Pirates at Phillies: September 26th to September 28th

2014 Topps Heritage #34

2023 Chachi 1965 Topps Missing Links #6

Tuesday and Wednesday 6:40, Thursday 6:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies hope to secure a postseason spot with a win tonight against the Pirates.  On Wednesday, all kids receive a Phillies friendship bracelet, and on Thursday, all fans will receive a 2024 schedule magnet.  (They must have had some of these left over from Sunday's game.)

Pirates Leaders 74-82
4th Place in the N.L. Central, 14 games behind the Brewers

Pirates Probables
Mitch Keller (13-9, 4.25)
Johan Oviedo (9-14, 4.12)
Luis Ortiz (4-5, 4.96)

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Ke'Bryan Hayes - .276
Runs:  Bryan Reynolds - 82
Home Runs:  Jack Suwinski - 26
RBIs:  Bryan Reynolds - 82
Stolen Bases:  Ji Hwan Bae - 24

Wins:  Mitch Keller - 13
ERA:  Johan Oviedo - 4.12

Strikeouts:  Mitch Keller - 204
Saves:  David Bednar - 37

Phillies 87-69
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 13 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.57)
Ranger Suarez (4-6, 3.89)
Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.64)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .292
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 105
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 45
RBIs:  Nick Castellanos - 106
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 30

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 15
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.64

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 207
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 23

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 134 - Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show Precedes Another Loss

Giants 5, Phillies 3
Game 134 - Sunday Afternoon, September 4th in San Francisco
Record - 73-61, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't complete the comeback against the Giants, as David Robertson allowed a two-run walk-off home run to Wilmer Flores in this latest loss.

What It Means:  It's not going well, and I'll admit I'm starting to worry.  The Phillies hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Brewers for the National League's third Wild Card spot.  They went 1-6 on a disastrous west coast trip against two teams with losing records.  A six-game homestand begins on Tuesday night against the Marlins and Nationals.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez joined the ranks of Phillies starting pitchers who have been ineffective lately, pitching just four innings and allowing three runs.  The Phillies dramatically tied up the game in the eighth inning when J.T. Realmuto connected for a three-run home run off Giants' reliever John Brebbia.  Robertson couldn't preserve the tie however, allowing Flores' home run and ending the game.

Featured Card:  Before this debacle began, Doug and I drove to the Deptford Mall for a mini baseball card show and Bobby Abreu signing.  We were among the first in line to secure our Abreu signatures, and then we spent about a half hour browsing the six or so tables set up in the mall.  I found one dealer with stacks of vintage commons for sale, adding cards to my not-yet-officially-collecting 1955 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps sets.  It was a good afternoon, diminished a few hours later by the Phillies' loss.

Transaction:  Nick Castellanos (of) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain and Dalton Guthrie (of) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.  To make room for Guthrie on the 40-man roster, Luis Garcia (inf) was designated for assignment.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

After 79 Years, Larry File Gets a Phillies Baseball Card

Fellow collector Alan was kind enough to e-mail me a few weeks ago to let me know he had 1970 Grant Jackson Phillies Photocard I needed from my want list.  He graciously told me he'd send me the Jackson card along with a "small care package," including a couple of odds and ends.

In the package along with the Jackson photo card were signed photo cards of Jerry Martin, Larry Christenson and Juan Samuel and a signed Manny Trillo card from the 1981 Topps 5 x 7 set.  There were five other non-Phillies photo card autographs, shown here, of former Phillies pitchers Curt Simmons, Jack Sanford and Ron Reed.  The Reed photo is interesting to me as it appears to be the same photo used for his 1982 Topps card.  These are all welcome additions to my Phillies collection.

The final autographed photo really caught my attention, as I had never heard of Larry File and the inscription under his autograph said, "Phillie 1940."  I came up empty when Googling Larry File, but thanks to Baseball Reference and a quick review of the 1940 Phillies roster, I found a Sam File.  Sam File's full name is Samuel Lawrence File, so I had my match.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn much more about File than what's on his Baseball Reference page.  At 18 years old, he was the youngest player in the National League in 1940, making his debut on September 6th.  He appeared in seven games for the Phillies, collecting a hit in 13 at-bats (.077).  He split his 33 innings in the field between shortstop (28 innings) and third base (5 innings) committing three errors in 20 total chances.  He remained in the Phillies minor league system in 1941 (77 games), 1942 (113 games) and then again in 1946 (20 games), playing his final year of professional baseball that season at the age of 24.  His three season interruption was due to his military service with the Coast Guard during World War II.

Born in Chester, PA in 1922, File passed away in 2008 at the age of 86.

2019 Chachi Phillies Missing Links of the 1940s #1

Not surprisingly, File never appeared on any baseball cards, making him a member of a club near and dear to me - the Phillies Missing Links.  I thought I'd remedy this with the first card from the Phillies Missing Links from the 1940s insert set, something I may continue at a (much) later date.  Since he signed his name "Larry" and the Phillies Media Guide lists him as "File, Larry (Sam)," I went with Larry instead of Sam for his card.

Thanks again Alan for the great package!

Series Preview - Pirates at Phillies: April 19th to April 22nd

1978 Topps #661

2018 Chachi 1978 Topps Missing Links #10

Thursday and Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Pirates 12-6, 1st place in the N.L. Central, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cardinals
Phillies 10-7, Tied for 2nd place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Mets

Pirates Probables:  Jameson Taillon (2-0, 0.89), Ivan Nova (2-1, 4.88), Steven Brault (2-1, 4.74), Trevor Williams (3-1, 1.93)
Phillies Probables:  Jake Arrieta (1-0, 3.38), Ben Lively (0-1, 5.87), Aaron Nola (1-1, 2.22), Nick Pivetta (1-0, 2.49)

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies have their first scheduled Throwback Thursday game of 2018, and the team will wear their throwback powder blue uniforms.  All fans 15 and over will also receive a Nick Williams retro t-shirt tonight.  On Sunday, all kids will receive an Odubel Herrera emoji hat.

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Corey Dickerson - .328
Runs:  Starling Marte - 16
Home Runs:  Gregory Polanco - 5
RBIs:  Gregory Polanco - 15
Stolen Bases:  Starling Marte - 5

Wins:  Trevor Williams - 3
ERA:  Jameson Taillon - 0.89
Strikeouts:  Ivan Nova - 22
Saves:  Felipe Vazquez - 5

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .327
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 13
Home Runs:  Seven tied with - 2
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 17
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 4

Wins:  Yacksel Rios - 2
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.22
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 24
Saves:  Hector Neris - 2

1978 Topps Appreciation:  Jim Morrison appeared in 53 games for the 1978 Phillies and received a black and white photo card in the team-issued set that season.  He also appeared in black and white (along with Lonnie Smith and Jim Wright) on his 1979 Topps rookie card.  Morrison enjoyed a 15-year career with the Phillies, White Sox, Pirates, Tigers and Braves.

Series Preview - Nationals at Phillies: April 7th to April 9th

Friday 3:05, Saturday 7:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Nationals 2-1, Tied for 1st Place in the N.L. East, 1 game ahed of three teams
Phillies 1-2, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Mets and Nationals

Nationals Probables:  Max Scherzer (0-0, 0.00), Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 2.57), Joe Ross (0-0, 0.00)
Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (0-0, 0.00), Aaron Nola (0-0, 0.00), Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 1.80)

At the Ballpark:  It's the Phillies opening weekend!  All fans today will receive a Phillies knit hat and fans 15 and older will receive a Phillies Opening Night t-shirt tomorrow night.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies hooded sweatshirt.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .400
Runs:  Three tied with - 2
Home Runs:  Daniel Nava - 2
RBIs:  Daniel Nava - 3
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 1

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 1
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 1.80
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 6
Saves:  Jeanmer Gomez - 1

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Matt Wieters - .500
Runs:  Adam Eaton - 4
Home Runs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 2
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 3
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 2

Wins:  Tanner Roark and Stephen Strasburg - 1
ERA:  Gio Gonzalez - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Gio Gonzalez - 7
Saves:  Blake Treinen - 2

1982 Topps #779

1982 Topps #285

1982 Topps Appreciation:  For today's series preview post, I'm featuring two players who both wound up their impressive 16-year major league careers in 1982.

Because of his long career, Grant Jackson has had a number of his Topps cards featured in these series preview posts throughout the years.  I wrote this about him back in 2012:

Jackson began his 18-year career with six seasons with the Phillies.  Initially a relief pitcher, Jackson developed into a semi-reliable starting pitcher for the Phils in the late 1960s.  Between 1965 and 1970, he went 23-43 with a 3.99 ERA.  Jackson was traded to the Orioles following the 1970 season in the deal that brought Roger Freed to Philly.  Not counting his 1 game appearance in 1982, Jackson spent five full seasons with the Pirates between 1977 and 1981.  He pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series.

Jackson spent parts of the 1982 season with the Royals and Pirates, appearing in 21 games and pitching to a 5.31 ERA.  He was released by the Pirates following the season, ending his 16-year career in the majors.

Sparky Lyle came to the Phillies on September 13, 1980 in a trade with the Rangers for a player to be named later.  (Kevin Saucier was shipped to the Rangers following the season.)  He helped the Phillies down the stretch with an impressive 1.93 ERA over 10 games but was ineligible for the postseason.  Lyle spent the entire 1981 season with the Phillies, appearing in 48 games and serving as one of the more reliable relievers for the team.

He pitched in 34 more games for the Phillies in 1982 before being being sold to the White Sox on August 21st.  Like Jackson, he was released that offseason, also ending his 16-year career.

Series Preview - Pirates at Phillies: September 12th to September 15th

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Pirates 69-72, 3rd place in the N.L. Central, 21 games behind the Cubs
Phillies 63-80, 4th place in the N.L. East, 22 games behind the Nationals

Pirates Probables:  Gerrit Cole (7-9, 3.55), Ivan Nova (5-0, 2.53), Steven Brault (0-2, 3.38), Chad Kuhl (3-3, 4.09)
Phillies Probables:  Jeremy Hellickson (10-9, 3.90), Alec Asher (1-0, 0.00), Jake Thompson (1-5, 6.05), Jared Eickhoff (10-13, 3.73)

At the Ballpark:  It's hard to believe, but other than some theme nights there aren't any special giveaways for this four-game weekday series with the Pirates.  Should be plenty of leg room at the ballpark this week!

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Starling Marte - .311
Runs:  Gregory Polanco - 73
Home Runs:  Gregory Polanco - 21
RBIs:  Gregory Polanco - 82
Stolen Bases:  Starling Marte - 47

Wins:  Jeff Locke and Juan Nicasio - 9
ERA:  N/A
Strikeouts:  Juan Nicasio - 122
Saves:  Mark Melancon - 30

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .290
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 72
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco - 22
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 73
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 20

Wins:  Jared Eickhoff and Jeremy Hellickson - 10
ERA:  Jared Eickhoff - 3.73
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 152
Saves:  Jeanmar Gomez - 36

1970 Topps #532

1970 Topps #6

1970 Topps Appreciation:  Danny Murtaugh and Grant Jackson just missed each other in Pittsburgh as the long-time manager's last season at the helm for the Pirates was 1976 and Jackson joined the club in 1977.

Murtaugh guided the Pirates to two World Series titles in 1960 and 1971.  Until looking at this career managerial record, I had no idea that Murtaugh had four different stints at the helm of the Pirates - 1957 to 1964, 1967, 1970 to 1971 and 1973 to 1976.  Before his managing days, Murtaugh was a semi-successful infielder in the Majors for parts of nine seasons between 1941 and 1951.  His career was put on hold for two years while he served in the military.  With the Phillies between 1941 and 1946, Murtaugh hit .246 and was the team's starting second baseman in 1943.  It looks as if his only baseball card representing his time with the Phillies can be found within the 1943 team issued picture pack set.  (And good luck finding that!)

I featured Jackson's 1979 Topps Pirates card in this series preview post from 2012, and I had this to say about the pitcher:

Jackson began his 18-year career with six seasons with the Phillies.  Initially a relief pitcher, Jackson developed into a semi-reliable starting pitcher for the Phils in the late 1960s.  Between 1965 and 1970, he went 23-43 with a 3.99 ERA.  Jackson was traded to the Orioles following the 1970 season in the deal that brought Roger Freed to Philly.  Not counting his 1 game appearance in 1982, Jackson spent five full seasons with the Pirates between 1977 and 1981.  He pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series.

1973 Topps - Phillies Cards

1973 Topps #535, #396, #572 and #394

We're entering that part of the season when it's time to tie up a few loose ends here on the blog, and set our sights on the better and brighter days that lie ahead for the Phillies.  The 2013 Chachi set uses the design of the 1973 Topps set, and I've enjoyed featuring 1973 Topps cards with some connection to each series opponent in my series preview posts.

Almost a year ago to the day, I posted a comprehensive list of cards from the 1979 Topps set that somehow had a Phillies connection.  This post will serve to do the same with the 1973 Topps set, and it will give me an excuse to show off some cards from teams the Phillies did not face during the 2013 season.

There are 112 (out of 726) cards in the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections* and I've determined the 1973 Topps set has 107 (out of 660) cards with Phillies connections.

*My original post tallied 111 cards in the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections, but when the team named Steve Henderson its new hitting coach last October, the number jumped up one to 112.

National League East (41 - 10 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (5) - #72 Ron Reed, #169 Ron Schueler, #237 Lew Burdette/Ken Silvestri CO, #550 Davey Johnson, #653 Joe Hoerner
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (4) - #30 Tug McGraw, #184 Jerry Koosman, #223 Bud Harrelson, #525 Jim Fregosi
Philadelphia Phillies (31)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (1) - #377 Gene Mauch MG

National League Central (24)
Chicago Cubs (2) - #180 Fergie Jenkins, #393 Jose Cardenal
Cincinnati Reds (9) - #28 Hal McRae, #52 Denis Menke, #130 Pete Rose, #202 Pete Rose NLCS, #208 Bobby Tolan/Denis Menke NLCS, #230 Joe Morgan, #275 Tony Perez, #296 Sparky Anderson MG, #335 Bobby Tolan
Milwaukee Brewers (7) - #71 Johnny Briggs, #74 Billy Champion, #332 John Felske, #386 Don Money, #451 John Vukovich, #526 Ollie Brown, #646 Harvey Kuenn CO
Pittsburgh Pirates (3) - #2 Rich Hebner, #225 Al Oliver, #397 Dave Cash
St. Louis Cardinals (3) - #128 Ted Sizemore, #269 Tim McCarver, #364 Rick Wise

National League West (10)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (3) - #239 Pete Richert, #490 Claude Osteen, #609 Davey Lopes RS
San Diego Padres (4) - #12 Johnny Podres/Bob Skinner CO, #57 Derrel Thomas, #133 Dave Roberts, #542 Pat Corrales
San Francisco Giants (3) - #121 Dave Rader, #322 Garry Maddox, #606 Gary Matthews RS

1973 Topps #9, #20, #301 and #362

American League East (9)
Baltimore Orioles (3) - #9 Johnny Oates, #362 Eddie Watt, #396 Grant Jackson
Boston Red Sox (1) - #317 Danny Cater
New York Yankees (5) - #68 Sparky Lyle LL, #116 Jim Hegan CO, #394 Sparky Lyle, #479 Hal Lanier, #535 Johnny Callison
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (18)
Chicago White Sox (6) - #20 Stan Bahnsen, #62 Dick Allen LL, #63 Dick Allen LL, #310 Dick Allen, #356 Joe Lonnett CO, #379 Cy Acosta
Cleveland Indians (4) - #247 Del Unser, #272 Ed Farmer, #372 Oscar Gamble, #425 Alex Johnson
Detroit Tigers (3) - #29 Tony Taylor, #146 Woodie Fryman, #369 Lerrin LaGrow
Kansas City Royals (3) - #188 Cookie Rojas, #428 Wayne Simpson, #593 Galen Cisco CO
Minnesota Twins (2) - #530 Jim Kaat, #622 Larry Hisle

American League West (5)
Houston Astros (2) - #242 George Culver, #572 Gary Sutherland
Los Angeles Angels (1) - #301 Billy Grabarkewitz
Oakland Athletics (1) - #274 Darold Knowles
Seattle Mariners (0)
Texas Rangers (1) - #138 Horacio Pina

1973 Topps #12, #208 and #606

Memory Lane

1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more

Pirates at Phillies: June 25th to June 28th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05

At the Ballpark:  Monday and Tuesday nights are fireworks nights at the ballpark.  I've only ever attended one Phillies fireworks show, and it was absolutely spectacular.

1979 Topps Flashback:  This is the final meeting of 2012 between these two teams, so I'm featuring the final three Pirates cards from the 1979 Topps featuring players with Phillies connections.

Bill Robinson spent three season (1972-1974) patrolling the Phillies outfield before being traded to Pittsburgh and helping the 1979 Pirates win their fifth and most recent World Championship.  Robinson's eight years with the Pirates were by far the most successful of his 16-year career.  In June 1982, Robinson was shipped back to the Phillies where he finished out his career as a spare outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench.  The Phils released him in June 1983.

1979 Topps #637, #117 and #264

Grant Jackson began his 18-year career with six seasons with the Phillies.  Initially a relief pitcher, Jackson developed into a semi-reliable starting pitcher for the Phils in the late 1960s.  Between 1965 and 1970, he went 23-43 with a 3.99 ERA.  Jackson was traded to the Orioles following the 1970 season in the deal that brought Roger Freed to Philly.  Not counting his 1 game appearance in 1982, Jackson spent five full seasons with the Pirates between 1977 and 1981.  He pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series.

Don Robinson is perhaps best remembered by Phillies fans as the pitcher who surrendered Mike Schmidt's 500th career home run on April 18, 1987.  Robinson faced off against the Phillies quite a bit during his nine-plus seasons with the Pirates (1978-1987) and his four and a half seasons with the Giants (1987-1991).  The Phillies picked up Robinson during their awful 1992 season.  He compiled a 1-4 record and a 6.18 ERA in eight starts before the Phillies released him, ending his Major League career.

1969 Topps Phillies

1969 Topps #350, #297, #133 and #369

Man walked on the moon, the Beatles recorded and released Abbey Road, but Topps still couldn't find pictures of Woodie Fryman or Rick Joseph in Phillies uniforms.  (And is it Woodie or Woody?)

The Set

1969 Topps #188 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  The set is numbered to 664, but there are quite a few variations available, pushing the number of cards in a master set closer to 700.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I've never been a huge fan of this set, as it looks as if the Topps design team took the year off.  They took the team name from the top of the '67 set and moved it to the bottom of the card.  They took the gray circle from the '68 set and bumped it to the top of the card.  Fortunately, a new decade was right around the corner and things were about to get interesting again.

Notable competition:  Topps was still a few years away from any type of notable competition (with the 1976 SSPC set), but there were a few oddball sets out there (Transogram statues and cards, Citgo Coins) featuring Phillies players.

1969 Phillies

Record and finish:  The tailspin that started in 1968 continued in 1969.  The team's record of 63-99 was their worst record since 1961 and fortunately, that loss total hasn't been matched since.  Only the expansion Montreal Expos kept the Phillies from the cellar of the newly formed National League East division.

Key players:  First baseman Dick Allen (.288, 32 home runs, 89 RBIs), center fielder Larry Hisle (.266, 20 home runs, 56 RBIs) and left fielder Deron Johnson (.255, 17 home runs, 80 RBIs) paced the offense.  In his final season with the club, right fielder Johnny Callison (.265, 16 home runs, 64 RBIs) also enjoyed a fine season.  The pitching staff was suspect with the top three starters - Grant Jackson, Fryman and Rick Wise - putting up the best numbers for the struggling club.  Jackson was the team's lone All-Star Game representative.

Key events:  The Dick Allen saga culminated with the slugger missing team flights, moving out of the team's locker room and scrawling messages in the dirt around the first base area.  Manager Bob Skinner was fired in August and coach George Myatt once again took over on an interim basis to finish out the season.

1969 Topps #28, #507, #108 and #73

1969 Phillies in 1969 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are just 25 cards in a complete 1969 Topps Phillies team set, if you count the Clay Dalrymple variation (#151) featuring the catcher with the Phillies.  The "normal" Dalrymple card, and the one more readily available, features him as a hatless Oriole.  There are 295 cards in a complete run of Topps Phillies cards between 1960 and 1969.  Overall, there are 468 Topps Phillies cards between 1951 and 1969.  That would make for a very cool album of baseball cards.  (I'm working on it.)

Who’s in:  Here's how the 24 shake out -

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 6 cards

#28 Mike Ryan (c), #350 Dick Allen (1b), #507 Cookie Rojas (2b), #108 Tony Taylor (3b), #297 Deron Johnson (lf), #133 Johnny Callison (rf)

The regular shortstop (Don Money) and center fielder (Hisle) had to share their cards - see below.

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 4 cards

#174 Grant Jackson, #51 Woodie Fryman, #188 Rick Wise, #253 Jerry Johnson

1969 Topps #174, #51, #188 and #253

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1969 - 8 cards

#73 John Briggs, #229 Don Lock, #276 Gary Wagner, #329 Rick Joseph, #395 Chris Short, #477 Jeff James, #531 Turk Farrell, #599 John Boozer

• Base cards of players who did not play with the Phillies in 1969 - 1 card for Clay Dalrymple, #151

• 1969 Rookie Stars cards - 4 cards

#206 Larry Hisle/Barry Lersch, #454 Larry Colton/Don Money, #576 Ron Stone/Bill Wilson and #624 Terry Harmon with the Mets' Duffy Dyer and the Reds' Darrel Chaney.  The Harmon card is just weird - Chaney looks as if he's ducking to avoid the blue "National League" circle, Dyer's head is huge and Harmon better be careful or he's going to catch some flies.

• League Leader card - 1 card, #6 Home Run Leaders with Allen, Willie McCovey and Ernie Banks
• Manager card - 1 card, #369 Bob Skinner

Who’s out:  Back-up catcher Dave Watkins was omitted, despite appearing in 69 games.  Pitchers Bill Champion (20 starts, 5-10 record), Lowell Palmer (26 games, 9 starts, 5.20 ERA) and Al Raffo (45 games, 4.10 ERA) were also left out.

Phillies on other teams:  Catcher Vic Roznovsky (#368) was acquired from the Orioles in April.

What’s he doing here:  After sharing a card in 1968 with Dick Thoenen, Larry Colton again makes an appearance, this time sharing a card with Money.  Colton pitched in one game for the Phillies in 1968, lasting two innings.

Cards that never were candidates:  Money and Hisle deserve their own cards, and Myatt would have received a manager card had there been a 1969 Topps Traded set.  Watkins and Champion were also deserving of cards.

Favorite Phillies card:  Don Lock's card?  I'll go with a tie for Allen and Callison's last Phillies cards.

1969 Topps #454, #206 and #624

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Other than a few repli-cards in 1990 issues of Baseball Cards Magazine, I'm not aware of any Phillies cards that recycle the 1969 Topps design.

Blogs/Websites:  It's been quiet for a while, but there's a 1969 Topps Baseball blog out there.

Did You Know?:  The last page of the 1969 Phillies Yearbook features an artist's rendering of "The New Phillies Stadium," to be located at Broad and Pattison.  A caption with the rendering notes that construction workers were rushing toward the planned Spring 1970 deadline.  Bad weather and a bad budget would conspire to push the opening of Veterans Stadium back a year to 1971.

1967 Topps Phillies

1967 Topps #37, #126, #248 and #268

Before you read this post, you should go check out the post from Jim from Downingtown on the 1967 Phillies on his 1967 Topps Baseball blog.  I'll wait until your back and listen to a little more Sgt. Pepper's, which I'm playing to get me in the mood to write about the Phillies during the Summer of Love.  (By the way, my favorite song from the album is still "A Day in the Life," but "Getting Better" continues to grow on me.)

You're back?  Far out.  Now that you know everything you should know about the '67 Phillies and their baseball cards, here's my humble contribution to the topic.

The Set

1967 Topps #326 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  There are 609 cards in the set, the largest number of cards in a set to date for Topps.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I like it.  Off the top of my head, if I had to rank the Topps sets from the '60s, this would be in third place behind the '65 and '63 sets.    It would have received higher marks from me if the Phillies team name was in red instead of yellow.

Notable competition:  Topps is over a decade away from any type of real competition.  In 1967, Phillies players could be found in the Bazooka set or in one of the first ever safety sets, the 1967 Phillies Safe Driving set featuring 13 players.

1967 Phillies

Record and finish:  The team took a few steps backward, finishing in fifth place with a record of 82-80 and 19 1/2 games behind the pennant winning Cardinals.

Key players:  Third baseman Richie Allen paced the offense (.307, 23 home runs, 77 RBIs) despite missing time with a hand injury.  Left fielder Tony Gonzalez finished second in the league in batting with his .339 average, behind Roberto Clemente's .357 average.  Jim Bunning finished with a 17-15 record and 2.29 ERA and lost five 1-0 games, according to The Phillies Encyclopedia.  Chris Short also pitched well (2.39 ERA in 199 1/3 innings) despite his 9-11 record.

Key events:  Both first baseman Bill White and Allen missed significant playing time in 1967 due to freak accidents.  White tore his Achilles tendon while playing paddleball at home.  Allen, while pushing a car down a street, inadvertently broke through one of the car's headlights with his hand.

1967 Topps #187, #326, #427 and #508

1967 Phillies in 1967 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 35 Phillies cards in the 1967 Topps set, besting the previous high of 30 cards in the 1965 set.

Who’s in:  Here's the break down -

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#53 Clay Dalrymple (c), #290 Bill White (1b), #595 Cookie Rojas (2b), #450 Dick Allen (3b), #466 Bobby Wine (ss), #548 Tony Gonzalez (lf), #376 Don Lock (cf), #85 Johnny Callison (rf)

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#560 Jim Bunning, #229 Larry Jackson, #395 Chris Short, #37 Rick Wise, #359 Dick Ellsworth

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1967 - 13 cards

#14 Phil Linz, #68 Bob Buhl, #126 Tony Taylor, #142 Jackie Brandt, #187 Pedro Ramos, #205 Dick Groat, #268 John Briggs, #326 Bob Uecker, #427 Ruben Gomez, #443 Tito Francona, #489 Doug Clemens, #508 Dick Hall, #529 Gary Wagner

1967 Topps #402

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1967 - 1 card

#48 Terry Fox, who spent 1967 in the minors

• 1967 Rookie Stars cards - 2 cards

#402 Grant Jackson/Billy Wilson and #587 Gary Sutherland with the Mets' Don Shaw

• League Leader cards - 3 cards

#238 Strikeout Leaders with Bunning, #242 RBI Leaders with Allen and #244 Home Run Leaders with Allen

• Manager card - 1 card for Gene Mauch, #248
• Team card - 1 card, #102
• Combo card - 1 card, #309 Hurlers Beware with Allen and Callison

Who’s out:  Outfielder Billy Cowan appeared in 34 with the Phillies, but he was left out of the set.  Reliever John Boozer was also omitted, despite appearing in 28 games.

Phillies on other teams:  #18 Gene Oliver with the Braves, #190 closer Turk Farrell with the Astros and #198 Chuck Hiller with the Mets

What’s he doing here:  Wilson shares a card with Grant Jackson, but he wouldn't debut with the Phillies until 1969.

Cards that never were candidates:  Topps had cards for all the main players in the 1967 season (except Cowan and Boozer), so there's not a lot to choose from here.  Farrell deserves a Phillies card since he's featured as an Astro in the set.  Dallas Green wrapped up his 8-year career with 8 games with the Phils and long-time Phillie Terry Harmon was just starting his career when he appeared in two games in July as a pinch-runner.

Favorite Phillies card:  This one's easy.  The Hurlers Beware card featuring Allen and Callison epitomizes 1960's Phillies baseball, and it could be the best Phillies baseball card of the decade.

1967 Topps #190, 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #143,
2010 Topps The Cards Your Mom Threw Out #CMT74 and 2001 Topps Archives #340

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Similar to the 1966 Topps design, Topps has only come back to this design a few times for its Archives sets and retro-based inserts.

Blogs/Websites:  As referenced at the start of this post, please check out the fine 1967 Topps Baseball blog for more appreciation and general information on the 1967 Topps set.

Did You Know?:  On the day the Beatles released their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, June 1st, the Phils defeated the Dodgers in Los Angeles by a score of 6-1.  Allen had four RBIs, including a 3-run home run in the sixth off Claude Osteen.