#169 1968 World Series - Tigers Celebrate Their Victory

The 1968 World series marked the last time two teams faced off in the Fall Classic without having to first advance via a playoff series.  With Major League Baseball expanding to 24 teams in 1969, the two leagues were split into four divisions and a League Championship Series would determine the World Series opponents between 1969 and 1993.

The Cardinals and Tigers were powerhouses in their respective leagues, easily advancing to the World Series.  This was a rematch of the 1934 World Series, when the Gashouse Gang of the Cardinals had bested the Tigers in seven games.  The Tigers would prevail this time, winning their first title since 1945, and their third World Series title overall as the Cardinals couldn't repeat after winning in 1967 against the Red Sox.

World Series cards were a key subset in Topps flagship sets throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.  Topps designed its World Series cards in its 1969 set to have the appearance of the front page of a newspaper, with The Sporting News getting some free publicity as the paper's banner.

Building the Set / Card #643

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 a little over $0.50 for this World Series card, the third 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 / Tigers Team Set / Cardinals Team Set  

Dick McAuliffe (#305), Denny McLain (#150) and Willie Horton (#180) are featured on the obligatory World Series wrap-up/celebration card, and I always appreciated these somewhat oddball inclusions into the Topps base sets.  There's a whole lot of very small statistics on the card's back, and anyone interested in reading any of that would first need to find a magnifying glass.

Sources:

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

#168 1968 World Series Game 7 / #170 Frank Howard - Washington Senators

#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

#163 1968 World Series Game 2 - Tiger Homers Deck the Cards

The 1968 World series marked the last time two teams faced off in the Fall Classic without having to first advance via a playoff series.  With Major League Baseball expanding to 24 teams in 1969, the two leagues were split into four divisions and a League Championship Series would determine the World Series opponents between 1969 and 1993.

The Cardinals and Tigers were powerhouses in their respective leagues, easily advancing to the World Series.  This was a rematch of the 1934 World Series, when the Gashouse Gang of the Cardinals had bested the Tigers in seven games.  The Tigers would prevail this time, winning their first title since 1945, and their third World Series title overall as the Cardinals couldn't repeat after winning in 1967 against the Red Sox.

World Series cards were a key subset in Topps flagship sets throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.  Topps designed its World Series cards in its 1969 set to have the appearance of the front page of a newspaper, with The Sporting News getting some free publicity as the paper's banner.

Building the Set / Card #601
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 6th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 42nd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Cardinals Team Set

After getting shutout by Bob Gibson in Game 1, the Tigers' bats awakened against Cardinals' starting pitcher Nelson Briles in Game 2, played on October 3, 1968.  Briles worked a 1-2-3 inning in the first with Willie Horton connecting for a home run with one out in the top of the second.  Briles' counterpart, Mickey Lolich, hit a solo home run in the third, and Norm Cash homered to lead off the sixth, chasing Briles from the game.  Steve Carlton entered in relief and would allow a two-run single to Dick McAuliffe to give the Tigers a commanding 5-0 lead.

The Cardinals scored their lone run in the bottom of the sixth, when Orlando Cepeda singled home Lou Brock.  With the score 6-1 heading to the ninth, Cardinals' reliever Joe Hoerner gave up two final runs on bases loaded walks to Don Wert and Lolich.

The card shows Horton hitting his home run with Tim McCarver behind the plate for the Cardinals, and home plate umpire Jim Honochick looking on.  Lolich would never hit a regular season home run, and was a lifetime .110 batter with five doubles and a pair of triples.  The home run and then later a bases loaded walk, makes this easily his top offensive game in his 13-year big league career.

Sources:

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

#162 1968 World Series Game 1 / #164 1968 World Series Game 3

#429 Willie Horton AS - Detroit Tigers

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

Building the Set / Card #383
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 91st of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than $2.

1964 Topps #139

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Pete Rose Puzzle

In the outfield for the American League All-Stars is Willie Horton (#180), Carl Yastrzemski (#130) and Tony Oliva (#600).  The outfielders for the actual 1968 All-Star Game had been Yastrzemski, Horton and Frank Howard (#170).  A year later, the American League All-Star starting outfielders were Howard, Frank Robinson (#250) and rookie Reggie Jackson (#260).  Horton was a four-time All-Star, joining the team in 1965, 1968, 1970 and 1973.

That's not Horton swinging away in the black and white photo in the foreground.  It's his outfield All-Star mate from 1968 Howard, featured on a photo Topps recycled from its 1964 Topps set.  Howard was shown on that card connecting for a home run off Yankees' pitcher Whitey Ford in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series.  Linked below is a great article from Sports Collectors Daily, and the author did his best in tracking down the origins of the action photos appearing on these All-Star subset cards.  

The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Yastrzemski.  The back of Horton's card features a close-up of Rose's elbow.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (1):  1969

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#428 Lou Brock AS - St. Louis Cardinals / #430 Johnny Bench AS - Cincinnati Reds

#5 1968 A.L. Home Run Leaders - Frank Howard / Willie Horton / Ken Harrelson

Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1969 Topps set.  League leader cards can be found at the beginning of each Topps set issued in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969.

Building the Set / Card #79
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the second of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards.  (This card was marked $2.50, but goes down as $2.08 in my tracking schedule.)  If I stick to composing posts five times a week, which may slip through the summer months, I should go through the stack and be caught up by the week of January 22, 2024!

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Senators Team Set / Tigers Team Set

A number of the league leaders cards in the 1969 set lack serious star power, and this card is no exception.  The same three teams featured on the A.L. RBI Leaders card (#3) are repeated here, with Frank Howard (#170) and Ken Harrelson (#240) making their second appearances, and Willie Horton (#180) replacing Jim Northrup (#580).  As shown on the back, Northrup had 21 home runs in 1968, and four of those were grand slams, which helped propel him onto the RBI Leaders card.

All three sluggers shown here hit their career high marks in 1968 for home runs.  44 home runs were a career high for Howard, and he'd match the total while leading the league again in 1970.  Horton also reached his career high with 36 home runs, and this would be the closest he'd ever come to leading the league.  He'd finish within the top 10 in five different seasons between 1965 and 1979.  Harrelson, most likely wearing a Senators uniform in this photo, would hit 30 home runs in 1969, then only six more home runs in 1970 and 1971.

#4 1968 N.L. RBI Leaders / #6 1968 N.L. Home Run Leaders