#8 1968 N.L. ERA Leaders - Bob Gibson / Bobby Bolin / Bob Veale

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 #546
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Vintage Cardboard Collectibles)

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 spent the first half hour or so pulling 98 commons and semi-stars from the neon green binder of Uncle Dick's Cards, and adding the big purchase of the day, the Rollie Fingers (#597) rookie card, and after adding a few more star cards, the remaining cash I had was starting to burn a hole in my wallet.  I had noticed the common/semi-star boxes at the tables of Vintage Cardboard Collectibles, and I found 14 more cards for our 1969 Topps set and six cards for our not-yet-officially collecting 1959 Topps set.  This is the first of those 14 cards.  After the obligatory dealer discount, I handed over the last of my cash, and we exited the show for the drive home.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Giants Team Set / Pirates Team Set

It's Bob, Bobby and Bob on the ERA League Leaders card, and given Bob Gibson's (#200) stunningly low 1.12 ERA from the year of the pitcher, he could have appeared on this card all by himself.  Bobby Bolin's (#505) 1.98 ERA isn't too shabby either, although according to Baseball Reference, it actually rounds up to 1.99.  Baseball Reference goes the opposite way for Bob Veale (#520), rounding his ERA down to 2.05 for the season.  Gibson's historic mark is the third lowest in National League history if you count Tim Keefe's 0.86 mark in 105 innings pitched in 1880.  Mordecai Brown is a more accurate comparison, as his ERA was 1.04 in 1906 in 277 1/3 innings pitched.  Gibson's mark came over 304 2/3 innings, which included 28 complete games (out of 34 starts) and 13 shutouts.  This was the only year in Gibson's 17-year career in which he led the league in ERA.  Bolin and Veale would never have a mark this low again.

The back of the card lists every eligible pitcher with at least 162 innings thrown in 1968, rounding out with the Phillies' Rick Wise (#188) and his 4.55 ERA in 182 innings pitched.  Having some more room, Topps gave collectors a list of essentially the top relievers, with Ronnie Kline (#and his 1.67 ERA leading the way.

#7 1968 A.L. ERA Leaders / #9 1968 A.L. Pitching Leaders

#520 Bob Veale - Pittsburgh Pirates

Robert Andrew Veale
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  212
Born:  October 28, 1935, Birmingham, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-72; Boston Red Sox 1972-74

World Series Appearances:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1971
Died:  January 7, 2025, Birmingham, AL (age 89)

Long-time Pirates pitcher Bob Veale was an All-Star twice (1965 and 1966) and tallied at least 15 wins for the club in four straight seasons between 1964 and 1967.  He accumulated over 200 strikeouts in four different seasons and led the league in that category in 1964 with 250.  An effective starter for most of the 1960s, an elbow injury caused Veale to alter his pitching motion and ultimately led to his move to the bullpen.  He pitched solely out of the bullpen in 1971 and a strong September helped propel the Pirates to the World Series.  Veale struggled in his sole World Series appearance, but the Pirates prevailed in seven games over the Orioles earning Veale and his teammates the title.  Veale wrapped up his big league career with 56 games for the Red Sox between 1972 and 1974.  In 397 career games, Veale was 120-95 with a 3.07 ERA and 1,703 strikeouts and his 1,652 strikeouts while with the Pirates rank second on their all-time list behind Bob Friend.  After his playing days, Veale served as a minor league pitching coach in the Braves and Yankees organizations.  He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

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

Building the Set / Card #455
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 11th of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me around $1.75.

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

I wrote this in the post for Veale's 1965 Topps card, linked below, and the same applies with this card:  I wouldn't be surprised to learn if Veale requested his hat be removed for this photo, solely to highlight his awesome glasses frames.  The Pirates pitcher, who recently passed away, appeared on so many great Topps baseball cards.  The write-up on the back is somewhat outdated as Friend would eventually pass Veale as the Pirates' all-time strikeout leader.  Veale had taken over the team lead from Wilbur Cooper, a Pirates pitcher between 1912 and 1924.

Accuracy Index:  If I were awarding extra points for pure style, Veale would be a recipient.

1969 Season
Veale made 34 starts for the third place Pirates, going 13-14 with a 3.23 ERA.  The ace of the staff, Veale led the team in ERA, games started, innings pitched (225 2/3) and strikeouts (213), while tying for the team lead in complete games with Steve Blass (#104) with nine.  He threw a four-hit shutout against the Astros on August 20th, striking out 10.  Veale struck out at least 10 batters in seven different starts.  

1962 Topps #593

1965 Topps #195

1967 Topps #335

1971 Topps #368

1973 Topps #518

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #593
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1962-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #114
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  90 in the Beckett online database as of 1/20/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#519 Yankees Rookie Stars / #521 George Thomas - Boston Red Sox