemski is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
An amazing year for any other player, Yastrzemski's 1969 season could be considered a down year by his standards, as it came in-between his career years of 1967, 1968 and 1970.  He played in all 162 Red Sox games, batting .255 with 40 home runs and 111 RBIs.  The RBI tally led the club and his home run total tied him with Rico Petrocelli (#215) for the team lead.  Yastrzemski finished in the top ten in the American League for slugging and on-base percentage, runs scored, home runs, RBIs and walks.  He led all outfielders with 17 assists and won his fifth of seven career Gold Gloves.

1960 Topps #148

1963 Topps #115

1967 Topps #355

1975 Topps #280

1983 Topps #550

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #148
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1960-84
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Archives #258
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  3,033 in the Beckett online database as of 2/28/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

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

#129 Bill McCool - San Diego Padres / #131 Chris Cannizzaro - Pittsburgh Pirates

#200 Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals

Robert Gibson
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  189
Born:  November 9, 1935, Omaha, NE
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1959-75

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1964, 1967-68
Died:  October 2, 2020, Omaha, NE (age 84)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1981

One of the best, most feared and most competitive pitchers of his generation, Bob Gibson was a nine-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner (1964 and 1967), a two-time Cy Young Award winner (1968 and 1970) and the second pitcher in history to reach the 3,000 strikeout plateau.  Along with his 1968 Cy Young Award, he also took home that season's MVP award as he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA, 28 complete games, 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts in one of the most dominant seasons of pitching in baseball history.  Gibson won 20 or more games five times.  If that wasn't enough, he also won nine Gold Gloves for his fielding and was a lifetime .206 batter with 24 home runs.  He retired after 17 seasons with 251 wins, 56 shutouts and 3,117 strikeouts and the Cardinals retired his #45 in September 1975.

Gibson was a first ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame in 1981, the same year he returned to baseball as a Mets coach on the staff of former teammate and Mets manager Joe Torre (#460).  He moved with Torre to the Braves in 1982 where he stayed through 1984.  He coached one last time for Torre with the Cardinals in 1995.  Gibson passed away on October 2, 2020, 52 years after his dominant performance in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series in which he pitched a complete game shutout and struck out 17 Tigers batters.

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

Building the Set / Card #636

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 second of those six cards and it cost about $36 after a discount.  This was one of four cards I spent more than $30 on at the show, along with Bobby Cox (#237), Harmon Killebrew (#375) and Rod Carew (#510).

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

I feel this is one of the more iconic Gibson cards, as it captures him following his incredible 1968 season.  He's all over the 1969 Topps set, and this is one seven cards of Gibson in the set.  He's on three League Leaders cards (#8, #10, #12), the 2nd Series Checklist (#107), the World Series Game #1 card (#162), this base card and an All-Star card (#432).  The back of the card justifiably focuses on his prior season.

Gibson's 1959 and 1968 Topps cards have been reprinted by Topps a ton over the years, and I was surprised to see this card has never been reprinted, at least as far as I can tell.

Accuracy Index:  Gibson's card easily earns a +5.

Inserts:  Gibson is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
There was really nowhere to go but down after Gibson's all-time great season in 1968, but he still led the league with a 10.4 bWAR and 28 complete games.  From his SABR biography, written by Terry Sloope: 

Things went downhill for the Cardinals after 1968, although Gibson still had some productive seasons ahead of him. [Orlando] Cepeda (#385), their clubhouse cheerleader, was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre before the 1969 season.  As the players union threatened to delay the start of the 1969 season with a strike, owner [August] Busch publicly blasted his team in spring training for being complacent and too concerned with monetary matters, further lowering club morale.  Although Gibson went 20-13 with a 2.18 ERA, the Cardinals dropped to fourth place in the National League’s new Eastern Division.

1959 Topps #514

1965 Topps #320

1968 Topps #100

1971 Topps #450

1975 Topps #150

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #514
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18):  1959-75, 1988
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Archives #297
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2,253 in the Beckett online database as of 2/15/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

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

#199 Jim French - Washington Senators / #201 Russ Snyder - Cleveland Indians

#250 Frank Robinson - Baltimore Orioles

Frank Robinson
Baltimore Orioles
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  183
Born:  August 31, 1935, Beaumont, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1956-65; Baltimore Orioles 1966-71; Los Angeles Dodgers 1972; California Angels 1973-74; Cleveland Indians 1974-76

World Series Appearances:  Cincinnati Reds 1961; Baltimore Orioles 1966, 1969-71
As a Manager:  Cleveland Indians 1975-77; San Francisco Giants 1981-84; Baltimore Orioles 1988-91; Montreal Expos 2002-04; Washington Nationals 2005-06
Died:  February 7, 2019, Los Angeles, CA (age 83)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1982

Frank Robinson was the first player to win the MVP Award in both National and American Leagues, winning the honor in 1961 with the Reds and then in 1966 in his first season with the Orioles.  Robinson won National League Rookie of the Year honors with the Reds in 1956 and was a six-time All-Star with the club before a blockbuster deal sent him to Baltimore.  Robinson won the Triple Crown in 1966 and led the Orioles to their first World Series title that season, winning World Series MVP honors in the process.  He led the Orioles to their second World Championship title in 1970.  In 21 seasons, Robinson was a 14-time All-Star, batting over .300 nine times and hitting at least 30 home runs in 11 seasons.  When he retired, his 586 career home runs ranked fourth on the all-time list.  Robinson collected 2,943 career hits to go along with 1,812 career RBIs.

In 1975, he was named a player-manager for the Indians, becoming the first black manager in Major League Baseball history.  Although he was named Manager of the Year in 1989, he never guided a team to the postseason.  Robinson was the final manager in Expos history and the first manager for the Nationals after the team had relocated to Washington, and he retired following the 2006 season with a career 1,065-1,176 record.  He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1982, and his #20 has been retired by the Orioles, Reds and Guardians.

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

Building the Set / Card #626

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 fourth of those 12, and the 67th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  The card was marked at $25, but I paid a little over $18 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied.

The Card / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Topps used a wildly off center photo for the card, but I guess it kind of works?  There's a lot of blue sky behind Robinson, so I still would have cropped it a little differently.  Topps reprinted the card in its 2001 Topps Through the Years insert set.  His impressive multi-league MVP wins are highlighted in the write-up on the back of the card.

Accuracy Index:  Robinson's card scores an off center +5.

Inserts:  Robinson is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Maxwell Kates: 

As the Orioles were poised for greatness in 1969, their catalyst was once again Frank Robinson.  Proving himself as a comeback player, he batted .308 while driving in 100 runs and hitting 32 homers, including 12 in April.  Off the field Robinson developed a way to perpetuate team chemistry while keeping his teammates relaxed.  Capitalizing on the television success of Laugh-In, Robinson established a clubhouse kangaroo court, proclaiming himself "da Judge."  Wearing a robe and a mop for a wig, Robinson levied fines for "crimes" such as missing the team bus, missing the cutoff man, or wearing running shoes in public.  As writer Ted Patterson remembered, only Robinson could have got away with saying "Stand up, Earl [Weaver]. (#516) Oh, you are standing."  The Orioles donated the proceeds of the 1969 kangaroo court fines to Cincinnati catcher Pat Corrales (#382), whose wife had died that summer giving birth to her fourth child.

Despite 109 regular-season wins and Robinson’s home run in the fifth game, Baltimore lost the 1969 World Series to the Miracle New York Mets.

1957 Topps #35

1961 Topps #360

1967 Topps #100

1975 Topps #580

2006 Topps #295

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #35
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (33):  1957-77, 1983-84, 1986, 1988-91, 2002-06
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2024 Topps Dynamic Duals Ripple Effect #RE-05
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2,422 in the Beckett online database as of 2/1/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

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

#249 Ed Spiezio - San Diego Padres / #251 Ron Herbel - San Francisco Giants

#180 Willie Horton - Detroit Tigers

William Wattison Horton
Detroit Tigers
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  209
Born:  October 18, 1942, Arno, VA
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1961
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1963-77; Texas Rangers 1977; Cleveland Indians 1978; Oakland Athletics 1978; Toronto Blue Jays 1978; Seattle Mariners 1979-80

World Series Appearances:  Detroit Tigers 1968

Slugger Willie Horton played in parts of 18 seasons in the majors, finding the most success early in his career as the regular left fielder for the Tigers and then later in his career as one of the best designated hitters in the game.  He enjoyed a career year in 1968, batting .285 with 36 home runs and 85 RBIs while helping the Tigers to a World Championship title over the Cardinals.  Horton was a four-time All-Star and he topped 100 RBIs three times, in 1965, 1966 and later in 1979.  He collected at least 20 home runs in seven different seasons.  Horton became one the league's top designated hitters in the mid-1970s, prolonging his career and enjoying productive seasons in the majors through the late 1970s.  He won the league's Outstanding Designated Hitter award in 1975 with the Tigers and in 1979 with the Mariners.  Horton last played in the big leagues in 1980, but he prolonged his career with two seasons playing for the Pirates top farm team in Portland and then playing in Mexico in 1983.  When he retired, Horton's 325 career home runs ranked sixth among all American League right-handed hitters.

Popular and superstitious, Horton reportedly used the same batting helmet throughout his career, painting it whenever he joined a new club.  He collected 1,993 hits while batting .273 and driving in 1,163 runs.  Horton briefly served as a big league coach with the Yankees (1985) and White Sox (1986).  In 2000, the Tigers placed a statue of Horton outside Comerica Park and also retired his #23.  Horton and former teammate Al Kaline (#410) threw out the first pitch of the 2006 World Series in Detroit.

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

Building the Set / Card #625

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 third of those 12, and the 66th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  True to its advertising, this card was stunningly less than a dollar after the discount.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Horton's fourth of five total appearances in the set, as the slugger appeared on the 1968 A.L. Home Run Leaders card (#5) and two World Series subset cards (#163 and #169).  He'd also appear on an All-Star card (#429) later in the set.  The back of the card summarizes his 1968 highlights.

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

Inserts:  Horton is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Dan Holmes: 

In contrast with the previous season, 1969 was filled with disappointment for Horton.  Mired in a 4-for-35 slump on May 15, Willie left the team midgame and disappeared for four days due to "personal pressures."  When he came back, he had lost more than $1,300 in pay and was admonished by Detroit General Manager Jim Campbell.  On June 28 in Baltimore, Horton pulled up at second base on a double and tore thigh muscle in his right leg.  The injury forced him to miss 10 games and relegated him to the bench for seven more.  He played the final weeks of the season with a sore right hand.  Nonetheless, Horton still managed 91 RBI and 28 home runs.

1964 Topps #512

1968 Topps #360

1972 Topps #750

1975 Topps #66

1980 Topps #532

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #63
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1964-80
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age #97
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  269 in the Beckett online database as of 2/1/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#179 Dan Pavletich - Chicago White Sox / #181 Mel Nelson - St. Louis Cardinals

#220 Sam McDowell - Cleveland Indians

Samuel Edward McDowell
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  190
Born:  September 21, 1942, Pittsburgh, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1961-71; San Francisco Giants 1972-73; New York Yankees 1973-74; Pittsburgh Pirates 1975

Bolstering the Indians' starting pitching rotation through the mid to late-1960s, Sudden Sam McDowell was a six-time All-Star, won the ERA title in 1965 and led the league five times in strikeouts.  He was a superstar with the Indians, and his sneaky fastball contributed to eight seasons in a row with at least nine or more wins between 1964 and 1972.  His best season came in 1970 when he finished third in the American League Cy Young voting behind Jim Perry (#146) and Dave McNally (#340).  That season, McDowell went 20-12 with a 2.92 ERA over 305 innings pitched, which led the league.  He also led the league with 304 strikeouts, the second time in his career he had reached the 300 strikeout plateau in a season.  While he missed out on the Cy Young, The Sporting News named him their American League Pitcher of the Year.

McDowell struggled somewhat with his control throughout his career and those struggles intensified following the 1971 season when he demanded a trade from the Indians.  McDowell was dealt to the Giants for future Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry (#485) and the two pitchers' careers headed in opposite directions.  McDowell pitched briefly for the Yankees and Pirates before retiring.  He struggled with alcoholism before entering a rehabilitation facility and then eventually earning a college degree in sports psychology and addiction.  McDowell served as a sports addiction counselor with the Blue Jays and Rangers, earning a 1993 World Series ring with the Blue Jays.

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

Building the Set / Card #608
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 13th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 49th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

This same exact photo was used on McDowell's 1967 Topps card.  The back of the card highlights a few memorable events from the 1968 season - McDowell's 283 league-leading strikeouts and his scoreless inning in the All-Star Game.  He struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, retiring Tom Haller (#310), Willie Mays (#190) and Willie McCovey (#440), as the American League won the game, 1-0.

Accuracy Index:  McDowell's card sinks to a +1 given the repeat photo.

Inserts:  McDowell is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
From McDowell's SABR biography, written by Joseph Wancho: 

Heading into the 1969 season, McDowell was happy pitching for the Indians and his manager.  In spring training he was confident that the Tribe could contend for the pennant.   "As a strategist, [manager Al] Dark (#91) shows me things I never dreamed of before," he said.  "He has it all, and because he does, we’ve got a shot at the pennant this year - you better believe it."  But it did not turn out that way.  McDowell with an 18-14 record, led the team in victories and had a 2.94 ERA.  He led the league in strikeouts with 279.  But [Luis] Tiant (#560) finished with a record of 9-20, and led the league in losses.  (New Commissioner Bowie Kuhn had restored the 10-inch height of the pitching mound and shrunk the strike zone.)  Neither [Dick] Ellsworth (#605) nor [Juan] Pizarro (#498) [acquired in a preseason trade with the Red Sox] did much to help the staff.  On June 27, McDowell threw the 1,500th strikeout of his career, whiffing Yankees center fielder Ron Woods (#544).  But Sam’s prediction for the team fell flat; as they finished 46 1/2 games behind first place Baltimore.

1962 Topps #591

1967 Topps #295

1970 Topps #650

1973 Topps #511

1974 Topps #550

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #591
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1962-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Golden Age #71
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  161 in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#219 Freddie Patek - Pittsburgh Pirates / #221 Art Shamsky - New York Mets