#519 Yankees Rookie Stars - Gerry Kenney / Len Boehmer

Gerald Tennyson Kenney
New York Yankees
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  June 30, 1945, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1967, 1969-72; Cleveland Indians 1973

Leonard Joseph Stephen Boehmer
New York Yankees
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  192
Born:  June 28, 1941, Flint Hill, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1967; New York Yankees 1969, 1971

Jerry Kenney played in parts of six big league seasons, with all but five of his 465 career games coming with the Yankees.  Kenney had a brief try-out with the club as a September call-up in 1967 and after a year of additional seasoning in the minors, he was the team's opening day center fielder in 1969.  He'd play in at least 120 games each season between 1969 and 1971, shifting on the field to third base as Bobby Murcer (#657) moved to the outfield.  He'd appear in a career high 140 games in 1970, but bat just .193.  Kenney's strong defense allowed him another season as the team's regular third baseman, and he batted .262 with nary a home run and 20 RBIs in 1971.  Kenney spent 1972 as a back-up to Gene Michael (#626) at shortstop and was swapped to the Indians that November in a six-player deal that saw Graig Nettles (#99) head to the Yankees.  He'd play just five games with the Indians in 1973 and after spending two years playing for the Yankees' top farm team in Syracuse, he retired in 1975.  Kenney batted .237 for his career with 325 hits and 59 stolen bases. 

Len Boehmer climbed up through the Reds' minor league system for six seasons before getting a call-up in June 1967.  He'd play in just two games with the Reds.  On September 18, 1967, the Reds dealt Boehmer to the Yankees for pitcher Bill Henry, and the infielder would spend all of 1968 back in the minors.  On the strength of a strong 1968 season, and with the Yankees looking for help anywhere they could find it in 1969, Boehmer spent the entire season on the big league roster.  He'd bat .176 in 45 games with four doubles.  Back in the minors in 1970, Boehmer would play in three more games for the Yankees in 1971 before retiring.  In 50 big league games, he batted .164 (19 for 116) with seven RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #454
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 tenth of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than a dollar.

The Card / Yankees Team Set / Kenney Accuracy Index +5 / Boehmer Accuracy Index -8
This is the rookie card for both players, and Boehmer's first and last Topps card.  I'd guess Boehmer is wearing a Reds jersey in his photo.  Kenney's SABR biography mentions the unfair comparisons he endured early in his career to retired superstar Mickey Mantle (#500), and the back of this card also infers the Yankees were hoping Kenney would be the next Mantle.  Kenney's opening day home run came on April 7th off the Senators' Camilo Pascual (#513), and Kenney would hit just one more home run the rest of the season.

Accuracy Index:  Kenney scores a +5, but Boehmer drops to -8 for the Reds jersey and lack of a hat.

1969 Season - Kenney
Kenney's time in center field lasted until mid-May when he was moved to third base by manager Ralph Houk (#447).  He'd ultimately start 74 games at third, more than any other Yankee, 31 games in center and nine games at shortstop.  In 130 games, Kenney batted .257 with a pair of home runs and 34 RBIs.

1969 Season - Boehmer
Used extremely sparingly throughout the season, Boehmer collected his first hit in his team's 71st game on June 22nd.  He contributed an RBI single in the 10th inning of a game against the Red Sox, ultimately won by the Yankees by a score of 5-3.  Boehmer made 24 starts all season - 17 at first base, backing up Joe Pepitone (#589), and seven at third base.

1970 Topps #219

1971 Topps #572

1972 Topps #158

1973 Topps #514

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kenney
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #519
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1969-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1973 Topps #514
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  22 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.

Sources - Kenney:  

Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Boehmer
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #519
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #355
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  9 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.

Sources - Boehmer:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#518 Fred Whitfield - Cincinnati Reds / #520 Bob Veale - Pittsburgh Pirates

#517 Mike McCormick - San Francisco Giants

Michael Francis McCormick
San Francisco Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  September 29, 1938, Pasadena, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent (bonus baby), August 31, 1956
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1956-57; San Francisco Giants 1958-62; Baltimore Orioles 1963-64; Washington Senators 1965-66; San Francisco Giants 1967-70; New York Yankees 1970; Kansas City Royals 1971

Died:  June 13, 2020, Cornelius, NC (age 81)

Mike McCormick was a 16-year veteran, spending two stints with the Giants spanning 11 seasons.  In his first stint with the club he was a four-time All-Star in 1960 and 1961, winning the league's ERA title in 1960 with a 2.70 mark.  He won 11 games as a teenager in 1959, his first of eight total seasons winning ten games or more.  After four seasons away from San Francisco, pitching for the Orioles and Senators, McCormick returned in 1967 for his second stint and had a career year.  He went 22-10 that season with a 2.85 ERA in 40 games, throwing 14 complete games and five shutouts on the way to National League Cy Young Award honors.  He'd pitch for a few more seasons with the Giants before closing out his career with brief stays with the Yankees and Royals.

McCormick's career record was 134-128 in 484 games, with a 3.73 ERA and 1,321 strikeouts.  A good fielding pitcher, he led the National League in four seasons with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.  He often returned to Giants' spring trainings as a guest instructor and is a member of the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame at Oracle Park.

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

Building the Set / Card #453
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 ninth 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 / Giants Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

McCormick was a big fan of the collared jacket under the jersey look, and a number of his baseball cards throughout the years show him sporting this now outdated fashion trend.  The one sentence write-up on the back appropriately focuses on his Cy Young Award win in 1967.  The cartoon highlights McCormick's 1.69 ERA in his two All-Star Game appearances.  Selected to both games in 1960 and 1961, he pitched in one of the games each season.  He allowed just one earned run, a home run to Harmon Killebrew (#375), in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

Accuracy Index:  McCormick's card scores another +5.  The later in the set we get, the more unneeded this rating system has become.

1969 Season
McCormick never repeated the success he had during his Cy Young season of 1967, and this was his last solid season in the majors.  As the third starter on the Giants' staff behind Gaylord Perry (#485) and Juan Marichal (#370), McCormick was 11-9 with a 3.34 ERA in 32 games, including 28 starts.  He threw nine complete games and just missed reaching 200 innings pitched with 196 2/3.

1959 Topps #148

1962 Topps #319

1966 Topps #118

1968 Topps #400

1972 Topps #682

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1958 Topps #37
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1958-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-MMC
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  109 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.

Topps erroneously used a photo of fellow Giants pitcher Ray Monzant for McCormick's 1958 rookie card.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#516 Earl Weaver MG - Baltimore Orioles / #518 Fred Whitfield - Cincinnati Reds

#515 Dick Green - Oakland Athletics

Richard Larry Green
Oakland Athletics
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  April 21, 1941, Sioux City, IA
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1963-67; Oakland Athletics 1968-74

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1972-74

Dick Green played in a dozen seasons for the Athletics, following the team in its move to Oakland, and solidifying the second base position during the team's dynasty in the early 1970s.  Green was a light-hitting infielder, relied on for his glove work.  He was Oakland's every day second baseman during the three years the team won the World Series in 1972, 1973 and 1974.  Despite not getting a hit in the 1974 World Series (0 for 13), Green was named the recipient of the Babe Ruth Award that postseason for his excellent defense.  His six double plays against the Dodgers tied a record for most double plays in a five-game series.  He was released before the 1975 season and retired to South Dakota.  Green appeared in 1,288 games and had 960 hits to go along with his .240 average.  His 1,158 career games at second base are currently 96th all-time.  Green was named to the Oakland Athletics' 50th anniversary All-Time Team in 2018.

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

Building the Set / Card #452
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 eighth of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost less than a dollar.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is an aesthetically pleasing card and it's fitting someone with Green's last name would spend his entire career in the Athletics organization.  After only Reggie Jackson (#260) getting a photo with an "A" on his cap in the earlier few series of the set, Green is one of many Athletics players in the later series with the relatively new "A" logo displayed.  The cartoon on the back highlights his high school athletics accomplishments while the write-up focuses on his fine fielding.

Accuracy Index:  It's another +5 for this Green card.

1969 Season
This was Green's career year, resulting in his receiving postseason MVP votes for the only time during his 12 years in the majors.  Green batted .275, a career high, collecting 133 hits, including 12 home runs.  His 64 RBIs were also a career best and Green spent most of the season batting out of the three-hole, in front of third baseman Sal Bando (#371), who also had a career year.  Green's glove continued to be the strongest part of his game, and he led all American League second baseman with a .986 fielding percentage.

1964 Topps #466

1967 Topps #54

1971 Topps #258

1973 Topps #456

1975 Topps #91

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #466
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1964-75
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #89
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  48 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#514 Mike Lum - Atlanta Braves / #516 Earl Weaver MG - Baltimore Orioles

#514 Mike Lum - Atlanta Braves

Michael Ken-Wai Lum
Atlanta Braves
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 27, 1945, Honolulu, HI
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1963
Major League Teams:  Atlanta Braves 1967-75; Cincinnati Reds 1976-78; Atlanta Braves 1979-81; Chicago Cubs 1981

Mike Lum played professionally in 20 seasons, having his best seasons in the early 1970s with the Braves, and went on to be a long-time coach in the minor and major leagues.  Lum was a September call-up in 1967, and he'd join the Braves for good to start the 1968 season.  He was the team's opening day left fielder in 1968 and he'd spend his first few seasons in Atlanta as a reserve outfielder and successful pinch-hitter.  Lum played in a career-high 145 games in 1971 as the team's everyday center fielder, and he'd come close to that mark again in 1973, playing in 138 games as the Braves' regular first baseman.  1973 was his finest season, as Lum batted .294 with 16 home runs and 82 RBIs - all three career high marks.

He'd move to the Reds following the 1975 season, beginning a six-year stretch in which he was used mostly as a left-handed bat off the bench.  While he didn't appear in any World Series games, Lum was a member of the 1976 World Champion Reds team.  He'd play a final season in Japan in 1982 before retiring as a player.  In 1,517 games, Lum collected 877 hits, batted .247 and had 90 home runs and 431 RBIs.  He was a .248 batter as a pinch-hitter, collecting 103 career pinch-hits, including 10 home runs.  Lum coached in the majors with the Cubs (1985) and Royals (1988-89).  He also served as a long-time minor league coach in the Braves, White Sox, Giants, Brewers and Pirates organizations.

Building the Set / Card #451
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 seventh of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost less than a dollar.

The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Lum shared a rookie card with the Phillies' Larry Hisle (#206) in the 1968 Topps set, and this is his first solo appearance.  The back of the card highlights Lum's defensive skills as an outfielder.

Accuracy Index:  Lum's card scores a +5.

1969 Season
Lum started the season behind Henry Aaron (#100), Tito Francona (#398), Felipe Alou (#300), Ralph Garr and Bob Aspromonte (#542) on the Braves' outfield depth chart.  He'd make 31 starts throughout the season, at all three outfield spots, and appeared in 121 games overall.  Lum batted .268 with a home run and 22 RBIs in the regular season, and his appearance in the 1969 NLCS made him the first Hawaiian-born ballplayer to appear in the postseason.  He went 2 for 2 with a double in the NLCS, but the Braves fell to the Mets in a three-game sweep. 

1968 Topps #579

1973 Topps #266

1975 Topps #154

1977 Topps #601

1982 Topps #732

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #579
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1968-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1982 Topps #732
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  55 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#513 Camilo Pascual - Washington Senators / #515 Dick Green - Oakland Athletics

#513 Camilo Pascual - Washington Senators

Camilo Alberto Pascual
Washington Senators
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  170
Born:  January 20, 1934, La Habana, Cuba
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1952 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Nationals 1954-56; Washington Senators 1957-60; Minnesota Twins 1961-66; Washington Senators 1967-69; Cincinnati Reds 1969; Los Angeles Dodgers 1970; Cleveland Indians 1971

World Series Appearances:  Minnesota Twins 1965

If not for Camilo Pascual, the Nationals/Senators/Twins teams of the late 1950s/early 1960s would have lost a lot more games than they actually did.  Pascual was a mainstay in those teams' pitching rotations, making at least 25 starts in 11 different seasons between 1956 and 1967.  He was named to seven All-Star teams and was a 20-game winner in 1962 and 1963.  Pascual led the American League in complete games in 1959, 1962 and 1963 and in shutouts in 1959, 1961 and 1962.  He struck out over 200 in a season four times, leading the league in that category in 1961, 1962 and 1963.  He finished in the top four in ERA in four different seasons.  Pascual holds the record for opening day strikeouts, having fanned 15 Red Sox on opening day in 1960.  Ted Williams (#650) described Pascual's overhand curveball as the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years."

The Twins, who had moved from Washington, traded Pascual to the expansion Washington Senators in December 1966, giving him the distinction of having pitched for both versions of the expansion Senators teams.

Over his career, Pascual pitched in 529 games and had a record of 174-170 with a 3.63 ERA.  His 2,167 career strikeouts currently ranks him 71st on the all-time list.  Following his playing career, Pascual served as Gene Mauch's (#606) pitching coach for the Twins between 1978 and 1980.  He also worked as a scout for the A's, Mets and Dodgers and he was the scout who recommended the A's sign Jose Canseco.  Pascual was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2012.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 and 1965 Topps blogs.

Building the Set / Card #450
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 sixth of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me about $1.75.

The Card / Senators Team Set / Accuracy Index -12

This is the same photo Topps used for Pascual's 1968 card, and I'm guessing he's wearing a Twins jersey here, putting the photo at at least three years old.  Given his longevity in the league, the back of the card doesn't have room for a cartoon and is filled with his career stats to date.  The one sentence write-up highlights Pascual achieving 2,000 strikeouts.  Pascual struck out the Angels' Chuck Hinton (#644) on April 15, 1968 to reach the milestone.

Accuracy Index:  This is the first -12 in a while, as Pascual's card loses points for the former team uniform (-5), lack of a hat (-3) and the repeat photo (-4).

Inserts:  With not a lot of big names on the Senators, Pascual is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
Pascual made his fifth and final Opening Day start, getting hit hard and allowing four runs in 2 2/3 innings before being pulled by Williams, the new Senators' manager.  Pascual labored through 14 games with Washington, and was 2-5 with a 6.83 ERA when the team sold him to the Reds on July 7th.  The veteran pitcher continued to struggle in Cincinnati, earning an 8.59 ERA in five appearances and just 7 1/3 innings pitched.

1955 Topps #84

1959 Topps #413

1962 Topps #230

1968 Topps #395

1970 Topps #254

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #84
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1955-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #255
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  137 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1956 Topps Blog / 1965 Topps Blog

#512 Cleon Jones - New York Mets / #514 Mike Lum - Atlanta Braves

#508 Moe Drabowsky - Kansas City Royals

Myron Walter Drabowsky
Kansas City Royals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
Born:  July 21, 1935, Ozanna, Poland
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, July 22, 1956
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1956-60; Milwaukee Braves 1961; Cincinnati Reds 1962; Kansas City Athletics 1962-65; Baltimore Orioles 1966-68; Kansas City Royals 1969-70; Baltimore Orioles 1970; St. Louis Cardinals 1971-72; Chicago White Sox 1972

World Series Appearances:  Baltimore Orioles 1966, 1970
Died:  June 10, 2006, Little Rock, AR (age 70)

A well-known practical joker, Moe Drabowsky pitched in parts of 17 seasons in the majors, earning World Series rings with the Orioles in 1966 and 1970.  Signed as a bonus baby by the Cubs in 1956, Drabowsky began his career as a starting pitcher but soon found more success as a reliever.  His best seasons as a starting pitcher came with the 1957 Cubs (13-15 in 33 starts with a 3.53 ERA) and the 1963 Athletics (7-13 in 22 starts with a 3.05 ERA).  Drabowsky was a key reliever for the Orioles in their 1966 championship season, going 6-0 with a 2.81 ERA over 44 appearances and pitching 6 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers.  After a season and a half with the expansion Royals, in which he won the first game in franchise history, Drabowsky came back to the Orioles and again pitched effectively out of the bullpen for the eventual World Champions.  Drabowsky had a lifetime record of 88-105 with 54 saves over 589 games pitched.

He'd later coach in the White Sox and Cubs' systems, serving as the White Sox pitching coach in 1986 and the Cubs pitching coach in 1994.  Drabowsky was a minor league pitching instructor with the Orioles between 1995 and 2006.  Throughout his career, his practical joking including surprising teammates with live snakes, imitating front office personnel on phone calls and his prank of choice, the hot foot, in which a match is lighted while in the victim's shoe.

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

Building the Set / Card #449
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 fifth of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card was less than a dollar.

The Card / Royals Team Set / Accuracy Index +10

This is the second card in the set to feature the expansion Royals' uniform, following the card for Dennis Ribant (#463).  With the palm trees prevalent in the background, Drabowsky is modeling a Royals' road uniform somewhere in Florida.  The veteran's full major league statistics are on the back, along with a cartoon and write-up highlighting his heroics while with the Orioles.

Accuracy Index:  Drabowsky scores a +10 for accurately depicted expansion uniform.

1969 Season
Drabowsky was the 42nd pick by the Royals in the 1968 expansion draft, held on October 15, 1968.  He was credited with the first win in franchise history on April 8, 1969, when the Royals defeated the Twins by a score of 4-3 in 12 innings.  Drabowsky threw a perfect inning in the top of the 12th, and Joe Keough (#603) singled home Joe Foy (#93) with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th.  Drabowsky would assume closing duties for the expansion club, appearing in a team-leading 52 games and going 11-9 with a 2.94 ERA and 11 saves.

1957 Topps #84

1965 Topps #439

1966 Topps #291

1967 Topps #151

1972 Topps #627

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #84
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1957-62, 1964-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Decades' Best (Series One) #DB-27
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  86 in the Beckett online database as of 1/5/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#507 Cookie Rojas - Philadelphia Phillies / #509 Manny Sanguillen - Pittsburgh Pirates